Hima Khatun

I have been visually impaired since birth. My parents were day labourers in Kurigram and were unable to afford a specialised education for me. When they arranged my marriage to a local man in 2020, everyone expected me to be a burden on my husband, a peanut trader. In the same year, I became a participant of BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation programme and received a grant to invest in the peanut business and buy a goat. Other than functional and technical support, I also received psychosocial and rehabilitation support. Soon after, we were blessed with a beautiful daughter. BRAC’s staff installed guidance markers along the paths around my home. I was delighted the day I was able to walk around my village with a white cane. I learned to make packaging to sell the nuts in, and recognise cash notes and coins by identifying the embossed patterns on the surface. Now, I am a familiar face in my village. I attend the monthly meetings of my Village Social Solidarity Committee, where I have found a place for my opinions to be heard. I was elected as the cashier in another village committee where I handle financial transactions of members. I dream of all the good things that my daughter will do when she grows up. I am also saving to build a concrete house.

Hima Khatun
Kurigram, Bangladesh