Sanjay Kumar Sen, a young man of 23 years, was born in a low-income household in Kumar Para village of the Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram district. Along with two more siblings and parents, Sanjay’s father was the only bread earner for the family.

Due to his family’s financial problems, Sanjay could not enrol in higher studies after the completion of his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC). Instead, he started working as an auto-rickshaw driver to support his family with an additional income. His average monthly income was only around BDT 10,000 (USD 117). He could barely save any money.


In 2019, Sanjay was selected to be a beneficiary of the SHOUHARDO III program and received a six-day training on tube well repair and maintenance as a Local Service Provider (LSP). With this knowledge, he started working as a technician for tube-well repair and maintenance for his community, which enabled him to earn an additional BDT 5000-6000 (USD 58-70). Now, Sanjay has started enjoying the fruits of savings. From his savings, he built a tin house for his family and furnished it with necessary furniture and facilities for a decent living. He also bought his mother a sheep for her to help contribute towards the family earning. Finally, with his savings, Sanjay purchased his own auto-rickshaw worth BDT 115,000, which further increased his monthly income by eliminating the rental fee. Sanjay’s dream continues with the ambition to buy a car for the car-rental business from his own savings!



Today, Sanjay is happy as he helped his family come out of poverty. He recognizes the incredible interventions of the SHOUHARDO III program, particularly in enhancing income-generating opportunities for a community youth like him.