Growing up in the rural area of Sylhet, Bangladesh a place where women and girls are dependent on men for their livelihood, Sarmin Begum never once dreamt that she would one day be pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Science.
Sarmin, an orphan girl, lived with her mum and four siblings - who all tragically lost their father not long before. Following support from the Al Mustafa Welfare Trust Orphan Sponsorship Programme, along with encouragement from her mother, Sarmin overcame many obstacles to gain a decent education.
Walking 8km daily to Shah Jalal Latifia School, she attended open air lessons in all weather conditions, scrambling with her classmates for the few textbooks that were available to study from.
Sarmin was among the first children from Shak Para, Sylhet, to be enrolled as a sponsored child under the Al Mustafa Welfare Trust Orphan Sponsorship Programme. With your help, we were able to provide her with school uniform, education fees and learning materials and we supported her community to build new classrooms for the school.
Sarmin passed her high school examinations and went on to study for a Bachelor’s Degree in Science. Her passion for education has led her to pursue a Masters in Development Studies.
