She how earns Tk 3,000 to 4,000 a month. Her daughter Putul had left school one and a half years back when she was a student of class three. She now goes to school.

There are about 80 women like her at Bandabila and neighbouring Sadipur village in Bagherpara upazila in Jessore who have become self-reliant, thanks to the Coconut Genetic Resource Network Project launched by the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) in February last year.

Mariam makes coir-rope and doormats from coconut.

BARI trained the distressed women and gave them interest-free micro credit. It launched the project with technical and financial assistance from International Coconut Research Institute (ICRI) to diversify use of coconut and increase its production.

Women are also trained in goat raring, poultry and vegetable cultivation.

After training Mariam got Tk 800 loan and a small machine to make coir and doormat from coconut.

Making a good use of the loan and the machines, she set up a coconut-based cottage industry at her house. She makes four doormats daily and sells those at Tk 200. She also makes at least two kilograms of coir rope at a cost of Tk 60. The coir rope is sold at Tk 140.

Dipali, 16, and her mother were abandoned by her brothers after her father died.

"BARI's training, micro-credit of Tk 800 and a small machine has brought us good days", Dipali said.

Besides coir-making, she rears goat. He old mother helps her. They earn around Tk 4,000 a month by making coir rope.

"We have accumulated some savings and want to set up a small poultry farm at the backyard", a giggling Dipali told this correspondent during a recent visit.

About 20 women in the two villages are engaged in making doormat and coir rope. Fifty-five others are involved in goat raring, vegetable cultivation and raising poultry. They include Asia, Jarina, Shikha, Beauty, Rebeka and Laboni.