Kuddus Byapari married his maternal cousin Champa Khatun in 2006. He married her despite knowing that she could neither speak nor hear.
They are both residents of Madaripur’s Rajoir Upazila.
In the course of their married life, Kuddus and Champa have welcomed four children, and all of them are disabled in the same way as their mother.
A farmer by profession, Kuddus now struggles to provide adequate medical facilities to his three daughters and a son.
Some five years ago, his wife and eldest daughter Brishti were listed in the government’s list of disabled people.
The Department of Social Services back then gave Kuddus a rickshaw van, which is now a source of income for him, in addition to the 12 katha land which he owns, where he cultivates crops.
Meanwhile, his three other children, Sheila, Musa and Sajeda, have yet to be listed as disabled persons by the department, which is why they are not receiving any allowances from the government.
He said his meagre income was inadequate to ensure the special care his children needed, and urged the government to provide them with necessary medical care and aid.
Kuddus has admitted Sheila to a local institution for the disabled, Protibondhi Kalyan Shangsthya and Bidyalay, where she is learning sewing.
A beacon of hope for the disable
According to Protibondhi Kalyan Shangsthya and Bidyalay founder Selim Sharif, there are 169 disabled people in Ishibpur union, 307 in Bajitpur union, 370 in Khalia union, 573 in Kabirajpur union and 141 in Mahendradi-Haridasdee union.
It was established in 2018 with a goal of helping disabled people.
Sharif, who himself is the father of a disabled child, said he had started the institution to spread the knowledge he had gathered through research.
Disabled people aged between one to 25, except those with visual impairment, were given training at the institution, said Khadija Akhter, headmistress of the school.
She added that 26 volunteers worked there to help the disabled people, who were given training on various skills, including candle making, sewing, etc.
Several government officials, including the Madaripur deputy commissioner, have visited the institution.
The government has allocated Tk22 lakh for the construction of the institution which everyone concerned hopes will help out the disabled people in the area.
