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COX’S BAZAR, Nov 28, 2025 (BSS) - Khaleda Akhter Kajal, a 30-year-old housewife from a low-income family in the Chenchari neighborhood of Ruppati village under Ukhiya Upazila in Cox's Bazar, has changed her life through hard work and determination.
 
Although once she was in plight in maintaining her five-member family, she now takes care of her family, including her disabled husband, Md. Abdullah (38) and their three children: Imran Ahmad Fahim (13), Afirina Nahar Anisha (8) and Anas Ahmed Mahim (1). 

Following her husband’s spinal injury in a road accident, Kajal faced immense financial strain, struggling to cover medical and daily expenses.

Kajal got a chance to change her life once she was trained under a project titled “Ecosystem Awareness and Restoration Through Harmony (EARTH)”, implemented jointly by Forest Department and Arannayk Foundation with financial support from UNDP.

Kajal was trained in “Home Yard Vegetable Farming,” “Poultry and Livestock Farming,” “Organisational Development and Management,” and as a “Local Service Provider." 

She initiated vegetable, chicken, and duck farming at her home. Utilising a locally known incubator, the “chicken hatching machine," provided by the project, she began offering hatching services and selling hatchlings. 

Through her efforts, she gained the trust of local farmers and traders, earning the nickname "Dimwali" in her village. Through income generated from the sale of eggs and chicks, alongside a loan, Kajal has successfully expanded her poultry business. She raised 85 local chickens, 500 tiger chickens, 100 Campbell ducks, and 200 quails. During 2024, her farm achieved a sale of 584 kg of tiger chickens at a price of Taka 340 per kg, resulting in a total income of Taka 1,98,360. 

She subsequently reinvested this profit into the acquisition of two goats and one cow. The current valuation of her poultry farm's stock is about Taka 150,000. 

Kajal anticipates realising a net profit ranging from Taka 20,000 to 25,000 from chickens and Taka 15,000 to 20,000 from ducks, in addition to a monthly income of Taka 12,000 to 15,000 from hatching eggs and selling hatchlings. 

Kajal's monthly income has increased to Taka 25,000-30,000, thereby allowing her to meet her husband’s medical expenses and support her children's education. 

She has enhanced her household’s living standards by installing electrical facilities, utilising a pressure cooker and rice cooker, and alleviating the necessity of gathering firewood. 

Khaleda Akhter Kajal conveyed her deep appreciation, noting, "I have learned various initiatives that significant profits can be achieved through the efficient use of resources in our home yard, supported by training, careful planning, and hard work.” 

She said as an entrepreneur, she has successfully set up an egg hatching and poultry farm, which allows her to manage my family effectively today.