Story of A Helpless Slum Girl

Ershad Nagor is a densely populated slum area of Tongi, Gazipur where people are living in miserable condition and missing a lot of civic opportunities. Slum problem has become a social quandary of Bangladesh which is evident in Dhaka city.

Fatema Akter a 10-year-old girl born in a distressed family at Ershad Nagor, Tongi, Gazipur. Her father Md. Eron was a rickshaw puller and mother Yeasmin Begum, a garment worker. Fatema has an elder daughter named Ruby. A rickshaw puller in Bangladesh can’t afford the basic needs of life. Thus, Fatema has been deprived of her basic needs which leads her life to uncertainty.

“We fell in deep trouble when my father had been killed brutally by a group of miscreants back in 2008. This incident made my mother unbalanced both physically and mentally,” Fatema was unfolding her griefs.

Fatema’s mother Yeasmin was pregnant at that time when her father got killed. She couldn’t go to her duty, so she lost her job. It was very hard for her mother to lead their family.

“I went to the house of my mother in law. But they were also in trouble. They couldn’t let us stay for more than five months in their house. Then I went to my brother’s house. Fatema was born there and Ruby started to take care of her younger sister. I was looking for a job to survive with my two daughters. My brother was also a daily worker. He couldn’t allow us to stay there forever. I couldn’t afford the educational expenses of my daughters. I was getting worried as they had to discontinue their education due to financial problem,” Yeasmin was explaining her torment.

Yeasmin came to know about the Tongi Children Education Program (TCEP) operated by ADRA Bangladesh. Soon, she admitted Fatema in TCEP School. Now, Fatema attends class three. Her elder sister attends class four. Fatema and her family understood that education is needed to prosper in life. She has been receiving some educational materials and a one-time meal from TCEP.

“I want to be a doctor in the future. I want to help the poor who doesn’t have enough money for treatment. I’m grateful to ADRA as well as TCEP School for allowing me to continue my studies,” Fatema showed her gratitude to ADRA Bangladesh.