Reunited after years of longing

Pakhi was always a diligent worker, forming jewellery or Christmas ornaments with skill and artistry. But one thing I could be sure of; anytime someone visited who was a journalist or who had some kind of platform, Pakhi would come and softly remind me that she wanted to find her family. I mentioned it to people but no one knew how to search for a family lost so many years ago.

 

Pakhi told of escaping the abusive family she had been sent to work for. She tried to chase after her parents once when they had visited, following them as far as a ferry dock, but finding herself completely lost and alone in the world. Instead of being reunited, she ended up growing up in a government home for street children. A staff member provided extra care, sparing her from some of the grim reality faced by most children in this situation.

 

Pakhi always struggled to live a life of dignity. She married, and had a son, losing her job in a garment factory due to her pregnancy. She completed a time of training and transition through our partner organization, Children’s Uplift Programme. Supported her family by making jewellery and Christmas ornaments, working diligently and with talent.

 

Jewellery making at Basha
Pakhi is skilled at making jewellery

 

How surprised I was to see that Pakhi had been able to tell her story on a local youtube channel, Apan Thikana. In the first episode she shared her story. The next episode showed her reunion with her family.

 

Here is what happened:

 

Mohammad Biplob Fakir was watching an episode of Apon Thikana when he recognized a few names and an address in Khulna. The names belonged to Biplob’s cousins who are also Pakhi’s paternal cousins (her fupu’s children). Biplob rushed to his cousins to crosscheck the information from the show. He found out that his cousin had a niece named Pakhi who was lost. He commented on Apon Thikana’s post asking to be contacted for further information. Eventually, the Apon Thikana team contacted Pakhi’s mother, who is now separated from Pakhi’s father. Apon Thikana crosschecked the information provided by Pakhi’s family with the information that Pakhi had given. The show then organized a meeting between Pakhi’s parents, extended paternal family and Pakhi.

 

The meeting revealed that Pakhi’s mother was a struggling single-parent with three children. She was also living with her elderly mother who was severely ill. She was supporting the entire family with her income as her ex-husband did not provide any financial support for her children. Pakhi and her siblings looked after themselves while their mother was away for work. One day, Pakhi’s mother found bruises on her body after returning home from work (not clear who had abused Pakhi). She decided to send Pakhi to a family in Dhaka where she was supposed to receive an education and eventually be married off in exchange for work. The family turned out to be abusive and Pakhi had a very difficult childhood. Pakhi’s mother visited Pakhi twice in Dhaka but the family did not let her take Pakhi home. The family also stopped her from contacting Pakhi or being alone with Pakhi during her visits. During the second visit, Pakhi’s mother had travelled with Pakhi’s father and paternal aunt. However, Pakhi apparently did not recognize her parents and refused to go home with them (it was later revealed that the abusive family was holding her forcibly and had threatened her). Pakhi’s mother returned for a third visit when she found out that Pakhi was lost. She asked the family why they had not contacted her earlier. The family told her that they did not have her phone number. Pakhi’s mother searched for Pakhi all day in surrounding areas and eventually decided to return to Khulna.

 

Through Apon Thikana, Pakhi was reunited with both of her parents. Pakhi hopes to maintain a relationship with her newfound fmaily. Pakhi is now mostly home parenting her own children and only works occasionally at Basha. We have loved seeing her biggest dream come true and we all are celebrating with her.

 

We walk alongside women
We celebrate with Pakhi as she reunites with her long lost family