Post our 30th anniversary, The Sreepur Village has set up an active Alumni group, inviting ex beneficiaries back to The Sreepur Village to celebrate one of their children’s birthdays.
Mitu Barman, one of our ex beneficiaries, recently celebrated his daughter’s birthday at The Sreepur Village. Abandoned as a young boy, Mitu came to live in The Sreepur village in 1982. He stayed in The Sreepur Village for six years and then in 1988 he went on to practice gymnastics in Dhaka. Following this he enrolled at Krira Sikkha Protistan, the national sports institute of Bangladesh. In 2000 he finished his education and joined Aga Khan School as a sports teacher. In 2006 he got married and he now has two daughters, his eldest daughter reads in grade six and his youngest daughter is only two years old. Today he works as a sports coordinator at Narsingdi school.
On 12th October Mitu came back to The Sreepur Village to celebrate one of their children’s birthdays with The Sreepur village. Mitu was celebrating his daughter’s 2nd birthday and he very kindly donated 25 thousand taka (£228) so everyone could enjoy lunch and have tiffin (snacks). Mr.Mitu said, ”The Sreepur village is my home, The Sreepur village helped me a lot, so now it’s my time to help my home and my people. Now I am very happy.”
Out of the blue, at the tender age of 13, Chia found herself sitting on a bridal stage, about to marry a man who was 35 years old. Her parents had arranged the match, finding the man from their nearby locality in Bhairab.
He was a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) businessman who occasionally sold vegetables and fruits on the street. Chia's aspirations and youthful dreams were abruptly interrupted by this sudden marriage. Instead of books, she found herself with kitchen utensils in her hands. She went from feeling like a princess to becoming a servant overnight.
Sumi's journey is a testament to her resilience and determination to create a better life for herself and her child. Her success serves as an inspiration to all those facing adversity, reminding us of the transformative power of support, training, and the opportunity to rebuild one's life.