Taslima’s Dream for Her Daughter

Taslima’s own childhood was shaped by poverty. Her family moved from Kishoreganj to Dhaka in 2003 in search of work and a better life. They eventually settled in a small, rented room in a Tongi slum, where her father worked as a rickshaw puller to support the family.

Her education ended early. At just 17, she was married through an arranged marriage before she felt ready to make such a life-changing decision. “I did not have the ability to go against my family’s wishes,” Taslima recalls.

As a young mother, she faced the challenges of raising a growing family on a limited income. Her husband worked as a day labourer, while the costs of food, education and healthcare continued to rise. Later, Taslima learned about World Vision Bangladesh through her neighbours. She started participating in community sessions on child nutrition, growth monitoring and healthy childcare. When she became pregnant with her second daughter, she continued attending maternal health sessions and followed the advice she received. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl and gained something equally important, confidence.

“I learned about the care, nutrition and healthy habits necessary for my child’s proper growth and development,” she says. 

Seeing other children benefit from World Vision’s support, Taslima wanted the same opportunities for her daughter. With support from the community, her daughter joined World Vision’s Sponsorship programme.Then came Chosen, an experience that deeply touched Taslima. Her daughter had the opportunity to choose her sponsor, giving her a voice in a decision connected to her own future.

The family gradually built a relationship with their sponsor family. Today, their photographs and letters hold a special place in the home. 

“To me, they are a reminder that someone cares about my children and believes in their future,” Taslima says.

For a mother whose own choices were once limited by poverty and circumstance, seeing her daughter grow with hope means everything.“World Vision’s Sponsorship Programme brings hope and aspirations into our lives.” And for Taslima, hope has become a powerful inheritance the freedom for her children to dream, choose and build a brighter future.

Story By Lipy Mary Rodrigues
Communication Specialist – Impact Storytelling, World Vision Bangladesh