Success Stories

Nurul Haque is a physical person with a disability. He is 69 years old and lived in Ukhyiarghat, Ward No-01, Balukhali of Palongkhali Union Ukhiya, Cox’sBazar. He is a day laborer by profession. He has 2 daughters and 1 son. The eldest son and daughters are school students. Although he was a day laborer his family members lived a peaceful life with happiness. One day, suddenly while working he started to feel the problem with his legs. After seeking treatment from many doctors, he did not get better, and his two legs became completely numb. His income stopped Nurul Haque cannot walk and cannot work. His mental condition broke down and becomes emotional. His family members began to neglect him. Even his wife does not look after him properly. In the meantime, talks are going on about the marriage of his eldest daughter. Despite the hardships, he arranged the marriage of his daughter. After the girl got married, his lack increased. He began to think about turning around. He started his last small business grocery shop by selling house trees for 2000.00 taka. In this situation, he needs a wheelchair to move. But due to being short of money, it’s not possible for him. His wife is a beneficiary of PHALS and a member of CBOs. When PHALS arranged different awareness meetings in this village. His wife attends every meeting. This began to bring about a positive change in his wife. Now she does not neglect her husband. Her husband’s condition was reported to PHALS staff. PHALS authority supervised them on the ground & decided to give him a wheelchair. After some days a wheelchair was provided by PHALS. Even after two months also provided financial support to him by PHALS. This money he invests in his small business grocery /stationary shop. Nurul Huq and his wife take care of the grocery shop. Now they sold out around 1500 Tk’s goods in which they earn 250 Tk daily. Day by day they started to improve his business besides maintaining family expenses along with his daughter’s education costs. Now mentally he is very strong. PHALS is continuing their moral and motivational support to him. Now he has no more sorrow. In such a society, no one should neglect him as a disabled person. At present, he is extremely happy. He does not consider himself a burden to the family and society. Nurul Haque is forever grateful to PHALS and BRAC for his progress.

PHALS -BANI Academy became Champion of “Korea Ambassador’s Taekwondo Championship Cup 2022”. In junior category Girls event Academy children also achived 17 Medals( 4gold,6silver,7Bronze) In 4 Gold ( Taniya -1, Somiya-2,Abida-1,), in 6 Silver (Sadia-2,Sahina-1,Rista-2,Alvi-1)and in 7 Bronze Medals (Rumana-2,Jesmin-1,Riya-1,Rekha-1,Taniya-1,Rajia-1).PHALS family members are really proud of our children. Today First Secretary of Korean Embassy to Bangladesh distributed the Prizes among the participants..

A girl of eight years old comes from a very poor family. She is a student of PHALS-BAN I Academy. Her father Abdul Hamid sells betel at sea beach. Her mother is a housewife. Sumaiya s father has to maintain a large family of nine members. Sumaya s childhood was full of sorrow and suffering. She used to collect wood from hills and forests in her early childhood. Afternoon, she helped her father. Sometimes she had to help with her mother’s household work. Drinking water was scarce in her locality, so Sumaiya had to collect water from the tub well which is far from her house. PHALS-BANI Academy got her information from Sumaya s elder sister Ruma who was already in the PHALS-BANI Academy shelter home. Then a representative of the shelter home visited her home and offered Sumaiya s mother the responsibility for Sumaiyas study, accommodation, and other needs. Sumaiya became very glad at this. She started to dream of going to school. However, Sumaiya was taken to the shelter home of PHALS-BANI Academy in February 2021. Then she pot admission in Cox’s Bazar International school in class one. Before cominp to PHALS-BANI Academy she could not read and write. But after cominp here she has improved a lot. She has done a pood result in school. She has also pot a pold medal in National Taekwondo Competition which was held in Dhaka recently. Sumaiya’s voice- “In PHALS-BANI Academy, I can eat well, play, and spend a good time with others. I”m learning a lot of new things every day. I ”m very happy to get all the facilities. I want to be an ideal teacher in Future. I ”m grateful [or everything to BANI STREET and PHALS.”

