The Resilient Spirit of Chalantika: Afia Wants to be A Doctor

Growing up in the Chalantika slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Afia Sinha dreamed of one day becoming a doctor. Despite the immense poverty and lack of opportunities, she refused to let her circumstances dictate her future. She was determined to break the cycle of poverty and make a difference in her community.

Afia Sinha is a student of Chalantika Slum Children Development Project (CSCDP) school. She is eight years old and attends class One. She lives with her parents in the Chalantika slum. Their house is made of bamboo and tin sheet. They live in a room with two bathrooms which are shared with eight other families.

Afia’s father Md. Salim lost almost everything due to the river erosion in his home district in Bhola. Bhola is a coastal area located in the southern part of Bangladesh. Salim came to Dhaka in search of a better livelihood. He started working as a bus helper. With his little income, Salim could not afford to send his daughter to school. He came to know about the CSCDP center of ADRA Bangladesh from his neighbor and admitted his daughter to the CSCDP center.

Despite facing numerous challenges and obstacles, Afia remained determined to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.

“I want to be a doctor in the future. Because I want to serve poor and deprived people. I want to help my family so everyone in the family can live a healthy and dynamic life. I don’t like to live in the slum and I’ll help my family so they don’t have to live in the slum anymore,” said Afia.

Afia is a quiet and well-mannered girl. Her favorite hobby is reading books. Afia likes to go to school and the CSCDP center a lot. She likes to read and likes all subjects, but Bangla is her favorite subject. She is acquiring not only academic education from ADRA but also health awareness, good manners, and cultural education.

Afia thanked ADRA Czech Republic, Malfini, and ADRA Bangladesh to help underprivileged children to pursue education.