Meet Shopna Khatun!

You’ve seen her face for a few weeks leading up to and during our fundraiser, but who is the girl in the photo? To emphasize that Heifer International’s programs involve families, we usually try to show photos of the children in these families who now have a brighter future because of Heifer’s work. Their parents have the vision and the drive to make their lives better. Heifer has the knowledge and the resources to make it happen. But the kids in these families are going to be the first generation with a head start–the first proof that the change we’re creating will last for generations.

Mohammad Sadrul Amin, and his daughter Shopna Khatun, 10, prepare tea for the small shop they run as a business next to their home. Photo by Heifer International.

The girl in our photo this year is named Shopna Khatun, and her family successfully completed the most recent Bangladesh project. Best of all, she gets to go to school.

Khatun is the daughter of Mrs. Mossamat Hasina Begum & Mr. Mohammad Sadrul Amin. Hasina is paying about $9.55 per month for Khatun to go to school and have a tutor, plus a little pocket money while at school. “My dream is to educate my daughter,” said Hasina.

Khatun is in sixth grade. She leaves home around 9 am and is in school until 1 pm. She comes home for lunch and then goes to small group tutoring from 3 pm to 5 pm. “The practice in our tradition is that only male children would get an education. But I wanted to educate my girl and this is something I learned about in the training,” said Hasina.

Hasina Begum, 27, helps her daughter Shopna Khatun, 10, do her homework. Photo by Heifer International.

“Before we used to sell all the eggs that we had, but now we learned eggs are nutritious and healthy food, so we keep some to eat and sell some to buy household things and things for my daughter’s education,” she said. “Now, by the grace of God, we can have three meals per day.”

Their meals now include eggs, rice, vegetables, and fruit. They have eggs every two days, fish twice a week, and chicken or beef once a month. “There were bad times when my daughter would cry because she was hungry,” said Hasina. “Now, by the grace of God, things have changed and I can give her whatever she wants.”

It’s our goal to raise enough money during the fundraiser so that kids like Khatun can have the opportunity to go to school, eat regular, healthy meals, and have the world laid out before them, full of possibilities for the future. Thank you for donating, and helping us make that future brighter!