Success stories - Story 3
CBPB Photo(2004): from left; Father (Samad), Salma, Mother (Anjuara), Shetu (on her mother's lap) and Rina (front)
I seldom remember that my daughters had any eye problem
Naogaon, a district in the northern part of Bangladesh. Salma (12), Sabina (8) & Shetu (3) are three sisters from a remote village of this district. Anjuara is the mother of Salma, Sabina & Shetu. Anjuara Begum was a mere girl of twelve years when she got married to her cousin Samad. Five years later, Salma, their first child was born. Salma fell in water when she was three years old. She became seriously ill. Although she recovered with the doctor's treatment, white Phul (Chani) was noticed in her eyes twenty-two days later. Everyone became very worried when they noticed this white Phul (Chani) in her eyes. At first they took her to the Kabiraj immediately. Different kinds of treatments were initiated in an attempt to cure the Chani. For example, rubbing plants on the soles of the feet, pani pora (water blessed by healer to cure disease), tabiz (a very small container with special verses to help people from disease, poverty and problems) etc. However, nothing could cure the Chani. At this point, Salma's father advised to take her to the doctor. The doctor said that eight thousand taka would be needed to do the operation on the Chani, which was beyond their means. However, he also mentioned that if they wait for the government doctors, then it would be possible to do the operation at a lower cost. A significant part of Salma's life was spent in that hope. When Salma's mother heard of an eye camp being held near their house in Badalgasi, she immediately took Salma over there. Although the doctor at the eye camp advised to do the operation later, saying that Salma was not old enough, Salma's mother refused to lose this opportunity. She was unable to do the operation before due to lack of money. So Salma had operation on one eye and regained her vision. But unfortunately, Salma's vision started to reduce within one year of surgery. Her parents had no idea whatsoever that the lack of proper postoperative follow-up and examination were responsible for the gradually reducing vision in their beloved daughter's eyes.
Mother: Yes, she told me that I couldn't see clearly. The things I could see before I cannot see now. I see every thing in double.
The whole family was in great despair and frustration. All they could think was that Salma is gradually losing her vision because she was quite young when the operation was done. Then Sabina was born. For some unknown reason, the same problem was noticed in her eyes when she was 3 years old. Unable to find any reason behind this, Salma and Sabina's parents started to blame themselves.
Mother: We didn't realise anything. We don't know if it was due to any fault of ours; maybe my husband and I had done something. Because there's no blind or lame person in my whole family.
Five years later Shetu was born. Between Sabina and Shetu, two more children, Selina and Rina, were born in their family. Fortunately they have normal vision. Shetu had severe diarrhoea within a few days after her birth. Even though the doctor could cure the diarrhoea, the same old eye illness Chani, was noticed in her eyes 2 to 3 months later. Her parents took her to the doctor. The doctor said that this has happened due to lack of vitamins. She needs to take a lot of good foods. The doctor's advice and the decreasing vision in Salma's eyes became a barrier to the treatment of Sabina and Shetu's eyes.
Mother: Then the doctor said that, she has vitamin deficiency. ................. This deficiency has not been replaced. You had to give her a lot of nutritious food. Since you didn't give her these, she has this problem. So, then I decided that I'll not do any more operation. Because, when Salma had operation,......... gradually she has become just like before. For this reason, we didn't go for operation.
The parents lived in a dilemma of 'to go' or 'not to go' for treatment. Whenever they heard that a good doctor would be coming, they took their daughters to the doctor whatever the place might have been. When they heard that a good doctor from Bogra would come to Sherpur, they took Salma, Sabina and Shetu over there, 150 km away from their home. They had to travel by rickshaw then by bus and then again by rickshaw. However, poverty forced them to return without treatment. Salma, Sabina and Shetu lost the opportunity to have operation again this time due to lack of money.
Mother: But they also asked for money. I'm a poor person, where will I get the money?
Among the five sisters, the two who have normal vision go to school and play about the whole day, but Salma, Sabina and Shetu can do nothing besides their daily activities. Even then they always have to wait for a helping hand to assist them with these activities. This is how they are spending their life. They never went to school and could never move about independently. They never had any dreams about their life. The major part of their life was limited within the confines of their home.
