Anwar is a son of the village Badaigaon under Shimulia Union Parishad, Savar Upazila. He is the third among four brothers and one sister. After obtaining graduation degree he started teaching in the local Goalbari High School in 1992. But teaching could give him neither satisfaction nor financial solvency; the money he used to get as salary from the school was not enough to meet the need of his family. Demands of his family kept on increasing every day putting him in utter difficulty to meet the situation. He thought of various ways to earn more money, but none gave him the results.

Anwar gave up teaching in 1995. He was provocated by some manpower traders to go abroad and earn bags of money. He, being thus allured, gave Tk 2 lac to a manpower trader to get a job in South Korea. But the irony of fate was that in long three years he could not get the necessary visa or work permit to go to S Korea and all his money was lost. Anwar become totally disappointed and about to lose heart. At that time some Swanirvar Bangladesh programme (rural self-reliance) was going on in Shimulia Union Parishad. Anwar involved himself in that and took up a small summer vegetables cultivation project with assistance from the programme. With polythene roofing he made a green house and started there cultivation of tomato and other vegetables. This time fortune smiled on him. He was awarded the best vegetables farmer of the Union Parishad. In 2003 Anwar participated in the 300th batch of the animators training programme organised by the Hunger Project. The training brought about a change in him. He thought to mobilise the people for a permanent organisation for rural development. First he organised the Badaigaon Krishak Samity (farmers' association). In few months the Samity stood out to be a popular organisation. The number of members of the samity is now 40. Each member now contributes Tk.10 a month.

Anwar then organised the Badaigaon Juba Samity (youth society) with the youth of the area. Members of the Juba Samity are now 28. They also contribute Tk 10 each to the Samity. Anwar's 3rd step was to organise the women of the area and he formed the Badaigaon Mahila Samity. There are 104 members of the Samity now. With this Samity, he organised the women, inspired them to participate in different training programmes. He also inspired them to gather at the house of the president or secretary of the Samity time to time to discuss problems of the area and draw up plan of action. Members of these Samities are now working for their own development and also helping others to develop themselves.

Anwar, with assistance from Youth Development Dept. and Swanirvar Bangladesh, helped the youth of his areas, to receive different training. By this time he helped five youths for training in poultry, 50 women in pickle preservation, and 15 women in developed earthen cooker manufacture.

Inspired by the training, Anwar took initiative to construct one km rural road from Badaigaon Pagla Bazar to Badaigaon Primary School, by the local people on voluntary basis. Anwar, with the help of the members of the Samity and elected members of the Union Parishad, brought 197 families under the Small Family Programmes. He also inspired the members of the Samities to plant 3000 saplings. He distributed hygienic latrines to 20 families and made more than 200 people aware of nutrition and sanitation.

Animator Anwar is constantly trying to change the mindset of the people of his area and inspiring them to receive training. As a result, two batches of the Animators Training were held in Kabirpur Angana High School. Now he has offered to organise another training programme for 100 men and women at Goalbari, Zirani under sadar upazila. To that end he has started work and his aim is now to create people's awareness in all the union parishads of the sadar upazila.

Anwar has created a unique example by cultivating vegetables in Shimulia Union Parishad. He earns more than Tk.30,000 a year by this. He can now make a good savings from his vegetables farming after meeting his family expenses. He wants to make the entire Shimulia Union Parishad a model of vegetables farming. By now, he has motivated about 100 persons for cultivating vegetables on commercial basis.

Anwar Hossain believes that behind his success, the assistance from Swanirvar Bangladesh and inspiration from Hunger Project had worked tremendously. The Animators Training Programme has made him a catalyst. Now he feels himself more responsible for development of his area. He could now have united his thought with work and is more conscious about the society.

Anwar Hossain, who has struggled hard and at last won can now be an example for others. If men like Anwar in the society come up to inspire others to develop themselves to get self-employed, Bangladesh will soon be known as a hunger and poverty free country.

A G M Alamgir is Asstt. Programme officer of The Hunger Project