Milon Char is an island in the turbulent Gomani River in mid-west Bangladesh – an inhospitable area, which until recently was uninhabited. But for the neglected people at the margins of Bangladeshi society, it provides an opportunity to own land and build a future.

With the help of an organisation called Samata, thousands of poor families have moved to Milon Char. Samata, meaning “Equality”, is a DFID-supported organisation that is helping the poor to organise themselves and is fighting to establish their land rights.

Bilkis Khatun and her husband Abdul Razzaque are among those who have settled on Milon Char. They are busy establishing a home, and meet their daily needs by selling poultry, eggs and goat’s milk. “Since coming here we are much better off,” says Bilkis. “We have a roof over our heads and something to eat.”

But there’s a threat. Until their small piece of land is formally registered in their names, they, and many thousands of other settlers, risk losing their property to illegal land grabbers who prey on poor communities. They’ve applied to the government for a lease, but until they receive approval, life is precarious.

Bilkis says, “We live in constant fear of forcible uprooting.” However, Bilkis, Abdul and their fellow settlers have strength in numbers, and with Samata’s help, they are well organised. “We are united in our fight,” says Bilkis, who has become the leader of the campaigning women’s action group in Milon Char, determined to establish their legal right to the land.

Samata has organised over 100,000 people into more than 6,500 community groups. There are about 3.3 million acres of unleased land available in Bangladesh, but 57% of the population is still landless. The 93,000 acres of government land that Samata has helped distribute still accounts for less than 3% of the land available for settlement.

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