Rasheda Begum lives in ward no-o6, Telkola village of Palongkhali union of Ukhiya upazila. She has two sons and two daughters. Her day was going on with great difficulty. She was worked as a day laborer. With this small income, she maintained her family which was very difficult. She is a beneficiary of PHALS. Last June o21 she was enlisted for livelihood support under the “Humanitarian Assistant for Rohingya and Host Community in Bangladesh“ project. And she was given one day of training on livelihood before being given support. Then she was given financial support Of 23,000.OO TK. She bought a goat, and five chickens, and used the rest of the money to grow vegetables with that money. Now she has 2g Chickens out of five. The goat gave birth two kids. Due to the disease, she sold it by 12,000 Tk. The vegetable garden has been quite good. Already she earned 8.ooo.oo from producing summer crops and from winter crop production (Radish, Beans) she earned 12,000 Tk. She purchased a calf by 23.OOO Tk. Some have been used for purchasing daily consuming items. Some chickens are laying eggs regularly which is also a source of income-generating, family-consuming nutrition source. Now, she can eat pesticide-free green vegetables from her garden and when needed rather than depending on the market. Rasheda’s Voice-“I save some money for my crisis period. My children have been readmitted to school. Now I am happy. For this cooperation, I am forever grateful to PHALS for my success. In the future, I try hard and soul to this progress much further.”

Josna Akter Anika is 17 years old girl. she is the youngest child of a tailor Mr. Amir Hossain. Her mother is a housewife. Josna has 6 brothers and sisters. With a poor income, her father cannot maintain the family. When josna was in class two, her study was about to end due to a financial crisis. The condition of all her siblings was the same. When she realized that her family can’t bear her educational expenses, she decides to sell oyster ornaments on the sea beach. She started to go to the sea beach every day after school to sell oyster ornaments. She used to return home at 1o pm which is unsafe for a girl. In this way, she got very little time to study. After three years, her father left his family and married another woman. Then he stopped spending money on Josna’s family. Josna’s life became even more uncertain. She started to sell oyster ornaments on the sandy beach under the hot sun all day long. Amid intolerable sufferings, she is not a girl to give up. Somehow BANI Academy representative knew about Josna Akter and visited her home. BANI Academy offered Josna’s mother the responsibility of Josna’s education. Josna became very happy. She came to BANI Academy and was admitted to class seven in Cox’s Bazar International School in 2016. She became very attentive to her studies and also in co-curricular activities. Thus, her days were very well. She stood first in class eight. She also made a good result in the JSC exam. Recently she scored a GPA-s from the Science group in the SSC exam. She has also got a silver and a bronze medal in National Taekwondo Competition held in Dhaka recently. She can speak & write English well. Her Feelings- “I’m grateful to Allah for getting a chance to continue my study with the help of BANI Academy. I want to be a Pilot in future. I want to travel to more and more countries. I pray for the BANI Academy and PHAL.S team.”

