As part of a series of videos exploring the impact of FAO-Dimitra Clubs in rural communities, this video showcases the important role the Clubs play in helping women gain self-confidence and build their capacities to become leaders in their communities.

A look at how members of FAO-Dimitra Clubs in the Niger and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have succeeded in improving their livelihoods and creating momentum at community level. This video, which is part of a series entitled "Impact of FAO-Dimitra Clubs: Empowering Rural People," also explores collaborations between the Clubs and other development actors, such as rural institutions.

Three women tell the story of their successes through three different FAO projects in Bangladesh: Shipra Bagchi, a shrimp farmer from the Khulna division in the southwest; Monowara Begum, a crop farmer from Mymensingh, in the north; and Eliza Khan, a dairy farmer from the Rajshahi division in central Bangladesh.

Eliza Khan is a beneficiary of an FAO project focusing on smallholder dairy development. Through the project, she was trained in improved dairy farming practices and livestock management. “From this training I learned how to prepare the sheds and how to take care of the cows.”

In the past, Monowara Begum had trouble growing enough to feed her family. But when she joined a Village Based Organization (VBO) under a project supported by FAO, she learned about improved farming techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). “I used to starve for shortage of rice, but now I sell rice,” she says proudly.