Afsana’s Dream

Afsana, a seventeen year old teenage girl, lives in a slum in the Rayerbazar area of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. She is the eldest of four sisters and is preparing for the high school certificate exam. Her father, Afsari Mia is a rickshaw puller, who doesn’t earn enough to upkeep the family.

The family often doesn’t have enough to eat for days.

To make things worse, Afsari Mia is addicted to drugs. He is indifferent to their daughter’s education and considers them to be a burden.

Afsana’s mother, Helena Begum and her grandmother, Swati Begum used to work from early morning to late night as house maids to bridge the gap and to bear their educational expenses. Recently, her mother had become ill and had been forced to live in her village.

Afsana used to get depressed thinking about a future where she’d no longer be able to pursue her education or even worse, her father would forcefully get her married. She was afraid of being the victim of youth marriage, an unfortunate reality that curses her society.

Despite such constraints and hindrance, Afsana kept her head up and remained optimistic. She aspired one day she’d complete her education and come out of the vicious cycle of poverty and hardship.

Then one day, Afsana met a project coordinator for Spreeha, who immediately recognized her potential and caring nature. She ended up recruiting Afsana for the Spreeha After-school Program as a tutor and sitter. This gave her an opportunity to contribute to society while earning enough to cover her and her sister’s educational expenses. Afsana is also going through Spreeha’s Women Empowerment programs that allows her to learn the use of technology.

Now Afsana dreams of a future where the darkness of poverty and frustration can fade away and her family can enjoy a bright future, all through her own strength and perseverance, empowered by Spreeha.

[May 18, 2013]