Riya Moni, Tanya Akhtar and Sadia Akhtar, three underprivileged students of PHALS-Bani Academy, who won gold medals in the Victory Day Kwon Do Competition-2022 held in Dhaka on Friday. Riya Moni, Tanya Akhtar and Sadia Akhtar, three underprivileged students of PHALS -Bani Academy who won gold medals at the Victory Day Kwon Do Competition-2022 held in Dhaka on Friday Photo PHALS -Bani Academy next to bypass road of Cox’s Bazar city. For almost two years, 32 underprivileged children have been taught Taekwondo as a self-defense technique along with free education. Players of this academy won five gold, three silver and four copper medals in the National Victory Day Taekwondo Competition 2022 held in Dhaka on Friday afternoon. Earlier, the academy girls won 1 gold and 7 copper medals in the 2022 National Taekwondo Competition on 26 December. Abu Morshed Chowdhury, executive director of Cox’s Bazar Pulse-Bani Academy, said, “This outstanding achievement of the underprivileged children in the month of victory has brightened the faces of the people of Cox’s Bazar. A gold and a silver medal were won by Ria Moni, a student of class 12 of the Academy, of Dakkhin Adarshagram, Cox’s Bazar, in the Victory Day Taekwondo competition. Tanya Akhtar of the same village got two copper medals. He is studying in class 9. A gold medal was bagged by Sadia Akhtar, a student of Class IX and from South Mithachari village in Ramur. A gold medal was won by Razia Akhtar, a student of class 10 and from Dakshin Adarsha village, while Rekha Moni, a class 10 student from the same village, got a gold and a silver medal. Apart from this, fifth grade student Adiba, third grade student Riyad Hossain and student Reshmi Aktar got a silver medal each and seventh grader Shahed Hossain got a copper medal. Underprivileged children of Cox’s Bazar’s PHALS -Bani Academy won gold, silver and copper medals in the Victory Day Taekwondo competition held in Dhaka. Underprivileged children of Cox’s Bazar’s PHALS -Bani Academy won gold, silver and copper medals in the Victory Day Taekwondo competition held in Dhaka. Apart from this, Riya Moni, a student of the academy, won a gold and a copper medal in the National Taekwondo Competition 2022. Tania Akhtar three, Sadia Akhtar one, Razia Akhtar one and Rekha Moni one copper medal from the same academy. Taekwondo instructor. Abdullah said, if there is a will, there is a way, the children of the academy are proof of that. To eliminate the shortage, the children are also eager to take Taekwondo training in addition to education. Tanya Akhtar (15), a teenager, used to sell snail and oyster products on Cox’s Bazar beach. Business came to a standstill when tourist traffic stopped due to the Corona epidemic. Tanya’s father is also sick. So there is no income in the family. He used to collect firewood from the forest and sell it to find an alternative source of income. On March 1, 2021, he was admitted to Pulse-Bunny Academy. Along with studying for free, he also trained in the self-defense technique of Taekwondo. Now his reputation is everywhere. Tanya wants to become a taekwondo instructor in addition to pursuing a higher degree. Riya Moni also once took up the responsibility of running the household by selling snail and oyster necklaces to the hawkers on the beach. He joined the academy in March last year and is learning self-defense techniques along with his studies. Riya Moni, who is very happy after getting gold, silver and copper medals at the national level, says, ‘I will study and become an engineer. Then there is a desire to open a training center to teach self-defense techniques to girls. French private organization Bunny Street Academy and Cox’s Bazar local non-governmental organization Pulse jointly launched the Pulse-Bunny Academy. Abu Morshed Chowdhury, executive director of the academy, said humanitarian activities are going on with 32 orphans and underprivileged children. Here they are learning cultural activities and self defense techniques along with study and residential facilities. In a few days, 16 more children will be admitted here.

Hasina Begum is a resident of ward NO- O3 of Palongkhali union in Ukhiya Upazila. Her one eye is blind. She married a man with four children. Her husband’s first wife died a year ago. Her husband is a day laborer. She lived with the inconvenience. She also jumped into the battle of life by working as a day laborer. Hasina belongs two children. Sometimes she went hungry and her family was going through a lot of hardship. Luckily Hasina got acquainted with the PHALS disability group in h village. The field facilitator made her a member of the person with disability group. Hasina received training from PHALS. Last June 2o2i field facilitator was thinking of Hasina’s inhuman suffering. Then Hasina was given 6,400 tk against livelihood support under the HARHCB project. With this money, she bought a sewing machine. Hasina started working with full confidence and tough morale. Gradually her income began to increase. Besides, she started selling new clothes by sewing. Her income increased further. Hasina Begum says- “I have successfully overcome my hardships through hard work. My children have been admitted to the school again. I am very happy and grateful to PHALS for my success. I hope now my dream will go a long way.”

Robi is a very poor young woman. She is 25 years old, her father’s name is Rakib Ali and her mother’s name is Amena Khatun vill: Gozagona, Thainkhali,palongkhali, Ukhiya, Cox’sBazar. Robi is the youngest of three children in her family. Rubi’s father is a day laborer. Their lives go on in misery. Robi passed SSC in 2o16 after struggling for her life, Due to a lack of money, Robi did not have the opportunity to study. Due to a lack of money, Robi faced difficulty getting admission to the college. Suddenly, her marriage was fixed by her family, Robi’s husband’s name is Sakhawat Hossain from Bogra and he was a drug addict person. But Robi’s family did not know that before. He would return home every night drunk and beat her. Robi requested him to give up alcohol. But her husband does not attention to Robi’s request. There was no end to Ruby’s torture and misery. In the midst of this misery, Robi gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Husbands and wives often quarrel over alcohol. Unable to bear his husband’s torture, he returned to her father’s home. Robi was pregnant at the time. The old father runs the whole family in misery. At that time Robi has no contact with her husband. After some days Robi’s second child was born. She became emotionally upset with her two children. Robi started working as a maid in someone else house. Now her father is ill. PHALS has already started work on the HARHCB project in her village. Robi became a member of CBO. She received a lot of training from PHALS. After the training, the PHALS authority decided to give financial support to Robi Akter. Robi received 23.OOO taka from PHALS for income-generating work, Robi Akhter bought three goats by this taka. Robi’s dream is to raise goats and he wants to grow up in the future. She has jumped into the battle of life in a new way. Now there is no sadness in her mind’. At present, she is rearing three goats with advanced technology. She is hopeful in the next three months; three goats will give birth. Robi’s Feelings- “I have no more shortages and no problem educating my children. Now I am free from worries. I am forever grateful to PHALS for providing such humanitarian assistance.”

