
Dhaka, Bangladesh - Shirina Begum was no stranger to sleeping on an empty stomach. For days on end, she had to consume "bhater mar" (the starchy water poured off cooked rice) to quell her hunger after feeding her two children and ailing husband.
Growing up in the small Bangladeshi village of Namorikari in Lalmonirhat, which often faces seasonal famines, 29-year-old Begum struggled to make ends meet.