RAMPAL, BAGERHAT — Abandoned by her husband and deprived of basic shelter, a young mother in rural Bagerhat has made an agonizing sacrifice, selling her own hair for ৳500 to clear unpaid housing debts before being cast out onto the streets with her two young children.
Rehana Khatun’s fight for survival in Santoshpur village, situated within Rampal upazila, has stirred deep sorrow among local residents. Her plight highlights the extreme economic precarity confronting single mothers left without familial support networks or stable employment in rural regions.
An Act of Desperation Driven by Absolute Poverty
Rehana’s hardship escalated after her husband deserted the family, leaving her as the sole carer for their two small children. For a time, she managed to keep her children in a small rented dwelling. However, as extreme poverty set in, she accumulated several months of back rent that she could not afford to settle.
With no remaining possessions, savings, or access to credit, Rehana resorted to selling her hair—a deeply personal loss—to raise ৳500 and satisfy her landlord’s demands.
Ferdousi Begum, a neighbour who witnessed the aftermath, recalled discovering Rehana with a shorn head. Surprised by her appearance, she asked what had happened. Rehana broke into tears, pleading with her neighbour to keep the matter private while weeping that she had sold her hair simply to pay off her rent.
Living Under Open Skies Beside Railway Tracks
The sacrifice provided only brief respite. Unable to maintain ongoing monthly payments, Rehana was ultimately forced to vacate the room. For months, she and her two infants have drifted between the verandas of kindly neighbours and open ground along the Khulna-Mongla railway line.
Near the entrance to Santoshpur village, adjacent to a railway bridge on state-owned land, a skeletal bamboo framework stands as a testament to her struggle for shelter. Sympathetic villagers helped raise the basic frame months ago to assist the family. However, lacking funds to purchase corrugated tin roofing or woven bamboo panelling, the structure remains entirely exposed to the elements and uninhabitable.
Appeals for Social Safety Support
Community members have joined together to appeal for official aid on behalf of the destitute family. Mohidul Islam, a local resident, noted that a modest donation of corrugated tin and fencing materials would suffice to turn the standing bamboo frame into a functional shelter. Senior villager Abu Taleb Sheikh called on local upazila administrators to promptly register Rehana under government housing and welfare schemes.
Overcome with emotion, Rehana spoke of the relentless pain of seeing her young children suffer from chronic hunger and exposure to rain and bitter weather. She appealed directly to government agencies and charitable individuals for basic roofing materials so her family can finally sleep in safety. Local leaders are continuing to urge upazila authorities to absorb the family into state assistance programmes before their condition deteriorates further.
