Turning Waste into Worth

“I never thought waste could change our lives,” said Sharitan Begum, gently patting the side of her compost shed in a small village in Kurigram, northern Bangladesh.

Kurigram, one of the most climate-vulnerable districts in the country, sits close to the border. Crisscrossed by rivers, the area faces frequent floods that wash away homes, crops, and livelihoods, leaving families in a cycle of loss and recovery.

For Sharitan, a widow in her sixties, life had always been difficult. She depended on her son Zainal, the family’s only earner. But when illness left him unable to work, everything changed. His wife, Shelley, took a job as a domestic helper just to keep the family afloat. Each monsoon brought new damage, new worries, and a growing sense of helplessness.

Then came a lifeline. The Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC) a partnership of the Government of Bangladesh, UNDP, UNCDF, Sweden, and Denmark—identified the family as highly vulnerable. Sharitan received three sheep to start a small livelihood. It was a modest beginning, but one that gave her something she hadn’t felt in a long time: hope.

Later, she joined a women’s group supported by LoGIC, which leased a small plot of land for farming. The women worked together, growing crops, building trust, and slowly, rebuilding confidence. But Sharitan wanted something more lasting, something her family could depend on.

She was introduced to vermicomposting, a technique using earthworms to turn organic waste into high-quality compost. With training and support, she started with just four compost rings. As her health declined, Shelley stepped in, not as a helper this time, but as a partner, and eventually, an entrepreneur.

Shelley’s commitment earned her support from the Community Resilience Fund (CRF), allowing her to expand the business. Her work soon caught the attention of the government’s Department of Agricultural Extension, which awarded her BDT 1,74,000 (USD 1,430) to build a larger shed and upgrade her tools.

Today, the family runs a thriving business. With 18 composting rings, four sheds, and a composting machine, Shelley earns between BDT 60,000 to 70,000 (USD 493 to 575) annually by selling organic fertilizer to local farmers and agricultural offices.

She now plans to invest in cattle to ensure a steady supply of raw materials. “I want this to grow, not just for our family, but for our whole village,” she says.

In a district too often known for disaster, the story of Sharitan and Shelley is one of resilience. More than that, it’s about partnership between generations, two women standing together, not just surviving a crisis, but shaping a future their community can be proud of.

“We’ve lost so much,” Shelley says softly. “But now, we’re building something no flood can wash away.”

In flood-prone Kurigram, women are turning waste into wealth by using vermicomposting to build climate resilience, restore dignity, and create sustainable incomes for their families and communities.