You may wonder what happens when our mothers and their children leave The Sreepur Village. After three years in the village and then a brief period in rehabilitation, the majority of mothers move back to their own communities empowered with new skills and the confidence to independently support their families. This is a story of one of our mothers who left The Sreepur Village in 2017 and has been successfully and independently supporting herself and her son.
“I am Nargis Akhter and I am 25 years old. My hometown was Pabna but now I live in Sreepur Upzilla.
When I was just two weeks old my mother abandoned me and left me at a tea stall. A man from one of the local shops found me and took me into his home where I grew up as part of his family. When I was 17 they decided to arrange a marriage for me because at that time they said I was a burden to them. So, I got married but after a short while I realised that my husband was addicted to drugs. He used to torture me because of the dowry. I was so lonely.
A year later I got pregnant with his son who I named Nafis. One day my husband was so drunk he tried to kill me, so that’s what pushed me to the edge and made me and my baby leave. I was in my husband’s house for around two years. When I left his house I returned to the parents who rescued me but they didn’t want me back.
It was around that time that I heard about The Sreepur Village and being so desperate and with nowhere or nobody else to turn to, I was so grateful with the opportunity to go and live in The Sreepur Village. I moved there in 2014 and during my three year stay I learned so many good skills and I can now say it was these skills that changed my life.
During my time in The Sreepur Village I received training at the beauty parlor, in garments and also in candle making. After successfully completing my graduation I got a job in a garments factory near Sreepur Upzilla. I now earn 9000taka (£90) per month and my son goes to school and is studying in grade one.
I owe my life to The Sreepur Village, if it wasn’t for them I would have never been trained in garments which means I would not be a working woman today independently providing for my family. I now live in a rented accommodation but one day I hope to buy a house.
You could say I have two families but in fact I have three and it is The Sreepur Village that I call my real family; it was there that I got love, peace and happiness.”
If you would like to donate to The Sreepur Village and help empower more families to independence then please visit: https://www.sreepurvillage.org/
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.