"When people see that change is possible in a community like theirs, they begin to believe it is possible for themselves too."

Last year, Doldoli tea-garden community demonstrated how local resources and collective action can create new opportunities through SALT approach. Seeking alternative sources of income beyond tea-garden work, community members began cultivating black pepper around their homesteads. What started as a small initiative soon became a symbol of hope and…

Community engagement takes on deeper meaning when communities learn from and connect with one another. Recently, I had the opportunity to spend meaningful time with Alokito kori team and notably, Nishat Tasnim, Programme Coordinator of Alokito Kori. During her visit to ECDO and the communities ECDO works with particularly the Patro and Tea Garden communities. From the very beginning, her presence stood out.…

In mid-2024, a group of 30 tea garden workers and their families in Doldoli Tea Garden, Sylhet, received 30 black pepper plants and basic training on cultivation from the local agriculture authority with collaboration of an NGO. In total 30 families received the plant .The initiative aimed to provide an alternative source of income for households and improve their economic stability.

However, just a few months after the distribution, it became clear that the plants were not thriving.…

Just 24 hours before our own presentation, I was watching Sadia Apu from Grow Your Reader Foundation (GYRF) speak in the knowledge fair program and I was genuinely impressed. She spoke with such fluency, and everything was perfectly timed. It was effortless, polished, and powerful. I kept asking myself: How does she…