MADARIPUR — After losing her cancer-stricken husband a month ago, Mahida Begum, 40, is keeping three children fed and in school by running a rented tea stall in Shimul Tola, family members said.
Mahida married Md. Abu Bakar Howlader of the Shimul Tola area in Jhaudi union under Madaripur sadar upazila about 24 years ago. She is the daughter of Ibrahim Howlader of Barishal. The couple has two daughters and a son. The elder daughter, Afsan Akter Mim, is a second-year honors student at Madaripur Government College. The younger daughter, Mst. Afrin, is a ninth-grade student at Kulpaddi High School. The son, Arian Ahmed Mahim, is 2 1/2 years old.
Nine years ago, the couple set up a tea stall in the Shimul Tola bazar area near their home to ease their financial troubles. The business was going well. About five years ago, Abu Bakar suddenly fell ill. After several tests, he was diagnosed with cancer. He was bedridden for the last two years of his life. They borrowed money for his treatment and survived with help from others. Abu Bakar Howlader died on Sept. 15. Since then, Mahida has been running both the household and the shop alone.
At the rented shop, she sells tea along with paan and a few biscuits. Although the shop is fairly large, the shelves are mostly empty. She cannot afford to stock necessary goods. Income from tea sales alone is barely enough to cover her two daughters’ education and other household expenses. She is also about 3 lakh taka (about $2,500) in debt and now feels overwhelmed.
Afrin, Mahida’s daughter, said her mother struggles to pay for her and her sister’s schooling. “Whatever this tea shop earns has to cover all our household expenses,” she said. “My father was ill for a long time. We had to take on a lot of debt for his treatment.”
Mahida said she manages all her expenses from the tea stall. “I sell about 1,000 taka a day. After costs, only a little is left. That has to run the whole family and pay for my two daughters’ education,” she said. “My son is young. I have no one to help me. If someone bought stock for my shop, I could sell it and earn a little. That would help me a lot, and I could properly cover my two daughters’ education.”
Naznin Afroz, additional deputy director of the Madaripur Department of Women’s Affairs, said Mahida can apply for a loan if she wishes. “Various trainings are also held here. She can take training and earn income,” she said. “VGD cards were distributed in unions a few days ago. She can be given one in the next round if she wishes.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report