Streetboy having no education

A young lad was walking. He was walking because he was looking for materials. These were humen-left plastic bottles, irons, etc. He sold these to survive, not only for himself but also for his siblings. He could have shifted his nature, but the poor boy was unlucky by birth. He heard his mother saying, "Dear son, you lost your dad while you were at 6. One day, your dad returned home earlier with severe chest pain. He was feeling unwell. He lied down on the bed. I asked him to meet a consultant. He didn’t pay heed to me. He told me, “Meeting a doctor and buying medicines according to a prescription will cost a lot. And result, my children would starve”. My heart melted down hearing his mouth. And shocked so much that no sooner had he finished his words, he left his last breath flooding us in tears!".

   The boy missed his father's touch forever, and so did his siblings. Daily family needs were chasing him. He stopped his education. He was not mature enough to work. He began to beg not finding any other ways. He felt no shyness.

                        One day, a man found him begging alms on a street asked him, “hey, will you work with me as a public transport assistant. He agreed! He hadn't known that he might meet road accidents. By the way, he joined. He stood at the door of the bus, calling strangers to get into the bus. Some passengers were hurrying to get down to their destinations during slow-running of the transport. 

            Suddenly, the poor boy fell on the street due to a hard push from the passengers. Another transport from the back ran over his feet. The driver along with others admitted him to a public hospital. They contacted to his mother. Coming to the hospital, the mother cracked down. It didn’t take long after she lost her husband. Now, she got another shocking news. In addition to that, she was devastated hearing from the doctor, “To save your son, you require a few bags of blood along with an amount of BDT. 200 thousand." Her suffering was added instead of subtracting (declining). She knows that she didn’t have her children fed, let alone manage a six-digit amount with a few blood bags. She rushed to her community, leaving her son in the hospital. And she was urging people to assist her son. Her urging to save his son drew an attention of a local politician who vowed strongly that he would support his best. The leader begged subscriptions from the locals. Everybody came forward including charitable organizations. The leader reached the hospital along with the broken mom. He found the boy lying on a bed, screaming. He handed the money and blood bags to the doctor. The wounded boy was immediately taken into the OT (Operation Theater). After a productive undergoing surgery, the board of doctors were successful in recovering the poor boy who didn’t dream he would get his life back but lost his feet. No longer could he walk like a normal person!!

Soon, he returned to his normal life. He asked many to give him a job to survive, but the society couldn’t. First, he had no legal certifications or IDs that would trust the hiring industries he is a legal resident of the country. He didn’t get it as if it were a curse being born in a slam, recognized as a streetboy. Not having an ID was a prime cause. And it was logical that nobody preferred to hire an undocumented guy who might pose a security threat. Moreover, nobody wished to stand beside him as referees. 2nd, he had neither education nor prior experience or skills that might benefit an industry. 3rd, his physical handicap was another obstacle for obtaining work. On top of these, he was disqualified from working. 

  He didn’t see any options being opened. He strongly picked the option of gathering plastic and iron scraps. Every day, he got out of the house for plastic and iron scraps. He got daily BDT. 200, 300, or 400. Not the same all the time, as it would depend on how much scrap he collected.

Never did he think he would have to lose his mother too. One day, his mother became ill. He took her mom to hospital with the help of others.  A consultant diagnosed her, and declared his mom bearing a cancer. He showed his mom to other doctors as of his means. Relatives also extended their supports but didn’t work. The intensity of cancer in her body was so deep that she eventually died! The boy had remained none but his grandmother and four siblings.

Again, he started his work journey like as usual collecting scraps and selling scraps. Being the elder of the family means to a society in Bangladesh he has to play all the roles in absence of parents. Now, he has no other survival alternative. He left out home, a rented house for BDT 1500 (less than $15) monthly. He spent the entire day, morning to afternoon just sipping a cup of tea. However, he didn’t stop looking for scraps. He found lots. One student noticed it, and asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ thinking he was a thief. He told him he was a streetboy having no education. He collects scraps. And support his siblings by selling to scrap shops. And the money he got was spent on the education of his two sisters, and family’s daily essentials. And he also let him know that his two younger brothers working on chicken farms didn’t have much to contribute to the family. Shockingly, he also lost his last hope—his grandmother who cared them after his mom passing away by cancer. It narrated the student, “It was so pathetic! My grandmother died by a road accident when she went outside for buying something. And while she was crossing a road, a truck ran over her. Even, I had no opportunity to see my grandmother since I was outside, and later came to know that my grandmother had also flied to heave forever!”. The streetboy left nobody.

University of Chittagong,

Bangladesh

31 Dec. 2023