A maker mother’s journey

Then and now in pictures

A woman sits working at a table while a young person embraces them from behind.

Bangladesh — Apr 2025

Story by Julie Kauffman, Photos by Julie Kauffman (2025) and Matthew Lester (2002)

April 30, 2025

In 1993, MCC started a papermaking project in southern Bangladesh, seeking to provide sustainable income for rural women and to empower them.

What a difference that made for one young mother. In an interview with MCC in 2002, Rina Deuri stressed how there was not only more food for the family, but she could move toward her dream of educating her two young children.

Fast forward more than two decades ... and join designer Julie Kauffman as she catches up with Rina. We hope these paired images from 2002 and 2025 give you a glimpse into one mother’s journey to transform her life – and the life of her family.

A woman walks past rows of drying papers. The year 2002 is in the corner of the image.

A woman walks past rows of drying papers. The year 2025 is in the corner of the image.

Revisiting Rina

When I was planning a trip to Bangladesh in January this year, I remembered a photo book I designed for MCC back in 2002. It was about rural women pursuing safe, sustainable livelihoods at Biborton Handmade Paper in Agailjhara, Barisal District.

I remembered the maker mothers who I admired, the beauty of the crafting of paper, the rich landscape of waterways. I remembered the hard work in making ends meet, the dream for education, the persistence to get there.

I remembered the 12-year-old son swinging the hand of his 5-year-old sister walking to school. I remembered their maker mother, Rina Deuri.

What did life look like for Rina and her family now – 23 years later?

Two photos: On the left, the date is 2002 and a woman stands in a field looking affectionately at her daughter. On the right, the date is 2025 and the same woman is looking at her grandson, who is on a bike, and son, smiling affectionately. — THEN: Rina Deuri with daughter Antara. NOW: Rina with son Anjan and grandson Aaryan.

Rina then and now

Was Rina still making paper? Had her children been able to continue studying? How was Rina making her dreams come true?

These paired images from 2002 and 2025 show Rina's journey.

A woman puts on an apron decorated in a floral print.

THEN: Rina dons her apron to make paper from plants and recycled materials.

A smiling woman with scissors cuts a paper product she is holding.

NOW: Rina meticulously crafts paper products.

“I went there and I requested they give me work.”
-Rina Deuri

THEN: Given the opportunity to learn and grow, Rina becomes a color expert and master at dyeing paper.

A woman sits working at a desk with stacks of small boxes and other paper products.

NOW: Rina advances to working in the paper product making section. With her steady income she says, “I am not dependent on my son and my husband. I bear my own expenses.”

“I am very proud to work at Biborton. If I did not work here, I would not get training. And I would not speak out so much.”
-Rina Deuri

Four women sit next to each other, working at a table.

THEN: Rina’s colleagues provide a supportive community.

Seven women sit across from each other at a long table, having a meal.

NOW: Rina contributes to a warm, laughter-filled workplace. As her daughter says, “Everyone has a soft spot for my mom.”

“I wanted to be a nurse, but I could not. But my daughter is now a nurse.”
-Rina Deuri

A woman combs her young daughter's hair.

THEN: Rina combs daughter Antara’s hair.

A woman looks at the baby she's holding with an affectionate smile.

NOW: Antara cares for her first child, Ehan.

“I got here from my mom’s inspiration.”
-Antara Deuri

A young child squats on the ground outdoors with a toy in her hand.

THEN: Five-year-old Antara plays outside their house.

Seven people in hospital scrubs smile at the camera. One is wearing a sari.

NOW: Antara (in sari) works as a nurse at a top hospital in Dhaka. She says, “My mom sacrificed everything for us.”

“It was my target. That I make my children educated.”
-Rina Deuri

An older sibling holds a younger sibling's hand as they walk down a path.

THEN: Twelve-year-old Anjan walks his sister Antara to school.

A parent holds their kid's hand as they walk down a narrow street.

NOW: Anjan walks his daughter Angela to school.

“At that time we had to face a lot of problems—like financial problems, food problems, so many things. But we always got good opportunities and support from Biborton.”
-Anjan Deuri

A man pedals a 3-wheeled cart down a narrow road.

THEN: With the money Rina earned, she bought her husband Anil a flatbed tricycle cart. He started a business hauling people and goods.

NOW: Anil continues to work hard to help support the family. He has upgraded to an electric flatbed tricycle cart that helps with pedaling.

