A self-reliant Mafia’s story

Today, the Mafia has become self-reliant after winning the war of life in the battle of poverty.

She is a member of the ‘Kamranga’ group. She was born in 1971 in a Muslim family in Laksam village of Laksam police station in Comilla district. Father Abdur Rahim is a small pipe trader and mother Achia Khatun is a homemaker. Among 2 sisters and 3 brothers, Mafia Akhtar is the eldest. They had to live a very difficult life due to little income from their father’s small business. Her parents migrated to Dhaka with their family in search of livelihood. She was not educated beyond 7th standard due to financial difficulties.

After coming to Dhaka, father started contracting business. Mafia Begum came home to Comilla village and at the age of 14 got married to a boy named Humayun Kabir from the same village. After 15 days of marriage, she moved to Dhaka with her husband. The husband used to earn three thousand taka per month from the pipe business. Mafia Akhtar’s relationship with her husband was not going well. There was no similarity in their thinking. In this situation, she continued her studies with difficulty and passed SSC. After 4 years of marriage, a daughter was born in their house. Her name is Farzana Akhter Liza. But the Mafia’s husband was very lazy, did not do business properly, so there was poverty in the family. It was becoming difficult to run the family with her husband’s income, so the mafia’s father decided to send her abroad. When the girl was 4 years old, as per her father’s promise, she left the girl with her father and went to Kuwait. Life abroad was very hard and difficult. But there was nothing to do. She had to accept the life of hardship thinking about her daughter. Every month the mafia sent money to the parents. Returning home after 13 years, something different happened in her life. The mafia used to send money every month to run the household and save some. But her parents spent all the money for her siblings’ education and family. Her father let her stay on the ground floor of the house. A second daughter was born 4 years after coming to the country. Her name is Nurunnahar Minu. Her husband could not manage the family properly. Mafia Started thinking alternative. The second war of her life began. She started sewing with her savings of TK 15000. She ran the family with the income from the tailoring business and started selling three pieces. Income 8,000-10,000 per month. With this money household expenses were met but it was not possible to run the costs of daughter’s education. But as the household expenses increased, she thought of sending her husband abroad. Send the husband to South Africa with some money saved by the mafia and some money on loan. But in a cruel twist of fate, husband Humayun Kabir cut off contact with her after two years

She spent her days with two daughters in a lot of trouble. At that time her father fell ill and died. Mafia was completely isolated and helpless. Darkness in both eyes. The Mafia brothers and sisters try hard to throw her out of the house and start slandering her. Unable to bear their torture, Mafia decided to live with the daughters in separate house. One day she left this house and went to her cousin’s house. She ran the business from her cousin’s house for 2 months. Later she rented a small house with 2 rooms but could not pay the rent properly. Due to lack of capital she were not able to do business well. She told Ferdausi, one of her neighbour about all her problems and asked to borrow some money. Ferdausi said she had no money, but I can tell you a way. WCBT microcredit program provides loans to women through the samity. I also took loan from ‘Kamranga’ Samiti for business. This organization is very good. One day Mafia comes to the ‘Kamranga’ Samiti with her neighbour and likes to see the activities of the Samiti. Later she was admitted to the ‘Kamranga’ Samiti through the President of the Samiti and applied for a loan of Tk. 20,000 for the Block and Batik business. After applying for the loan, the program officer visited her home and business, then the branch manager visited her home and business, and through the meeting of the credit committee, a loan of Tk. 20,000 was given for the first time. Mafia Begum was happy to get a loan of 20,000 taka and with this money she bought some clothes and equipment for this business. She made bed cover, bed sheets and curtains. The business is going well and she pays installments regularly and she applies for a second loan of Tk. 50,000. 50,000 taka was granted. She bought more clothes and one table for block with the loan and hired an employee. Thus, she took loan fourth times (20.50.50 &50). Now her total capital is Tk. 2,25,000 and her monthly income is Tk. 35,000-40,000. But due to the outbreak of Corona, her business faced losses. In this situation, it was very difficult to run the expenses of her family and girls’ education. After repaying the second loan regularly, she took a third loan of TK. 50,000/= and a fourth loan of TK.50,000/=. This time, with the loan money brought block and boutique sheets and sold it in shops. Now her capital is about 2,25,000/=. 35,000-40,000/= income per month. She currently rents house for 13,000 taka.

The eldest daughter of Mafia is 32 years old, the youngest daughter is 23 years old. Eldest daughter passed MA and got married and live separate house. The younger daughter is in her third year at Aviation Technology University and is earning by tuition as well. Mafia is now 54 years old. Spending days happily with younger girl. She wants her younger daughter complete her higher education and get a good job and glorified God.

Mafia’s daughter said, “Mother is everything to us. Father left us but mother did not leave our two sisters. Mother sacrificed her own happiness and took care of us, taught us how to read and write, fed us without eating. We are here today in return for the hardships of a single mother’s life”.

The mafia gained a reputation in the area for her good behavior and work efficiency. Gradually the business flourished and along with it her family and social status increased. Mafia known in the area as simple and good lady.
Mafia says with smile ‘’ I could not have come this far if the World Concern Bangladesh Trust did not stand by my side. Helped me see the way of life. I am grateful to the office’.’

Another dream of Mafia is to start a big training center of block boutiques for girls, so that the neglected and helpless girls of the society can become self-reliant.