Update on the Sharkar Family
September 29, 2008
Our good friend and field worker, Guy Martorana, has recently visited the Sharkar family and has provided an update. Below is his report and photographs he took of the family:
The Eid ul-Fitr holiday has just begun. Many Bangladeshis are traveling to their villages to spend time with family and old friends. In Netrokona, the local markets are bustling with street venders, shoppers, hawkers and rickshaws. The drive took us half-an-hour to pass through a mile of congestion before finally making it to the winding foot path that leads to Baje Amli.
Local children must have heard that a foreigner was coming. Twenty of them had assembled and were waiting for us to arrive. Their smiling and inquisitive faces lit up as we maneuvered past them down the path. Around the bend, the Sharkar family was waiting.
"Nomoshkar," we exchanged the standard Hindu greeting, and I introduced myself to the family. Purnima was sleeping in her mother's arms as Mrs. Rita Rani proudly introduced the rest of the family. Shanto slowly snuck behind me to see the camera that I had placed on the chair next to me while Kobita hid her beautiful smile behind her dress when I asked about her attendance at the CDC. I learned that Noyon and Babul returned from Dhaka about twenty days ago and are pulling the rickshaw to make extra money for the family. Babul was the only family member absent as he was busy pulling the rickshaw during our visit.
Mrs. Rita Rani informed me that they are eating three meals a day. Through employment with IIRD and the accumulation of income-generating assets, she is able to provide for her family. I am in awe of her resilience and her strength. Life is by no means easy for the poorest of the poor. For the Sharkar family, they no longer live in the dire situation of a year ago. Life will still present its challenges; at least now they have a social and economic base needed to achieve a sustainable livelihood.
After a few pictures, I thanked the Sharkars for their time and said goodbye. I began to walk back to the foot path followed by a train of local children only to see another family living in a small thatched home ridden with holes. I wondered what was their story and if anyone would ever be available to listen to it. There is still so much more work to be done.
Guy Martorana
09 / 27 / 2008.
Noyon Sharkar
Ms. Rita Rani and Purnima
Sharkar Family
Kobita, Shanto and CDC children
Kobita Sharkar
Guy Martorana is working outside of Dhaka, Bangladesh alongside Misha McDonald assisting in rural development projects with The Institute of Rural Development. You can view more of Guy's photographs from Bangladesh on his Flickr page. You can also read Guy's essay titled, "Hope is in us all", which was just published in his hometown newspaper, The Monroe Journal.
Posted by: MikeThe Eid ul-Fitr holiday has just begun. Many Bangladeshis are traveling to their villages to spend time with family and old friends. In Netrokona, the local markets are bustling with street venders, shoppers, hawkers and rickshaws. The drive took us half-an-hour to pass through a mile of congestion before finally making it to the winding foot path that leads to Baje Amli.
Local children must have heard that a foreigner was coming. Twenty of them had assembled and were waiting for us to arrive. Their smiling and inquisitive faces lit up as we maneuvered past them down the path. Around the bend, the Sharkar family was waiting.
"Nomoshkar," we exchanged the standard Hindu greeting, and I introduced myself to the family. Purnima was sleeping in her mother's arms as Mrs. Rita Rani proudly introduced the rest of the family. Shanto slowly snuck behind me to see the camera that I had placed on the chair next to me while Kobita hid her beautiful smile behind her dress when I asked about her attendance at the CDC. I learned that Noyon and Babul returned from Dhaka about twenty days ago and are pulling the rickshaw to make extra money for the family. Babul was the only family member absent as he was busy pulling the rickshaw during our visit.
Mrs. Rita Rani informed me that they are eating three meals a day. Through employment with IIRD and the accumulation of income-generating assets, she is able to provide for her family. I am in awe of her resilience and her strength. Life is by no means easy for the poorest of the poor. For the Sharkar family, they no longer live in the dire situation of a year ago. Life will still present its challenges; at least now they have a social and economic base needed to achieve a sustainable livelihood.
After a few pictures, I thanked the Sharkars for their time and said goodbye. I began to walk back to the foot path followed by a train of local children only to see another family living in a small thatched home ridden with holes. I wondered what was their story and if anyone would ever be available to listen to it. There is still so much more work to be done.
Guy Martorana
09 / 27 / 2008.
Noyon Sharkar
Ms. Rita Rani and Purnima
Sharkar Family
Kobita, Shanto and CDC children
Kobita Sharkar
Guy Martorana is working outside of Dhaka, Bangladesh alongside Misha McDonald assisting in rural development projects with The Institute of Rural Development. You can view more of Guy's photographs from Bangladesh on his Flickr page. You can also read Guy's essay titled, "Hope is in us all", which was just published in his hometown newspaper, The Monroe Journal.
The Sharkar Family
