Breeding Happiness

Khodeja Begum's family life revolves around her animals. She has recently bought a cow and two goats and rears chickens and ducks so that she can sell the eggs to buy food. Her new-found prosperity and happiness is a result of our River Erosion Project (REP).

As part of the scheme, Khodeja was given 20 kilograms of seedling fish and two breeding cages. By cultivating and breeding the fish she produced enough food to feed her husband and three children and then sell the rest. As she developed her new skill, we introduced Khodeja to HAPA (carp rearing) technology, enabling her to produce more baby fish. She now has so many of these baby fish that she's able to donate some to the public pond.

The simple ingredients to build a fish cage:

• bamboo poles
• netting
• string
• floats

Khodeja's cages were made using a few cheap materials. Bamboo poles form an outer frame that is covered in netting; inside is a "nursery" section for the younger, more delicate fish; and floats are added at the corners.

With a capacity of one cubic metre, the cage can hold up to 300 fish at a time. Khodeja uses cages like this for two growing seasons each year, giving her family a constant supply of fish to eat and sell.

"Our days of starvation have gone," she says. "Now I am able to put some money into an insurance scheme and send my children to high school. I have even been able to lease a piece of land and afford bettlenut to chew. I am very happy."

Although the REP project ended in March 2009, our work with poor communities affected by river erosion continues in our Pathways from Poverty scheme.