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BSS-02
SUCCESS-BHAROTI (with picture)
Bharoti becomes public representative overcoming hurdles
RANGPUR, Jan 01, 2019 (BSS) – Overcoming many hurdles and extreme poverty,
Bharoti Rani Sen has become an icon of women empowerment in remote Gangadas
Baraipara village.
Bharoti was born as the fifth among her three brothers and three sisters in
their poor family of nine members of the village under Haridebpur union of
Sadar upazila here in 1977.
At the age of six, Bharoti lost her right eyesight when an arrow hit the
eye while playing. The tragedy brought darkness in her blissful life.
“My parents were extremely worried about my future,” Bharoti told the
national news agency in an emotion-chocked voice while narrating her tough
journey on uneven paths.
“I led my life amid sadness and my class friends avoided me in school,”
she said.
Before her secondary school certificate examinations in 1993, Bharoti’s
parents arranged her marriage with neighbour Shushil Chandra Sen, an
illiterate poor day-labour.
She could not appear in the examinations and her studies came to an end
after the marriage. Bharoti gave birth to daughter Sanchita in 1995, and
later, two sons Sagar and Pradip amid acute poverty.
“It was extremely difficult for us to manage food for our five family
members. My husband frequently fell sick and could not go to work,” she said.
Under such circumstances, one of Bharoti’s elder brothers took
responsibility of her daughter Sanchita, brought up, educated her and married
her off.
Her elder son Sagar had to stop studies while in class seven and took job
in a hotel with a salary of Taka 500 per month.
In 2005, Bharoti got job in an earth work project of LGED as supervisor,
worked for two years at Taka 1,800 salary per month. But, her sufferings
again mounted after completion of the project.
In 2009, officials of SKS Foundation went to the village as a partner NGO
of the Involvement with Social and Economic Transformation of the Ultra poor
(SETU) project to select extremely poor areas.
Bharoti desired to become involved with the SETU project of Care
Bangladesh understanding that the project could improve livelihoods of the
poor in their locality.
Bharoti received training under the project on community leadership,
savings group management and few more sectors. Haridebpur union Natural
Leader Organization (NLO) was formed then with 140 natural leaders from
different ‘Paras’ of the union.
Bharoti was elected as general secretary of Haridebpur union NLO. She
implemented total sanitation programme and selected extreme poor families in
different ‘Paras’, arranged programmes in observance of national days and
open budget sessions at the union parisahd.
“I became familiar to everyone and inspired in doing social welfare works
to bring a social change,” she said.
She launched her own community savings group, free coaching for school
children and supported SETU team in field activities.
Bharoti also worked as a nutrition worker in the project from 2013 to
2015.
Local community people requested Bharoti to compete for the female member
post from the reserved 1, 2 and 3 wards in the elections of Haridebpur union
parishad held in 2015.
Bharoti, among seven contestants, was elected defeating her nearest rival
by a huge margin of votes spending nothing while other candidates spent huge
money.
Bharoti became a popular public representative to serve backward people
and bring them out of vicious cycle of poverty by setting up a glaring
example of women empowerment winning every barrier in life.
She now reaches all government facilities, including assistance under the
social safety-net programmes, to local people and contributes to socio-
economic and infrastructural uplifts in the area.
Terming Bharoti as an idol for women empowerment, Haridebpur union
Chairman Iqbal Hossain said she is working courageously as a popular public
representative to ensure welfare of her community people.
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