What is life really like when five of a family are physically challenged?
The family pleas for financial assistance to survive
Picture shows Zia, and his family members in Faridpur's Madhukhali upazila UNB
UNB
Publish : 03 Jan 2022, 10:40 AMUpdate : 03 Jan 2022, 10:54 AM
Life with physical disabilities is tough for anyone and, the struggle turns cruel when the whole family suffers from it. You will hardly find anyone to understand what the Zia Sheikh family in Faridpur is going through.
Zia Sheikh, in his early 40s, is a hearing-impaired man who lives with his seven-member family at Megmachi village in the district’s Madhukhali upazila. Ironically, five of the family members, including Zia himself, his mother Rina khan, 60, his wife Arjina Begum, 37, and two of their children have physical disabilities.
Rina Khan, Arjina Begum and their 6-year-old girl Yasmin suffer from hearing disabilities like Zia while their elder son Akash, 15, has a mental and physical disability since birth.
Zia’s other daughter, Helena, 14, and son Tamim, 8, are the only members in the family who are not suffering from any disabilities.
Zia said his miseries started right after his birth as he was the youngest son of Karim Sheikh, a landless man in the village who had earned a livelihood by begging.
After his father’s death, Zia looked after his mother.
One day he got married and started his own family but they have to live in a tin-roofed and clay-made room. Zia somehow supported the family working as a day-labourer and tending palm and coconut trees of their in his village and adjacent areas.
Arjina also tried to help him, work in a factory but she could not continue because of her illness.
More sufferings hit the ill-fated family when Zia, the only breadwinner, got his spine broken as he fell from a palm tree. After taking a long treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College (BSMMC), doctors said he needs a surgery to walk like before but Zia failed to manage the money for it.
Now, Zia can walk only with the help of a stick. “Our only recourse is a 1300-squre feet that land we bought by selling a cow we had. And we had bought it with money provided by an NGO.”
The family is currently living on the disability allowance of Akash, the elder son of Zia. He gets it from neighbors.
Arjina said: “There have been many days when we couldn’t light our stove and my helpless disabled children went to sleep hungry. It’s really difficult for others to understand what a situation we are going through”
With no hope to earn a livelihood like before, Zia’s only plea now is for some financial assistance that may save his unfortunate family.
Azam Molla, a local ward member, said the locals have ensured treatment of poor Zia by donating but he needs a big amount for the surgery. “If the government takes the matter in hand the family might survive,” he said.
Kollol Saha, Modhukhali upazila's social welfare officer assured to bring all the disabled members of that family under the government allowance initiative through a survey.
He said: “we will help the family to become self-reliant by arranging the special microcredit loan of the government for the disabled for them."
Saha said a compassionate society cannot ignore those entrapped in poverty. These people are under stress and are unable to make ends meet.
People with disabilities in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, there are 16 million physically-challenged people and it accounts for 10% of the country's population, according to a 2016 report released by the Centre for Disability in Development.
The report says the government has listed two million physically-challenged people who receive a monthly allowance of Tk750.
According to Work for a Better Bangladesh, Trust (WBBT) in Bangladesh around 15% of the population are with different disabilities while in the development policy issues related to their facilities and needs are not being considered.
What is life really like when five of a family are physically challenged?
Life with physical disabilities is tough for anyone and, the struggle turns cruel when the whole family suffers from it. You will hardly find anyone to understand what the Zia Sheikh family in Faridpur is going through.
Zia Sheikh, in his early 40s, is a hearing-impaired man who lives with his seven-member family at Megmachi village in the district’s Madhukhali upazila. Ironically, five of the family members, including Zia himself, his mother Rina khan, 60, his wife Arjina Begum, 37, and two of their children have physical disabilities.
Rina Khan, Arjina Begum and their 6-year-old girl Yasmin suffer from hearing disabilities like Zia while their elder son Akash, 15, has a mental and physical disability since birth.
Zia’s other daughter, Helena, 14, and son Tamim, 8, are the only members in the family who are not suffering from any disabilities.
Zia said his miseries started right after his birth as he was the youngest son of Karim Sheikh, a landless man in the village who had earned a livelihood by begging.
After his father’s death, Zia looked after his mother.
One day he got married and started his own family but they have to live in a tin-roofed and clay-made room. Zia somehow supported the family working as a day-labourer and tending palm and coconut trees of their in his village and adjacent areas.
Arjina also tried to help him, work in a factory but she could not continue because of her illness.
More sufferings hit the ill-fated family when Zia, the only breadwinner, got his spine broken as he fell from a palm tree. After taking a long treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College (BSMMC), doctors said he needs a surgery to walk like before but Zia failed to manage the money for it.
Now, Zia can walk only with the help of a stick. “Our only recourse is a 1300-squre feet that land we bought by selling a cow we had. And we had bought it with money provided by an NGO.”
The family is currently living on the disability allowance of Akash, the elder son of Zia. He gets it from neighbors.
Arjina said: “There have been many days when we couldn’t light our stove and my helpless disabled children went to sleep hungry. It’s really difficult for others to understand what a situation we are going through”
With no hope to earn a livelihood like before, Zia’s only plea now is for some financial assistance that may save his unfortunate family.
Azam Molla, a local ward member, said the locals have ensured treatment of poor Zia by donating but he needs a big amount for the surgery. “If the government takes the matter in hand the family might survive,” he said.
Kollol Saha, Modhukhali upazila's social welfare officer assured to bring all the disabled members of that family under the government allowance initiative through a survey.
He said: “we will help the family to become self-reliant by arranging the special microcredit loan of the government for the disabled for them."
Saha said a compassionate society cannot ignore those entrapped in poverty. These people are under stress and are unable to make ends meet.
People with disabilities in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, there are 16 million physically-challenged people and it accounts for 10% of the country's population, according to a 2016 report released by the Centre for Disability in Development.
The report says the government has listed two million physically-challenged people who receive a monthly allowance of Tk750.
According to Work for a Better Bangladesh, Trust (WBBT) in Bangladesh around 15% of the population are with different disabilities while in the development policy issues related to their facilities and needs are not being considered.
Topics: