Introduction of Kohinoor Akter

 

My name is Kohinoor Akter.  In my community I am known as 'Kohinoor'. In Bengali the word ‘Kohinoor’ means the expensive Diamond. Richest people keep the stones with a ring to represent their wealthiest status. I am very happy to get such a good name although I have no similarities with “Diamond” in my life. We live in a slum named ‘Kader Sardar Para’, a slum in Khulna which is the 3^rd biggest city of Bangladesh. Many slums exist in this city. Kader Sardar Para is one of them. 185 families are living here. The livelihoods of the slum people depend on day-to-day income and roadside petty business. Many women work as housemaids, tailoring work, sewing and a few others. 

 

I was born in a poor family in February 2000. In my childhood I did not get any learning opportunities. My parents arranged my marriage when I was only 15. My father-in-law lives with us and he helps us. My husband Mintu Hawlader sews the old jute bags into small shopping bags for the daily bazaar. Every day he can make 150 bags and earns about 400 Taka (CAD-6). He has no formal education but can read simple words. I want to teach him more. He feels shy about learning from me. Close to our community there is a dockyard and a labor market. Working people want to live in this area as it is close to the city market area and a walking distance. We can see busy people coming and going in the morning and afternoon. I like reading newspapers and storybooks. I always like to make friends with new people and as an Amarok Mother I am teaching 5 children. The word mother-teacher makes me happy and encourages me. We lead a low-cost life but I want to live with dignity, respect and love. This is why I’m learning in Mothers’ School and teaching little children. Teaching to young children is fun to me and I enjoy it.  My teaching children are; 

 

 

We are Muslim and most families living in our slum are Muslims too. Amarok mothers maintain a good relationship with our neighbors. Every mother in our school teaches 5 children. I attend Amarok Mother School for two hours daily except on the weekends. We study here to develop our reading, writing and mathematical skills and how to teach little children joyfully. We do social work and take good initiatives for our community. Our main goal is to educate ourselves to make us capable of teaching our own & neighborhood children. 

 

Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to develop my learning skills and teaching to children. 

With respect,