Beacons of hope: 3 women making a difference in faraway chars

The chars or riverine islands in our country somewhat resemble deserts in their vastness, and at times, emptiness. But unlike deserts, there is greenery too. Most households are surrounded by trees. Throughout the year, char farmers cultivate a variety of seasonal crops - maize, mustard, chilli, peanuts etc.

Life in chars is difficult; it is more difficult than we can imagine. There are chars with only one school, or none at all. Many chars have no hospital or clinic, let alone a pharmacy. Children are born at home.

During an emergency, the nearest spot for seeking help is usually miles away. Electricity is yet to reach many chars and solar panels are the only source of power. 

There is widespread poverty in the chars, for life here is often uncertain. River erosion compels the people to relocate and keep changing homes until they find a solid ground to rebuild their lives. 

Sketches: TBS

Yet, the char residents are known for their resilience, especially the women who withstand river erosion, flood and uncertainty, and continue to live on. We recently spoke to three such women whose work is creating a positive impact in char communities. As they shared with us, they studied as much as they could, and decided to put their degrees to use. 

A paralegal trying to stop child marriage  

I met Mosammat Fatema Khatun last month in Char Ghughumari, Kurigram District. Among a group of simple, shy char women, clad in a dark purple burkha and a printed dupatta, she stood out with a rare confidence in her voice and appearance. It seemed others around were in awe of her, both the men and women.

She spoke in clear Bangla, without a trace of North Bengal dialect. Initially, she sounded a bit nervous but as our conversation went on, she seemed to become more comfortable. 

32-year-old Fatema is a community paralegal, working under the non-government organisation, Friendship. She has also worked in BRAC Health. Among many of Fatema's work is stopping child marriage, which happens quite a lot in chars. 

She was a child bride herself and understands why it is so damaging for women. "I was so young and my parents did not know any better. My sisters were married off very young as well. I certainly do not want the same for my daughter." 

On her work, she said, "I always wanted to work for the community and of course with help from everyone around me. I work to raise awareness, I make people understand the dangers of child marriage. I tell them why it is bad for girls to become pregnant at a young age, and how child marriages can lead to multiple marriages."  

Photo: Friendship

"Hotey chai na biyer patri, hotey chai school er chhatri (I do not want to be a bride, I want to be a student)," she quoted the motto she emphasises in her training sessions.  

A paralegal is certainly not equivalent to a lawyer but Fatema can easily blend in with the community and gain their trust. Part of her job involves going door to door, advising people on simple things like the need for birth registration, that too free of cost.

"Why do you think birth registration is important?" I was curious to know what she thought of it. 

Without a hesitation, she replied, "One must know their age. It is needed for school admission, and even marriages. Birth registration will ensure that the bride and groom are of legal age."

When she goes for home visits, she is usually greeted warmly by families. "They understand I am working for their good. I ask them how they are doing, whether they are facing any difficulties etc and most of the time they open up to me." 

Sometimes things are not that easy, especially when the parents are adamant on getting their underage daughters married. "There are cases when child marriages are conducted secretly, in some other areas."

Fatema grew up in Tapur Char, Rowmari Upazila and completed her HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) in 2009 from Char Shaulmari College. She appeared for her SSC (Secondary School Certificate) in 2007 after she got married. 

Of her seven siblings, she studied the most. But her cousins inspired her to take up a job, making use of her hard earned degrees. "I thought if I worked, I could practise everything I learned at school." 

Char Shaulmari has a school and a college. Most children from Char Ghughumari travel there by boat, even for coaching classes. It's an hour long journey and takes another hour to come back. It is especially dangerous during floods when the rivers swell with water. 

Fatema's children travel to school in groups; it is difficult, but there is no other way. While I was in Char Ghughumari, I heard the story of a young girl who did not come home from school one day. Her body was found in a sugarcane field after a day or two. 

Surely, she worries about her daughter's safety? "I do, but I also want my daughter to study as much as possible, I will make sure she has a job before getting married," she said with a laugh. 

As mentioned earlier, the most difficult time the char residents face is during floods when houses are submerged in water. Even then, Fatema carries her visits on a boat. 

"We become helpless at that time, there is water everywhere. To go to a doctor, one has to take a boat to Rowmari Sadar Hospital, which takes more than two hours."

