Our mothers and their children have come to The Sreepur Village from all parts of Bangladesh and to help bring them here, we have a team of social workers who specialise in rehabilitation and whom travel around the country getting referrals from different government and non-governmental sources.
TLMI, The Leprosy Mission International, works as the most significant referral organisation for us. Presently, we have over 15 mothers, who have been referred to us from there.
Earlier in the week, a team from TLMI, Rangpur, (a northern district of Bangladesh) came here with four mothers. When our current mothers saw the officials of their ex-organisation, they became very happy and were eager to take a photo with them.
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.