Small Charity Week
It is #SmallCharityWeek so the perfect time to share with you one of our short stories of success.
Ripa Begum hails from the northern part of Bangladesh. A mother of three, Ripa seeked shelter from The Sreepur Village, Bangladesh, in May, 2018 when river erosion completely washed away her house and all her belongings. Unfortunately, every year hundreds of families will lose their homes due to river erosion, especially in Northern Bangladesh where many of our mothers live.
Amid this tragedy Ripa's husband became seriously sick and was unable to work so therefore unable to make any money. Desperate, homeless, hungry and penniless, Ripa and her children arrived at The Sreepur Village grateful to have somewhere they could call home. As soon as they arrived, Ripa participated in various livelihood training programmes but mainly focused on garments and tailoring.
When she left the Sreepur Village (2021), she was given one sewing machine and some fabric to start a small business. With the new skills she acquired during her three year stay at Sreepur, Ripa applied for a job in a tailoring shop in Gazipur. Now she is working fulltime for this tailoring shop and alongside this job she is fulfilling bespoke orders from local communities. Ripa is also able to send her children to school, two of whom are studying in 5th grade.
Determined to be able to single-handedly take care of herself and her family, Ripa has become an example to follow in her local community.
It is because of our generous donors that we are able to provide hundreds of mothers with vocational skills such as tailoring. It is these skills that enable more mothers to lead independent sustainable lives that they can share with their growing communities.
If you would like to donate to one of our training programmes then please click here.