Education Has Enlighten Juthy’s Life

Juthy is a 17-year-old girl who has spent almost two decades from her life in the slum area of Mymensingh city. She lives with her grandparents at Rellir Mor which is identified as the densely populated slum area in town. Her father Md. Zakir Hossain and mother Jorina Begum were operating a Puri shop (small snack shop) in their locality.

Juthy is a humble and polite girl. She is the eldest among two sisters. She along with her family members live with her grandparents as her father left them alone and married to another woman. After his second marriage, Juthy’s father stops the financial support for the family.

“It was very hard for us to maintain a family comprised of six members. The only earning source of the family was the Puri shop. We couldn’t afford the family needs with such a little income which we were getting from the shop. The situation got worse when her father married elsewhere and stopped financial support completely,” Juthy’s grandmother Hajera Begum was describing their family situation.

Juthy’s mother Jorina Begum fell into despair and was trying to figure out a way to get rid of this situation. She got a job in a cotton factory by encountering a lot of trouble.

“Juthy’s mother went to work in a cotton factory leaving her two children with me. I went to the shop to work along with Juthy. Juthy also worked in the shop. She served Puri to the customers and cleaned the plates. My granddaughter Juthy wanted to study. She used to stare at the school going children who were at her age. I also wanted to send her to school. But, I was helpless as I was unable to bear the educational expenses. I had my children and family to look after along with Juthy and her sister. I couldn’t meet up the basic needs of my family then how could I bear the educational expenses of Juthy?” Juthy’s grandmother Hajera Begum was unfolding their distresses.

“A few children from my area were attending a school, where they study, ate food, got educational materials and got health support but I did not know the place. One day, I came to know about the place from one of the children. They took me to the Social Integration for Slum Children Development Project (SISCDP) operated by ADRA Bangladesh. When I went to the SISCDP center, I was wondering to see the children. They were studying, playing, singing and eating fearlessly and flawlessly. I decided to get Juthy admitted into the SISCDP center right away. I talked to SISCDP center teachers about Juthy’s problem and requested them to admit her in the center. After a few months, they came to visit us and talked with Juthy. From the next day after their visit, Juthy started to go to ADRA SISCDP center.”

This year Juthy has passed S.S.C (Secondary School Certificate) examination and has obtained a GPA of 2.83. She gets admitted into a collage named Mymensingh Commerce Collage. Juthy and her family are grateful to Läkarmissionen and ADRA to help to change her life. She also appreciates ADRA for assisting the underprivileged children and making their life meaningful.