Mother: But two of my daughters are normal like us. They go to school and study and can do everything.
Mother: Before she could not see. I had to take her everywhere by hand; I had to feed her myself................ I cannot keep this small child anywhere and work.
Salma: We thought that our life is a lie. We used to think that it would be the best if we could die! ......................... When I was young I didn't go to school. The teachers told my mother that your daughter is blind. How can she study?
CBPB Photo-2004: Salma Shetu and Rina: in a happy moment in their home
CBPB (Childhood Blindness Project of Bangladesh) identified Salma, Sabina and Shetu through their countrywide childhood blindness programme. It was like the Sun rising in their dimly lit lives; a journey from darkness toward light. In September 2001, the CBPB team undertook the programme of identifying children with visual impairment and blindness within the Naogaon district. One of the CBPB workers worked for a month in the district and identified Salma, Sabina and Shetu among eighty other children with visual impairment and blindness, with the help of different Key informants. As a part of the Bangladesh National Childhood Blindness Study, conducted by the International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), a mobile eye examination team examined over 2000 blind children like Salma, Sabina & Shetu who are living with ill health, disability, and chronic poverty in remote and rural Bangladesh. Dr. M.A.Muhit, Clinical Research Fellow at ICEH/LSHTM examined the eyes of Salma, Sabina and Shetu on 24 September 2001 during the national childhood blindness study. After examining the eyes of Salma, Sabina and Shetu at Badalgasi, CBPB provided them with the opportunity to have operation on their eyes free of any cost at their partner hospital. CBPB works in partnership/ collaboration with four hospitals throughout the country for the proper treatment of children's eyes. BNSB Eye Hospital at Sirajganj is one of the partner hospitals. On 24th October 2001 the three sisters traveled 180 kilometers to reach the BNSB Eye Hospital at Sirajganj, secure in the knowledge that this time they'll have the operations because this time they had the referral cards of CBPB, ensuring their treatment. Although CBPB bore the cost of their operations, it was difficult for them to arrange for the travel fares of their three children, the parents as well as bear the expenses of a person who knows the way. In the context of Bangladesh it is almost an impossible task for a day labourer to arrange 1000 taka to pay for the travel fare to the hospital. Only their heart felt desire and effort enabled them to reach their destination.
Mother: Do you think the parents could have any peace of mind when the children are blind? ...................There was no peace of mind. We are poor people. We couldn't do any treatment. We are really very poor. There is only one earning member. We can have our meals only when he earns some money............. I'm a poor person but I have to pay for the travel fare. Somehow we arranged the travel fare. I've a brother who is literate. We've never been to such places. This brother of mine accompanied us and our three daughters to the hospital .................. You need 50 taka as the travel fare.
All three sisters had cataract surgery with IOL (intra-ocular-Lens) implantation surgery done on their eyes. Three days later they returned home. Now they can see this world like anyone else; now they can see the smile on their mother's face. One successful operation could give them a life full of lighted days. They not only regained their vision but they also regained the strength to take charge of their own lives. No longer do they have to be dependent on the others.
Mother: They stumbled and fell down when they tried to go somewhere by themselves. It was impossible for them to walk through that narrow strip of land. Her grandmother's house is nearby. They could not go there. They were afraid and said that we cannot see so how can we go? But since their eyes got cured, there has been no problem. They can go and come back by themselves. Then Salma got married. Her husband doesn't know anything about this. They told me that her husband might learn about it from the others. There is quarrel among the families everywhere, isn't there?......... But the people of this village are very good. Till now no one has mentioned about the operation in Salma's eyes to her husband and by the grace of Allah they'll never do so as well.
The hard fact of life and the rigid rule s of the society forced Salma's parents to hide the fact about her operation when they settled her marriage. However, when Salma's husband came to know about it later on, he treated the matter like any other illness and express a supportive attitude. According to him, Salma had problem in her eyes but she got cured with the proper treatment. He has no anger on this issue.
