In a quite village of Chupria Dash Para of Agardari union, Satkhira Sadar, Satkhira, Maloti Dash stands as a powerful testament to resilience, transformation, and the profound impact of a safe home.
Maloti and her family lived for years in a flimsy, unstable house. It had mud walls, an open veranda, and a dripping roof made of paper and tiles. It offered little protection from the rain. “When it rained, we couldn’t stay indoors,” Maloti says. “I had to hug my children tight and sit huddled up in the corner, holding my breath for the rain to stop. Sleep was out of the question.”
The lack of a kitchen forced her to cope with what she had. Absence of a bathroom forced her to utilize a neighbor’s loo. She took water from a distant tube well on the side of an aquarium of fish, where she was often scolded and ridiculed. “We had no privacy, no peace, and no dignity,” she recalls.
All this was changed through the intervention of Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh.
With Habitat’s assistance, Maloti was able to move into a new home—a permanent, secure building in which she and her family were able to live safely and proudly. Using material scraps, she even constructed her own kitchen. For the first time in her life, she had a home that would not leak in the rain and provide peace of mind.
“Now we live in peace,” she smiles. “We are so thankful to have this house—it’s more than I ever dreamed of.”
It did not stop there. Habitat also provided them with a tube well, ending the daily routine of going to fetch water. A community bathroom built by Habitat has also made life safer and more dignified, especially for women and children. “Even though it gets crowded, it’s so much better than before. We take care of it ourselves and split the bills equally among the families.”
Maloti now lives with her youngest daughter and eldest daughter’s son—four people altogether. Her husband works as a day laborer, and though little money comes in, their dignity is priceless. “We never thought that we would be staying in a concrete house. Now we have privacy, security, and a dream—to expand this house someday so that all my daughters and their families can come to stay with us when they visit.”
Maloti Dash’s story is a testament to how a safe home can do more than just provide a roof over one’s head—it can revive lives, restore dignity, and open a door to a brighter future.
