Borsha.with people. Against humiliation.: Misereor

16-year-old Borsha M.* grew up in Bangladesh without a safe home, water supply or enough food on her plate. Thanks to our partner organisation BARCIK, she learned to go her own way with confidence. Today, she shares her knowledge with other young people.

Borsha M. lives with her parents and four sisters in a poor neighbourhood of the capital Dhaka. From an early age, Borsha realised how few rights her family had here and how much they lacked the basic necessities of life. Unlike many of her friends, Borsha was lucky enough to be able to go to school, where she never had the feeling that she was worth less. She learnt how important it is to know more about justice and to stand up for it. But the school had to close due to the pandemic. The change for the better came with the programmes of our partner organisation BARCIK. "I'm finally getting answers to my many questions," says Borsha.

View of the poor neighbourhood in Dhaka from above.

Borscha now knows what rights she has as a young woman.

Borsha's mother, Asmani Begum, has planted plants on the roof of her house to alleviate the heat and cold.

Borsha M. in the circle of her youth group.

Borsha M. from Bangladesh.

Only now has Borsha learnt the basics of a dignified life: her rights as a young woman and citizen of the city, protection from disease or from the catastrophic consequences of climate change.

Empowering young women like Borsha M: This is what Misereor partner organisations around the world are working towards. "Today I can laugh about how little we used to know," says Borsha.

Today, the family separates their rubbish instead of dumping it around the house as they used to. And the family has planted the narrow strip of land and the roof of their dwelling to alleviate the unbearable summer heat and the cold in winter. "Now plants and trees are growing around our house, bearing fruit and providing shade."

BARCIK helps the girls to organise themselves into youth groups.

Borsha M. is proud that she has been able to lead a group of around 20 girls. In the group, the adolescents share their knowledge, recognise problems and find solutions together. Thanks to her educational work, more parents in the neighbourhood understand why education is crucial for their children's future.

Together with BARCIK, Misereor is working to ensure that girls like Borsha M. can find their way out of the slums full of self-confidence: finish school, learn a trade, help other people. So that more young women in Bangladesh can say today: "We are the future and together we are stronger than ever before."

We are the future and together we are stronger than ever.

Borsha M.

Since 1958, we have been supporting people where poverty is greatest - regardless of faith, culture or skin colour.

Thanks to your help, we have been able to support over 109,000 projects in more than 100 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

With more than 6.6 billion euros to date, we have helped people around the world to change their lives sustainably through their own efforts.

Misereor is exempt from corporation tax due to the promotion of development cooperation according to the last notice of exemption we received from the Aachen-Stadt tax office,
tax number 201/5900/5748, Misereor is exempt from corporation tax in accordance with Section 5 (1) No. 9 of the German Corporation Tax Act.