Bangladesh - Belgium

Table 2. Most significant change analysis, conducted by focus group of male
group leaders, 12 th December 2007 (4 men, each leaders of different groups)
What has been the most significant change in the past ten years?
Before Samata we did day labouring for others, now we work for ourselves; sometimes we
even hire our own labourers
10 months out of 12 we get rice from the Bir
I was so poor, sometimes I had to be like a beggar; now, thanks to samata, I have 2 aras of
land, a good house with a floor and a zinc roof, as well as livestock
Some of us rent out land to other people
We are very much interested to send our children to school. I have four children, all being
educated up to college level: one daughter has been to college; another daughter was in
college but she got married to an NGO worker; my third child (boy) is in Grade 10 (SSC next
year); my fourth child (boy) is in Grade 6. Before Samata we didn’t have these expectations
for our children
Previously we wouldn’t enter any type of committee; now we can enter any type of committee
(my wife is a member of the SMC here)
We are very much confident these days; whenever we go to town we see people living in
polythene shelters. We used to be like that but now we feel united and confident and have
good shelter
The number of diseases amongst children has been decreasing; we have been receiving
medicines and advice. Especially in this area children suffer from worms, but in our
movement we have less incidence; so this is an advantage and we are privileged
Previously I had a hut; now I have a strong house with foundations
You hardly find any poor people in this area
Since 1985 I have had 33 cases brought against me. I was in jail and I was tortured. But in
the last 5 years I haven’t had any cases against me. There were 20 cases brought against
another member; with the help legal aid he has so far fought off 18 of them. Why all these
cases? Police hassle them but having the guardianship of Samata keeps the police off their
backs. Legal ownership of the land prevents landgrabbers pursuing them through the courts
Additional notes:
These men have been with Samata since its inception: “We make Samata”
NB These men are not interested in UP membership; they have female members in UP on
reserved seat but get help from UP chairmen on requests, in return for votes
“We feel that Samata should spread out across the country and that all landless people
should have security”
“When I visit town, beggars and children ask for money; I give it to them but I don’t like to
because I feel that they should be part of the Samata movement”
“Samata is not like the other (credit) NGOs; whatever we get from Samata we get
permanently. BRAC etc just give money and take money. Not changing lifestyle”
“We feel for the landless people because we are developing and changing our own lifestyle”
“All the time we feel Allah over our head and Samata on the ground!”
“When I was fleeing for four months in 1985/6 the landgrabbers took a cow and killed it. Now
Allah’s curse is on them because I can buy 10 cows and they can’t”
Now some of these landgrabbers are under them and actually part of the samata land
movement – friendly on the face of it
Samata has inspired us but if we are not united then samata cannot help us
This land is so fertile: last year I cultivated onions and mustard: 2,000kg of onison from just 30
decimels of land; paddy produces 1,200 kg of rice per harvest (*2 harvests); jute 10 months at
970 thaka income/month; open water fish > from these crops I built two houses
“You should try to encourage this elsewhere in Bangladesh.. spread the organisational
change through the country.. we would like to see this in the next five years. There should
also be a ‘second revolution’ to access the water bodies from the landgrabbers”
Are there younger men in the men’s groups? Yes: process for accessing land entitlements +
support from Samata. They approach govt for deeds to new areas of khas land and then all
the groups go together (group solidarity) to take over the land. We couldn’t do this without the
groups
Procedure: (1) Survey land with Samata; (2) AC (Assistant ??) Land Office with husband and
wife claimants; takes up to one year to get land registration sorted; in the meantime they go to
the land and start cultivating.
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