“I was a little bit of a naughty boy ... And then my mom counseled me and said, ‘If you don’t complete your studies, how can you survive in your future life?’ So at that time, I thought and I hit the restart button in my life.”
-Anjan Deuri

A smiling older child receives a smooch from a younger child while three other kids smile at the camera.

THEN: Antara playfully teases older brother Anjan, surrounded by neighborhood friends.

NOW: Anjan gives his son a squeeze as his daughter looks on.

“I got a formal degree, passed graduation and then completed my first position. And now I have made a private clinic in my area.”
-Anjan Deuri

A kid sits at a desk lit by a lamp writing a paper.

THEN: Anjan does homework.

A dentist in scrubs is working on a patients mouth while their assistant observes.

NOW: Anjan (in scrubs) cares for a patient at his affordable dental clinic in Agailjhara.

“So now I’m here. And it’s totally my mom.”
-Anjan Deuri

Two women hold a cloth cradling a green substance that's used in the papermaking process.

THEN: Rina enjoys the camaraderie of her daily work making paper.

Two women, one standing and one sitting at a desk, enjoy a moment at a desk covered in paper products.

NOW: Rina loves mentoring the next generation. Shown here with Shoma Sarkar, Rina says “I hope that all artisans become like me.”

“I learn a lot of things from Rina—how to make the products. If anyone is unable to make something, she helps them. She helps everybody with everything.”
-Shoma Sarkar

A woman stands with her two children. The older one is taller than her and the younger is much shorter.

NOW: Shoma Sarkar with her 12-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. As a single mother new to Biborton, Shoma says, “I can now pay all their expenses from my wages.”

“I have a son and a daughter and I have big dreams for them. I want to educate them. They will be upgraded from me.”
-Shoma Sarkar

“I went there and I requested they give me work.”
-Rina Deuri

“I am very proud to work at Biborton. If I did not work here, I would not get training. And I would not speak out so much.”
-Rina Deuri

“I wanted to be a nurse, but I could not. But my daughter is now a nurse.”
-Rina Deuri

“I got here from my mom’s inspiration.”
-Antara Deuri

“It was my target. That I make my children educated.”
-Rina Deuri

“At that time we had to face a lot of problems—like financial problems, food problems, so many things. But we always got good opportunities and support from Biborton.”
-Anjan Deuri

“I got a formal degree, passed graduation and then completed my first position. And now I have made a private clinic in my area.”
-Anjan Deuri

“So now I’m here. And it’s totally my mom.”
-Anjan Deuri

“I learn a lot of things from Rina—how to make the products. If anyone is unable to make something, she helps them. She helps everybody with everything.”
-Shoma Sarkar

“I have a son and a daughter and I have big dreams for them. I want to educate them. They will be upgraded from me.”
-Shoma Sarkar

Growing the impact

One mother’s creative act has multiplied.

The generational ripple effect of Rina Deuri’s care and persistence continues to blossom for her family and her colleagues.

A woman removes green-dyed paper from an outdoor drying station.

Colorful leaves connect to a tree in the foreground with rows of paper-drying racks out of focus in the background.

I see the changes in my life.

Rina Deuri

A family - two adults and two kids - sit pose on a 3-wheeled cycle. — THEN: Rina Deuri with 5-year-old daughter Antara, 12-year-old son Anjan, husband Anil.

A collage of two images with the left showing showing two grandparents, their son, daughter in law and two kids. The right shows two parents holding a baby. — LEFT – Rina Deuri (center) with husband Anil holding grandson Aaryan, granddaughter Angela (front), son Anjan and his wife Rinku Panday. RIGHT – Rina’s daughter Antara with husband Aliman Hazra and their son Ehan.

And the growth doesn't stop with Rina and her family, or even with the artisans she's mentoring at Biborton.

Today, Biborton Handmade Paper is one of 10 handcraft centers run by Prokritee, an independent global fair trade enterprise that grew out of MCC’s decades of job creation work in rural Bangladesh starting in the 1970s.

Prokritee currently employs over 1,800 women artisans who seek brighter futures for themselves and their families. Their products reach people in 27 countries, including Ten Thousand Villages customers in the U.S.

Thank you, Rina, for sharing your story. You continue to amaze and inspire me and so many people with your life.

Julie Kauffman is a designer and storyteller based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She was serving as a designer for MCC's Communications department in 2002 when she first encountered the story and photos featuring Rina Deuri.