World Book Day
Today is World Book Day and The Sreepur Village would like to take this opportunity to share with you the story of Alo, a 45-year-old mother of four children and whose name means light.
Alo, real name Sobeda Begum, lost her husband 12 years ago just before the birth of her youngest son. Her husband was an agriculture labourer and the only earner of the family and one day he never returned home. Due to Alo’s early marriage she never had the opportunity to go to school.
After many years living in poverty and fear, Alo came to hear about The Sreepur Village, also known as Shishu Polli Plus, from her neighbour in Gaibandha district who was living there.
To join The Sreepur Village, Alo contacted staff at Kurigram and after an assessment of her financial and family situation, she joined The Sreepur Village on 17th January 2016.
As one of the procedures in building better futures, The Sreepur Village encouraged Alo to start taking literacy classes, attend life skills training as well as take income generating activities like tailoring, candle making and homestead gardening.
Alo was very keen to attend all literacy classes and has since completed her beginner’s level. She can now read familiar words and all the Bangla letters and can also write and read easy and short Bangla sentences. Alo has also learnt basic counting, simple additions, subtractions as well as multiplication. Now studying at Level-1, Alo can help her youngest son to complete his daily class work. Alo's two eldest sons live in Gaibandha and her daughter recently got married.
Alo’s literacy learning is not just about reading and writing, for her it is about confidence and a positive outlook on life.
The Sreepur Village literacy classes have made her 'literate' and have given her confidence so that she can assertively apply her literacy and numeracy skills into income generating activities when she leaves. Literacy has given Alo a fundamental life skill, which will serve as a gateway to knowledge and opportunity and a life full of hope and not fear.
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope”-- this message from Kofi Annan (former Secretary General of UN) reads true for Alo.
By donating to The Sreepur Village you are helping to provide the necessary tools needed in teaching children and mothers, like Alo. With your support we are able to provide more than 150 mothers and 400 children with the fundamental skills needed to live a life self-sufficiently, confidently and most important happily.