Salma: My mother-in-law only knows that my eyes are like this (mild squint can noticed on close inspection) because I fell into water as a child. However, she doesn't know that I had operation on my eyes ............... My husband knows about this. He says that Allah gave you this problem but he also cured you. He doesn't say anything else. If any other person heard that his wife had operation on her eyes after the marriage, then he would not have wanted to live with her anymore. But my husband is not like that.................. there is no problem because of this.
Although Salma is now leading a normal life, she still feels insecure. The thought of the future worries her. Her main concern is that what if her eyes become like before again? Then she wouldn't be able to do any work and her husband would marry again. How would she be able to share her husband with another woman? She also worries that if her children have the same problem then she would be blamed for that. These kinds of thoughts often put her in tension.
Salma: Now I'm happy with my husband and in-laws. I had operation on my eyes. What if their is some disturbance in my eyes again as I grow older? I worry about this only. If my husband marries again then it would hurt me a lot. If I cannot see then he has to marry again....................If I cannot see and do any work of the family, then certainly he would marry again, wouldn't he? I'm really worried about this. That's why I pray and cry to Allah so that I can live a normal healthy life always.
It is perhaps not possible for us to understand the joy their mother felt at that moment of regaining sights in her children. But the shining smile on the mother's face one year later in the follow-up programme of CBPB told its own tale. Her daughters cannot only see now but they are respected citizens of this society as well. Their parents have no more worries.
Mother: Since my daughters got cured it is like as if the door on my troubles has opened up and all the troubles have disappeared. If they can do something then we are happy.
Salma Shetu and Rina; in a happy moment in their home
They could settle the marriage of their eldest daughter like any other girl of the community. Even then Salma's vision was scrutinised and she had to appear for various tests like whether she can thread a needle or not and whether she can write and see distant objects or not etc. However the joyful thing is that she passed every test placed in front of her easily and so could get married at an early age. Salma can now do all the works of her home. She is living happily with her husband and in-laws. The second daughter Sabina got admitted in a school after her eyes got cured. But eventually she decided to work and now she lives in Dhaka. The girl, who could only walk lamely before the operation, is now a working girl. She works in a distant relative's house in Dhaka. She is very happy over there. Moreover she sends money to her parents. Sabina's eyes are fine now. She has forbidden her parents to worry about her saying that her eyes are fine now and she can take care of herself.
Sabina: (if anybody comes for follow-up) tell them that there is no problem in my eyes
Shetu is now the only source of worry for the family. She had polio as a child. As a result she can neither talk nor walk. However she can see. The operation has restored her sight. Now she can grasp things and eat by herself. Her immediate elder sister Rina is now her playmate.
The picture of Salma's family is no different from that of the other poor families of Bangladesh. They no longer have to worry for their daughters. The busy and active lives of their daughters sometimes make them forget that their daughters were blind once.
Mother: I used to worry about my daughters the whole day. Now I seldom remember that my daughters had operations or they had any eye problem. I'm very happy. Can you understand that? I'm very satisfied!
The parents of Salma, Sabina and Shetu are very happy with their family. They thank CBPB for this, because if it were not for CBPB then their daughters would have remained blind and stayed at home. They would have had to listen to a lot of things like, you've given birth to 'Kana' children and now you have to carry their burden the whole life. When people used to say such things it used to hurt the parents a lot. But now they are in a different position. They have more respect in the society and they are admired and applauded for their effort that has restored the vision of their daughters.
Mother: There are many rich people who have 'Kana' children and can do nothing about it, but I could cure my children even though I'm a poor person. People thank me for this. They think well of me.
Father: My daughters can now see well and it has been possible for you.
In this way CBPB is providing these neglected children an active life of their own.
During the project period about 2 & a half-year; (2001-2003) CBPB team has observed following life events in Salma, Sabina and Shetu's life.
- Salma, Sabina and Shetu regained sight after many years of blindness & visual impairment.
- Salma got married and is now leading a happy and active life in her husband's house with her in-laws.
- Sabina is now empowered and also supports her parents.
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