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Back to the track!
Formuza Begum, a septuagenarian woman living in Eidgaon upazila of Cox’s Bazar, has overcome indescribable miseries poverty had brought upon her. In the battle against penury, her emergence as a victor has made her a symbol of persistence. Born into an extended poor family, her parents got her married off at a tender age.
Irony of fate, even after her marriage, poverty did not leave its claws as Formuza’s day labourer husband, Md. Kalu Mia, was prone to ailments. Due to different medical urgencies, most of the time he remained unemployed. Lack of work affected their daily income and their intake of nutritious foods resulting in extreme malnutrition. Formuza, too, fell sick at last. Being sick for a long time, she developed eye problems that worsened day by day and created unrest in the family. At one point, her husband divorced her because she could not work properly due to her disturbed eyesight. Formuza returned to her paternal residence after the divorce.
During a house visit, the Health Inspector of the Enhancing Resources and Increasing Capacities of Poor Households towards Elimination of their Poverty (ENRICH) project, implemented by Mukti Cox’s Bazar in collaboration with Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), came to know about Formuza Begum. After hearing the story of her sufferings, the Health Inspector informed her about the benefits of the project and provided her a Health Card. When ENRICH organized an eye treatment camp, Formuza came there to see a doctor. After a thorough examination, she was diagnosed with cataracts in both of her eyes. Following the ophthalmologist’s advice, the project worker took her to Cox's Bazar Baitush Sharaf Hospital and her eyes were operated on the same day. She gradually recovered by taking prescribed medicines.
“The first thing I wanted to see was the
Mukti’s staff who acted like a beacon of my life.”
Formuza’s recovery enabled her to lead a normal life. Now she dreams of self-reliance. As per the instructions of the ENRICH project worker, she now cultivates vegetables and raises chickens in the courtyard. Apart from meeting her daily needs, she sells the surplus vegetables & chickens, saving some money too. Formuza is living a happier life than before in his parental house.
Her heartfelt gratitude to Mukti Cox’s Bazar is what inspires the organization to continue its development and humanitarian interventions in the face of intricate challenges.
Ad astra: Sadia’s Journey!
“At COTE school, I learned to read and write. Now I dream of becoming a doctor.”
- Sadia Bibi
Sadia Bibi is a young Rohingya girl born in 2013, in Mond Kyangmong Para, Myanmar. She now lives in FDMN Camp-2W, Block-C, in Bangladesh. Sadia remembers her village as a beautiful place. Her home was a two-storied wooden house, surrounded by fruit orchards like mango, jackfruit, guava, and coconut. As a child, she used to go to the fishery with her father and play with her cousins.
But those happy days did not last long. The military and Rakhine mobs attacked their village suddenly. Sadia was very young when she witnessed fear and violence. She saw how the soldiers took away teenage girls and abused them. Boys were taken away, mutilated, killed, or never seen again. Her aunt used to hide her daughter so that the military wouldn’t find her. One day, the army and Rakhine people set fire to many homes in their village. Sadia’s family had to flee. As they escaped, she saw dead bodies on the roads, even small children. She cried from hunger. Her mother told her she would give her rice soon, and her father promised food—but they had nothing. After a long, painful journey, her family reached Bangladesh.
She was later admitted to Mukti Cox’s Bazar’s (COTE) school which changed her life. For the first time, Sadia felt safe. COTE school helped her get rid of the traumas. She learned good manners, how to behave with others, and how to respect people. Now Sadia can read Burmese, English, and Hanifi. She is also learning mathematics and is currently in Grade-03.
Sadia says, “At COTE school, I learned to read and write. Now I dream of becoming a doctor.”
Sadia now has big dreams. She wants to become a doctor, so she can help others, especially those who suffer like her once she is ill. She is deeply thankful to Mukti Cox’s Bazar for helping her build a new life full of hope and learning.
Stride to Empowerment!
Murshida Begum lives in Mohammad Shahghona, Moheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar. Her life hasn’t been easy. She was married young, but her first marriage ended in heartbreak. Later, she married a fisherman named Talab Ali, who had four children from his previous marriage. Together, they had three more children — making a family of nine! Talab Ali was too old and poor to fish regularly, and this made it hard for the family to survive. They didn’t have enough food, and many in the family suffered from poor health because of malnutrition.
In March 2024, things started to change when Talab Ali became a part of the FiLEP Project, a program designed to help struggling fishing families improve their livelihoods and nutrition. FiLEP gave Murshida the chance to learn new skills. She joined several impactful training sessions including goat and chicken rearing, fisheries resource management, nutrition courtyard sessions that taught her about maternal and child nutrition, diet variety, clean living, hygiene etc.
Through regular nutrition sessions, Murshida began to understand how good food and care can improve well-being. Her children’s growth was also monitored, and she saw real results from the nutrition help. To help Murshida Begum fight hunger and improve her family’s nutrition, FiLEP stepped in with powerful, hands-on support and resources. With these resources, Murshida turned her backyard into a thriving vegetable farm. With FiLEP’s guidance and tools, she didn’t just grow food—she grew confidence. Her vegetables did so well that she was able to earn money by selling the extra produce.
Later, with her income, Murshida took a bold step forward: she leased land to plant betel vine, expanding her efforts beyond homestead gardening. With continued technical support from FiLEP, she later added more varieties of vegetables, creating a year-round source of food and income for her family. What started as a few seeds became a journey of transformation. Today, Murshida proudly provides for her family. In Murshida’s voice:
“We used to starve during the fishing ban periods, but this year I didn’t worry about food. I grow my own vegetables, and I use the money from selling the surplus to pay my daughter’s school fees.”
Today, Murshida’s health and diet have improved. She now knows how important it is to eat a variety of foods. And most importantly, she feels confident and proud. Murshida’s story is a powerful example of how community support and the right training can change lives. With help from FiLEP, she didn’t just find a way to survive — she found a way to thrive and lead her family toward a healthier, more hopeful future. Mukti Cox’s Bazar is proud to be an implementing-partner of the FiLEP project.
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