Restoring a Boy's Childhood

It’s the beginning of autumn and almost time for the workers to start trimming the tea plants throughout the tea garden estates scattered across rural Bangladesh.

But Sujit’s father, Ongod, won’t make it to the gardens this year.

A tragic stroke in January 2018 left Ongod bedridden, paralyzed and unable to hear or speak. Sujit’s mother, Bindaboti, is now his father’s caregiver, meaning both parents are unable to work. That left 10-year-old Sujit and his 15-year-old brother, Uttam, with the task of fully providing for the family — a terrible burden for such young boys.

Sujit tried his best to contribute to his family’s need by working for a local brick mason and carpenter. The boy worked beside grown men on construction sites yet fell prey to employers who exploited him.

“I tried to work as hard as I can at the construction site, but I didn’t like the fact that they didn’t pay me most of the time,” says Sujit.

It was during this season, as Sujit and his family struggled to survive, that the staff at the Compassion center noticed Sujit was coming to center activities less and less. Timon, the center Director, visited Sujit’s family and began to work out how the center could support them while giving Sujit the freedom to go to school and come to the church.

“It was not easy to pass by Sujit’s home while returning to our own, being aware of their situation,” says Timon.

The church, along with Compassion, came to a decision to use the Highly Vulnerable Children's Care to help Sujit and his family. With this, they were able to provide the family with monthly supplies consisting of rice, soybean oil, lentils and toiletries so that the children wouldn’t have to work or worry about providing for their family’s basic needs.

Today, Sujit still collects firewood for his family and buys groceries every week. But he is also back in school, and he attends the center regularly, where he’s able to have nutritious meals and play soccer with his friends.

“I feel good to have the teachers from our center taking good care of us. Their kind words always encourage me to come to the center, even though at times it’s difficult,” says Sujit.

While the journey for Sujit and his family is far from over, Sujit no longer has to be the “man of the house.” Compassion has come alongside his entire family, giving Sujit the opportunity for a rich childhood that will equip him for a fulfilled future.