Rukhsana has more than a few things to smile about.

December 2011: Rukhsana is a physically disabled girl from Bangladesh. She was ostracised by her family for being born disabled, and her mother was blamed for her lack of development. When she turned 5 she started to attend a Plan-supported clinic for the physically challenged. This is her story, published in time for International Day of Persons with Disabilities* on 3 December.

I am a 14-year old physically challenged girl. My name is Rukhsana and I belong to a poor family from Dinajpur district. My father is a day labourer and I am the eldest amongst my other 2 brothers and sister.

My life began with a struggle. When I was in my mother’s womb, she did not have proper food. She was not vaccinated and above all she was not taken to any health clinic during her delivery. She had labour pains for long hours and as her waters broke long before, I was deprived of oxygen, which resulted in my being a physically challenged girl. 

As the days went by, I could neither sit, nor stand, nor walk, nor could I hold anything or eat by myself. People around me, even my closest ones, hated me and treated me badly both physically and mentally. I was the curse of the family and my mother was the person to be blamed and she cried a lot.

Searching for help

My mother went to quacks and doctors and spent money. At the end she was beaten by my father because there was no improvement in me. I turned 5 and began to understand my mother’s suffering on top of mine.

At that time my mother found out about a clinic for the physically challenged children in my locality. She took me there and my life started to change. The ceaseless efforts of the health workers and the doctors gave hope to both my mother and father. With regular exercise I started to learn to sit, stand, eat and write my own hands. 

Although I was not welcome at school at the beginning, the orientation provided by the health workers of that clinic for physically challenged children helped the headmaster understand my situation and I was eventually accepted. Now I get a government allowance from Union Parishad, I have an iron walking frame to go to school and a ramp has been made for me to enter the classroom. 

My parents are happy and everybody loves me. I do not need anybody’s pity, but I need empathy as I dream a light of hope for the coming days. 

Find out more about Plan Bangladesh.

* Plan is not responsible for the content of external websites.