June 3rd, 2024
A poor, disabled mother and ICT’s contribution in her life struggle
On one side is impoverished Africa, and on the other is modern Europe. Blacks live on one side and whites on the other. The strait of Gibraltar runs in the middle from the beginning of creation, with this beautiful contrast of the two banks. This is like a huge barricade of discrimination. Surprisingly, the fact is that the Gibraltar Bridge is being built between the African country of Morocco and Europe's Spain to bridge this distance. No, I am not talking about this huge bridge or the world-famous designer, Professor T. Y. I. Lin. I will tell you about a professor who is constantly building bridges between poverty and affluence.
In this world of abundance, on the one hand, there is a collection of luxurious and delicious food; on the other hand, hungry people are quietly counting the days in the pursuit of scarcity. I am talking about one of the thousands of bridges built between poverty and affluence. Sobeda Begum of Natore is a shining example of the global digital solidarity set by Professor Muhammad Yunus by using the great power of information technology to alleviate poverty. She lives in Shikarpur, a small village in Atrai, the river that runs along the chest of the traditional Chalanbil of Bangladesh. Her father's house is near the police station. Sobeda is the eldest in the family of a sister and a brother. It was very difficult to run a large family with a small income from an agricultural laborer father. So she grew up in the midst of lack and poverty in his childhood. About 30 years ago, she got married to a day laborer named Sobhan Mandal. Then listen to the story of Sobeda Begum from herself.
“I was always worried about hunger and also anxious about my son riding the van. Suddenly, one day, I got the news that my son had an accident. I ran and saw my son's bloody condition. Then he was taken to the hospital and kept there for 20 days. I took my son out of the hospital and admitted him to school instead of driving the van.” From then on, the husband's little income made the family-run. " Grameen Bank started in our area in 1995, and I became a member of the bank. After that, I made some money and arranged the marriage of my eldest daughter. Then again, poverty surrounded us. My son dropped out of school and started driving the van again. A couple of years ago, I got news that Grameen Bank would provide mobile phones. I thought I would get a phone and start a business with it.”
“Then my luck started to change. Grameenphone understood the possibility and provided me with a polliphone (village phone) for business. After getting the phone, I rented a house in the local Shikarpur market for 200 taka. A lot of calls started to come in. My son's clothes are no longer dirty. The family was doing well. Looking at my boy's face filled my heart with joy. But then we faced another issue. After 4-5 months, I lost consciousness one day while doing chores. X-rays revealed two tumors in my abdomen. And I have to operate. At the same time, my legs were numb due to paralysis. After that, I was admitted to Natore Government Hospital. I was there for two months. Tk 26,000 was spent on the operation. And this entire money came from my mobile business income. Often, my son used to go to the hospital and say, “Ma, don't worry, my phone earns a lot now.”
“I returned home after recovering from the hospital. But my left leg still did not work. I can no longer walk on my feet. Still, I am satisfied that I am still living among my children despite being disabled.”
My son buys me medicine from the income from the phone. In the last two years, I have earned Tk. 1,47,792/- from mobile, out of which I have paid bills of Tk. 83,577/-. Remaining net profit of Tk. 64,169/-. In this cruel world, without the phone, I had no choice but to beg in the streets for my children.
In a real sense, Sobeda Begum, who is still living contentedly surrounded by her children, is a little family made of sorrow and pain that has not been lost in the vicious circle of poverty like thousands of lost Sobedas in the third world. That is the biggest achievement of Sobeda's life. And to deal with this unfortunate disaster time and again, she got strength, courage, and money like her own from the small cellular phone. By following this rare example of Grameen Bank in ending digital devices, public and private organizations in the country and abroad can come forward to fight poverty and disaster.
Source: The Daily Ittefaq Date: 07 March, 2010
In this world of abundance, on the one hand, there is a collection of luxurious and delicious food; on the other hand, hungry people are quietly counting the days in the pursuit of scarcity. I am talking about one of the thousands of bridges built between poverty and affluence. Sobeda Begum of Natore is a shining example of the global digital solidarity set by Professor Muhammad Yunus by using the great power of information technology to alleviate poverty. She lives in Shikarpur, a small village in Atrai, the river that runs along the chest of the traditional Chalanbil of Bangladesh. Her father's house is near the police station. Sobeda is the eldest in the family of a sister and a brother. It was very difficult to run a large family with a small income from an agricultural laborer father. So she grew up in the midst of lack and poverty in his childhood. About 30 years ago, she got married to a day laborer named Sobhan Mandal. Then listen to the story of Sobeda Begum from herself.
“I was always worried about hunger and also anxious about my son riding the van. Suddenly, one day, I got the news that my son had an accident. I ran and saw my son's bloody condition. Then he was taken to the hospital and kept there for 20 days. I took my son out of the hospital and admitted him to school instead of driving the van.” From then on, the husband's little income made the family-run. " Grameen Bank started in our area in 1995, and I became a member of the bank. After that, I made some money and arranged the marriage of my eldest daughter. Then again, poverty surrounded us. My son dropped out of school and started driving the van again. A couple of years ago, I got news that Grameen Bank would provide mobile phones. I thought I would get a phone and start a business with it.”
“Then my luck started to change. Grameenphone understood the possibility and provided me with a polliphone (village phone) for business. After getting the phone, I rented a house in the local Shikarpur market for 200 taka. A lot of calls started to come in. My son's clothes are no longer dirty. The family was doing well. Looking at my boy's face filled my heart with joy. But then we faced another issue. After 4-5 months, I lost consciousness one day while doing chores. X-rays revealed two tumors in my abdomen. And I have to operate. At the same time, my legs were numb due to paralysis. After that, I was admitted to Natore Government Hospital. I was there for two months. Tk 26,000 was spent on the operation. And this entire money came from my mobile business income. Often, my son used to go to the hospital and say, “Ma, don't worry, my phone earns a lot now.”
“I returned home after recovering from the hospital. But my left leg still did not work. I can no longer walk on my feet. Still, I am satisfied that I am still living among my children despite being disabled.”
My son buys me medicine from the income from the phone. In the last two years, I have earned Tk. 1,47,792/- from mobile, out of which I have paid bills of Tk. 83,577/-. Remaining net profit of Tk. 64,169/-. In this cruel world, without the phone, I had no choice but to beg in the streets for my children.
In a real sense, Sobeda Begum, who is still living contentedly surrounded by her children, is a little family made of sorrow and pain that has not been lost in the vicious circle of poverty like thousands of lost Sobedas in the third world. That is the biggest achievement of Sobeda's life. And to deal with this unfortunate disaster time and again, she got strength, courage, and money like her own from the small cellular phone. By following this rare example of Grameen Bank in ending digital devices, public and private organizations in the country and abroad can come forward to fight poverty and disaster.
Source: The Daily Ittefaq Date: 07 March, 2010
