She can’t see with her right eye; nevertheless, the tears still roll down her face. Kanchan (55) of Hemantabari village in Singra lost an eye to pox at the age of seven. She lives in a shabby house—if one can even call it a house. She and her husband sleep on the bare floor, and among her few belongings are three pots with holes and a basket. Her parents married her off to an aged widower, long past his ability to earn a living.
“The villagers are very helpful,” she tells us softly. “They gave me a blanket, rice, and clothes during Eid festivals. There’s no end to my suffering. I have suffered all my life. I don’t know why Allah sent me into this world.” She pauses and adds, “I don’t know why Allah doesn’t put me to rest.”
Kanchan survives with occasional help from neighbours who share whatever food they can. On one such day, someone set a plate on the floor and brought her water. She ate with such relief that everyone present had tears in their eyes.
We then met Aama (35), a widow from the same village. Married at twelve, she lost her husband years ago and now raises five children. Sometimes they go without food for as long as three days. Like Kanchan, she depends on others to survive. School is a luxury she can’t afford—even for her nine-year-old daughter.
As Aama told her story, her voice steadied and then broke. She shook uncontrollably and couldn’t stop herself. Her eleven-year-old daughter wrapped her arms around her mother and, crying, whispered again and again: “Don’t cry, mother, don’t cry.”
Later, the daughter spoke with a fierce calm. “We’ve suffered all our lives,” she said. “I want to stand on my own feet someday and help the poor. Because you don’t know, sister—people treat the poor like cats and dogs.”
Rija (50) from nearby Islampur lost her father very young. Her mother struggled to raise the children, and Rija was married off early. The years since have been a patchwork of illness, unpaid work, and hunger. Asia, from the same village, tells a similar story.
Through BRAC’s Targeting the Ultra Poor—also known as the Graduation Approach—women like them receive a starter asset (such as livestock), hands-on training, and steady coaching toward self-reliance. This model has already helped lift millions out of extreme poverty worldwide.
After one training, Kanchan smiled and said, “At lunch I couldn’t believe it—how Allah made it possible for me to have such good food.” Small dignity. Real hope.