Parveen
Parveen was born in Rangavali Village, the neighboring island, to a family of 10 children. She was born around 1982. She went to school until 5th grade. She got married in 1999, when she was 17, and moved to Katakhali to be with her husband, Faruk Howlader. In 2013, she had two children: Tanzila (girl, age 12, 6th grade) and Marzila (girl, age 5). She said they were happy with two daughters and will not try for a son. In 2015, she had an unplanned third child, a baby girl, who is much loved.
Parveen lost her home during SIDR and took shelter in the Health Center during SIDR and AILA. She was deeded a new home by Samhati. She joined the cooperative after SIDR and started taking literacy classes as well as classes in woodblock printing and farming. She says she enjoys the literacy classes the most and that her reading has improved significantly. She can now read books and stories. She is always reading whenever she has a few minutes of free time. She is planning to tutor her younger child when he starts school next year. Her husband likes her involvement with the cooperative and she comes everyday, usually bringing her younger child along. She is growing peanuts, chillies, pumpkins, beans, and gourds. These supplement her family’s nutrition and the extra is sold. Parveen suffered huge losses to her poultry, rice crop, and vegetables due to heavy rains in 2017 during the dry season.