Senuara Begum lives in ward No-03 Palongkhali union, Ukhiya upazila. She has come from the poorest family. Her father was a day laborer, She got married to a local day laborer whose name was Md. Sarif. They live their life with great difficulty. A year later S The cost of living increased further. Senuara has to spend half a day on a staring. Her husband Zarif was not a man of good nature. Most of the time Senuara was tortured physically and mentally by her husband. In the meantime, she became the mother of 2nd child. A few days later her husband Zarif got married for the second time and left her. Sentara fell into boundless misery. Due to scarcity Senuara started working in another house. In the war of life, her family was passing with great sorrow. She was enlisted with PHALS beneficiaries. Then there is an opportunity to take income-enhancing training. At the end of the training, she was given financial assistance from PHALS for income-generating work. With this assistance, she bought two goats. About three months later one goat had three kids. Now Senuara has five goats. She sold a goat to support her girls’ education and her family. With some money, she bought three chickens. Now there is no sorrow in her family. For this reason, she is grateful to PHALS. Senuara’s plan- “Again if the goats give birth I will sell three goats and buy a cow. When the cow gives birth, I will sell milk. So that I will be able to earn a lot more. I am hopeful, that I must be able to reach my goal and objective”.

Taniya Akter (15) is the eldest child of a farmer, Mr. Nurul Kabir. Her mother is a housewife. Taniya has a brother and 4 sisters. With a poor income, her father cannot maintain the family properly. When Taniya was in class two, her study was about to end due to financial crisis. The condition of all her siblings was the same. So, Taniya started to go to sea-beach everyday to sell oyster ornaments. She used to return home at 10 pm which is unsafe for a girl. In this way, she got a very little time for study. After three years, her father left his family and married another woman. Then he stopped spending money for Taniya’s family. Taniya’s life became even more uncertain. She continued to sell oyster ornaments on the sandy beach under hot sun all day long. Despite facing adverse situations, Taniya is not a girl to give up. Somehow BANI Academy representative knew about Taniya and visited her home. BANI Academy offered Taniya’s mother the responsibility of Taniya’s education. Taniya became very happy. She was brought to BANI Academy and admitted to class four in Cox’s Bazar International School in 2018. She became very attentive to her studies and also excelled in co-curricular activities. She has made a good result in every exam. She has also got a gold and a silver medal in National Taekwondo Competition held in Dhaka recently. She can speak & write English well. She Says- “I’m grateful to Allah for getting a chance to continue my study by the help of BANI Academy. I want to be a pilot in future. I want to travel more and more countries. I pray for the donor Moussa Ibn Yacoub, PHALS-BANI Academy and PHALS team.”

Anis Khan, 8 years old who is a son of Mohamed Ayas and Mrs Roshida, is a learner of PHALS Rose Learning Center of Grade 02. Beginning of the year 2022, he was a student of World Vision operated learning center. Suddenly the World Vision learning center was closed in 19 March 2022 which was funded by UNICEF. In the meantime, PHALS organization funded by Street Child applied to RRRC for running one Learning Center in Camp-19. As per project allocation and approval, PHALS had budget to build learning center newly but during that time there was a decision from RRRC not to give permission for any new infrastructure for learning center and other programme; so CIC of camp-19 allocated PHALS to operate one LC in camp-19 Block C-4. After March 2022. Without school, Anis was rooming here and there in day time. Without education, he had also loosed his hope that he can continue his education and when PHALS launched its project “Stay at Home, Safe at Home, Learn at Home”, he came to learning center and enrolled in level -2. From ROSE Learning Center he received new books of Myanmar Curriculum, education materials, hygiene biscuit. He comes to learning center regularly. Now he can read and write more clear than previous. He wants to be a smart learner from the PHALS (Rose Learning Center). He also wants to be a good Teacher in future.