A community health care provider treating hundreds of patients

Mosammat Moni Akhter Jhuma is 26 years old. She grew up in Fulkar Char and graduated from Char Shaulmari Degree College a few years ago. For the last three years, she has been working as a community health care provider at Shahid Muktijodhha Abdul Bari Community Clinic in Char Khedaimari, Rowmari Upazila, Kurigram District.

Before joining the clinic, she received a three month long training in Kurigram Sadar. The trainers were MBBS doctors. The training also included working for a month and a half at a hospital. 

"It is extremely difficult for women to study in char areas but I was lucky that my family fully supported me." Her husband completed his Masters from Tongi in Dhaka and now runs a pharmacy near their home. 

Jhuma does not sound as confident as Fatema, yet every day from 9am to 3pm, she provides basic health care support to 40 to 60 patients. Our interview time was set late at night because her youngest child is only seven months old and it was only after 9pm or 10pm that she got some free time. 

"We have 27 different types of medicine. Mostly we treat common cold and diarrhoea. The serious patients are referred to the hospital. For pregnant women with complications, we tell them early to get admitted to a hospital," she said.

The community clinic also has a basic weight machine, blood pressure machine, malaria and diabetes test kits, etc. They did not have any Covid-19 testing facility during the pandemic. 

There is no emergency unit at the clinic which falls under the Upazila Shastho Complex. Doctors visit rarely but never to treat the patients. During the course of our conversation, Jhuma was keen to mention that she was not a real doctor but in reality - she was a godsend in these remote chars. 

"A community clinic is a very big deal in these areas where river erosions are so frequent. One clinic serves around 6,000 people," she said. The nearest hospital is hours away in Rowmari Sadar. 

According to Jhuma, char women suffer the most from anaemia and related weakness. "We see it among young girls and older women all the time." Surprisingly, she said they find a lot of diabetic patients in the chars. Farmers often come with cuts from agriculture machines. 

"My work gives me great joy. When an elderly patient gives me her blessings, I feel my life is complete. I also make sure my behaviour does not hurt any of the patients," she said. 

"There was a woman who had an infection. She said she went to doctors in Rowmari and Kurigram Sadar but it did not heal. But our medicine helped her recover and she is forever grateful to us for that," she shared with me when I asked her if there is any story about a patient that she never forgets. 

Jhuma believes char women's lives have greatly improved since her childhood days. More women now know about menstrual hygiene and sanitary napkin usage.  

A good governance counsellor teaching children manners 

Mosammat Momotaz was the most shy among the three women, but her work required a lot of community engagement. 

The 25-year-old also successfully conducts around 10 meetings with different groups of people, including youths, elderly and community leaders in Char Ghughumari every month. She is a good governance counsellor working for Friendship NGO.

She grew up in Shukher Char. As she put it, "Shukher Char (char of happiness) brought all the dukh (sorrow) in my life." River erosion relocated her and her family to Char Ghughumari. 

Momotaz was married off when she was only 14-years-old; her daughter was born after she passed her SSC. In fact, she is a case for everything that our first interviewee, Fatema Khatun, works towards eliminating. 

Her in-laws promised to let her study but when her daughter was born, they did not let her sit for her HSC, although she had enrolled herself in the college. Six years ago, her husband left her and remarried.   

When she was staying with her in-laws, she tried to teach at a school in Naiyyar Char but they did not let her. "After coming back to my father's home, I was depressed for months. Then I heard Friendship was going to hire a good governance counsellor, so I applied and was eventually selected."

"Words are not enough to express my gratitude towards those who recruited me. Just imagine how I was going to waste my life, and that of my daughter, by simply sitting at home! Now, I have a job I love," she said. 

Momotaz received training in Chilmari where she was taught how to speak to people, how to raise awareness in the community through dialogue, how to conduct meetings etc.

During her meetings with young students, she tells them about health and hygiene, how they should behave with parents etc. 

When she holds meetings with parents, she enquires about their children's behaviour, whether they are attending classes etc. "If they skip classes, I try to counsel them." 

Sometimes, Momotaz also acts like a marriage counsellor, something she enjoys doing. "Say, a couple had a huge fight over a silly issue like the wife wants to visit her parents but the husband is not letting her go. I try to speak to them separately and make them understand why they both should compromise and maintain peace at their home."  

"I am happy when I am working. People listen to me when I say something, and speak to me respectfully. They treat me like their daughter, their sister. Most importantly, I can build a good future for my daughter."