I never thought I’d be writing a story like this-reaching out to the world with trembling hands and a heart full of fear. My name is Ms. Tahmina Akter, and I’m a student from a remote coastal village in Bangladesh. But more than a student, I’m a daughter, a sister, and the only hope left for my small, broken family.

We are three women – my ailing mother, my younger sister, and me. We’ve been struggling to survive since my father passed away 10 years ago. Life without a male guardian in our society is not just difficult – it is often merciless. As a young woman, I carry the entire weight of our home on my shoulders. I am doing everything I can, but I’m reaching a point where I simply can’t do it all alone anymore.

My mother is seriously ill. She was in an accident a long time ago, and her ribs were broken. Now, with age, her condition has worsened. She screams in pain every day, and I feel helpless – there’s nothing I can do to ease her suffering. We rely on free medicine from government hospitals, but it rarely arrives. I work as a private tutor, but my income only covers basic food. Proper treatment, diagnostic tests, healthy food. Education these remain far out of reach.

Then came the flood in August 2024. For nearly a week, our home was under water. The foundation of the house is crumbling, and the fence is weakening, slowly collapsing. We all feel unsafe now, living each day in fear and panic. The foundations cracked, the walls weakened, and now our house stands like a fragile shell—unsafe and slowly collapsing. We tried to fix what we could with scraps and prayers. But now, the 2025 monsoon has arrived once again. Every time it rains, we fear that the rest of the house will collapse. We have nowhere else to go.