Ruby Akhtar, age 33 years, father’s name Rashid Ahmed and mother’s name Rabeya Begum. She lives in the Village of Lombripara, ward # 2, Union-Jaliapalong, Upazila-Ukhia, District-Cox’s Bazar. In 2006, she got married to Belal Uddin, the son of Bodiul Alam of Jaliya Palang Union, who lived in Jummapara, ward#1 in the same union. Their first year of marriage was blissful, in 2007 Ruby Akhtar became pregnant for the first time and the child died during delivery. Since then the inhuman torture on Ravi Akhtar started. In various ways, her husband kept pressuring Ruby Aktar to bring money from his father’s house. He was always physically tortured because she could not bring money due to the poor financial condition of his father’s house. And Bodiul Alam used to say Ruby Akhter, if you can’t pay, then I will get married again. In this way, a few years passed. Suddenly, in 2010, her husband Belal Uddin brought her home with the help of her parents for a second marriage. When Ruby Akhtar said something, she was beaten and her mother-in-law asks her to accept. Ruby Akhter also tries to accept. But her husband does not want to give her HH maintenance expenses. He humiliated her in various ways in front of her younger wife. In 2014, Rubi Akhter got pregnant again and gave birth to a cute baby girl. But her husband Belal Uddin does not want to bear any expenses of Ruby Akhtar. When she asked for something, she was beaten. So Ruby Akhtar could not bear it anymore and decided to leave her husband’s house. Then Ruby Akhtar with her daughter Mushfika Nazneen Bizli goes to her father Rashid Ahmed and says I don’t want to live with my husband Belal Uddin’s house anymore and determined that she doesn’t want to return from her father’s house so Ruby Akhtar wants a small place with her father where she can live with her daughter somehow. .Ruby Akhtar’s father gives him a plot and on that plot his father builds a small house for Ruby Akhtar. In that hut, Ruby Akhtar’s livelihood started with her daughter Bizli. Ruby Akhter works as a day laborer and lives with her daughter Bizli. Sometimes when Belal Uddin wants to see his daughter Mushfika Nazneen Bizli, Ruby Akhtar takes her daughter to meet her father and Belal Uddin hands her daughter Mushfika Nazneen Bizli 100 or 200 taka, and does not bear any other expenses. Currently, Ruby Akhter is not separated from her husband Belal Uddin. Now, Ruby Akhtar lives in a hut with eight-year-old daughter Mushfika Nazneen Bizli. Ruby Akhter works as a day laborer to support herself and her only daughter. Her daughter is reading in class four. In such a situation, the humanitarian aid project for Rohingya and local communities implemented by PHALS funded by Australian Aid, with the support of BRAC, in June 2022, conducted a survey on the poor, widows, abandoned by husbands, disabled, elderly families, child-headed families. In the survey Ruby Akhtar’s name was enlisted and was included in a livelihood training organized by PHALS. She was experienced & trained on sewing work and accordingly planned for buying a new model sewing machine. After receiving the training Ruby Akhter was given financial assistance an amount of Taka 20,000. With the help money, Ruby Akhtar bought an electric sewing machine with 18,000 Taka and with the remaining 2,000 Taka she bought yarn, thread, scissors, etc. At present, her daily income 200-300 Tk/day. She and her daughter are living well by eating two handfuls of rice twice a day. Ruby Akhtar wants to continue her daughter’s study with the money from her sewing work and wants to spend her whole life with her daughter. Ruby Akhtar has no intention of getting married again, she wants to spend the rest of her life in sewing. She is very glad to get the opportunity and express her joy with “My Family Maintaining Machine is Sewing Machine”. She thanked PHALS and Brac for standing for the needy people, also informed and humbly request PHALS to stand beside helpless people like them in future.