Khalilur Rahaman

Md. Khalilur Rahaman is 35 and has six children.  Before he became literate he couldn’t read the signboards outside offices and so had to ask which office to enter,  which made him feel ashamed.  Now he says he can read and write everything and he feels very good about it.  He can now harvest better and can calculate the correct amount of fertiliser to use.  When he travels on a bus he can identify the correct seat to sit in.  He has read four or five books from the mini-library on topics such as the environment and physical health.  Before he did the course his income was Tk.400/500, now it is Tk.600/700.  He thinks that the increase is due to greater knowledge gained from the course.  Most of the extra income comes from keeping his poultry better.  Like all the other members of the group he is saving Tk.5 per week.  He hopes that one day he will be able to buy some land, start a business, or buy some cattle with the money saved.