When the father of her three children abandoned them, Rebecca was forced to rely on irregular, low-wage farm labor and a small vegetable garden to feed her family.

Rainy season was the most difficult time for her, as it was harder than ever to find work. Then she joined BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation program, which provided her with pigs to raise and the training to grow her business.

Through the program, Rebecca’s coach helped her learn how to succeed with her pig rearing livelihood, and she now feels confident to work independently and lead the business.

She has expanded beyond raising pigs to earn more income from multiple sources, from selling dishes and sugar to smoking and selling fish to her community.

Rebecca says her favorite aspect of the Graduation program has been the training and support to manage her income by saving money regularly. She believes the savings will help her grow her businesses and keep her children in school.

After her transformative experience, Rebecca wants to rear pigs on a greater scale and build a house for her family in the city to give her children access to better schooling.

She is happy because her family and her community are proud of her and thank her for making good use of the opportunity to build a long-term livelihood through the Graduation approach.