Lovely

Lovely was born like any other ordinary Bangladeshi girl in the village of Chorkalibari in the Tana of Mymensingh. When she was about six months old, a large boil appeared on one of her feet. With the boil came a fever that lasted for two weeks. During her sickness her parents did not know what to do, but they gave her polio medicine. After taking the medicine, she had a reaction and her leg became paralyzed from the hip down.

With the help of crutches Lovely was able to attend school until class nine. After finishing school, she joined the Women’s Club at CCH, and learned that CCH offered work for the handicapped. She started doing sewing work at CCH – appliqué, knitting, and embroidery. After working for one year at CCH, she can sew quite well. Besides her sewing work, Lovely does all the household duties of cooking, cleaning, and washing. She is the seventh child in her family of eight children, and her father is no longer living. Everyday Lovely comes to CCH by rickshaw, and she needs no help to get into the rickshaw with her crutches.

Lovely is at peace with her condition, and she feels that Allah gave her this disease. The only time she feels angry is when healthy people look down on her. When asked what her dream is, Lovely is quiet, showing her contentedness. Lovely doesn’t want to get married, but she wants to find a better job so that she does not need to rely on anyone else. She thanks CCH for her job.