We Would Cry Three Times: Retirement...As An Adventure by Peg McIntosh

Author:Peg McIntosh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kingman Technology Group LLC
Published: 2018-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Hajera is 28 years old and the sole support of her family. “My husband is 80 years old and can no longer work making cane baskets and mats . . .He was married once before but had no children. We have been married for 16 years and have four children, 3 daughters and 1 son.” Her daughters are 14, 10 and 5; and her son is 7 years old. “My husband stays home and takes care of the children while I work.”

Prior to working at Bonoful, Hajera “had the knack” of doing Nakshi Kantha quilting (traditional craft of Bangladeshi needle work). She did this in her home but only made a small income. “We had to sell our home and use all of the money to eat…now I am working and we have a home and all of my children can go to school. We have a small garden for vegetables and some chickens and ducks.”

Hajera has to get up very early every morning. Before leaving for work, she cooks her family’s breakfast and lunch. It is three miles—a 45-minute walk or 15-minute rickshaw ride—to the project where she begins work at 8:00 am. Work ends at 5 P.M. but on the way home she has to stop to fetch water. They have no tube well, so Hajera must carry water for their cooking. She does her washing in the pukur or nearby pond.

Hajera has a 5th grade education and enjoys reading with her children in the evening. At the project she enjoys socializing with the other women. She also attends special courses on legal rights and home management. With her earnings, Hajera participates in the project’s savings program. “I can make 2 ½ albums or 3 journals (MCC handmade products) a day.” Sometimes, when there are many orders, she brings work home to finish. Therefore, her earnings may vary somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 Tk a month, of which she can usually save 20 to 100 Tk. (One US dollar equals about 45 taka.)

It is very apparent that Hajera enjoys working. She laughs, “I don’t like staying at home any more—there is little to occupy myself. At work I can earn money for my family …I also visit with my friends. Sometimes we joke and tease each other at work.” Asked what she does in her spare time, she says, “I visit my parents and brothers and sisters, but I also visit my friends from the project.”

Hajera says that because of working, she has a very different life. Her position in the family has changed. Because she works to support her family, even her parents show her a new appreciation. Her children try to be cooperative and the eldest child actually helps with the work. They have no clock, so, in the morning when the sun gets up in the sky, the children say to her, “You can go now, you don’t have to stay with us.” If it seems to be getting late, they say, “You must hurry,

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