Rita Das

Rita Das has continuously brought a smile to her family and joy to the tea-garden community as a maiden at the age of 18. Her job has pushed her one step closer to fulfilling her dreams, creating an example of success in her community.

Rita Das grew up in an abandoned tea garden community of Patiya upazila of Chattogram district. By profession her father Jibon Das is a photo binder and her mother works occasionally to support their daily wages. As a family of five, their story is a common one of extreme poverty. She has experienced a number of challenges that made it difficult for her to stay on a positive path.

After recognizing the challenges her family faces, Rita decided that she wanted to change her life. She continues to study, never dropping out from school despite hardships since childhood. She passed the elementary grades from Agami supported Swapnanagar Bidyaniketan. After completing SSC from Kanchanabad High School in 2019, Rita Das got admitted in BGC Trust College and pursued her studies in humanities with needed support from Jibon Gorra (Bangla for life-making) project of Swapnanagar Society. This project aimed at supporting students of Swapnanagar Bidyaniketan to continue high school studies and to keep them away from the grasp of child marriage or labor. This project financially helped Rita and motivated her in stepping forward.

Since then Rita found herself in the same position that many young people find themselves today - searching for suitable employment. Recently she received an invitation to join as Field Facilitator under an integrated livestock project implemented by Upazila Livestock office of Patiya, Chattogram. By securing the maiden job, she has become a shining example of overcoming adversity and success. She has become an inspiration for the youth in her community and beyond.

In speaking about her success, Rita said “it does not matter whether the concerned person is from a privileged or disadvantaged family. It is our inbuilt desire to be successful and proceed forward consistently towards more massive success.” Rita’s family is grateful to everyone including Swapnanagar Society for helping her in many ways. They believe generous people of our community will always extend a helping hand to disadvantaged people in support of materializing their long cherished dreams, just like Rita.

Md. Nayim Uddin
Dhaka, Bangladesh.