Driven by love for orphans

One may derive inspiration for good deeds from different sources, but for Bilkis Banu, a foster mother of 55 orphans, it came from a dream in which she saw Mother Teresa.

Recalling how she started the privately-run orphanage, Golap Kha Shishu Sadan in Kurigram's Nageshwari upazila, 42-year-old Bilkis told The Daily Star an intriguing story.

"In the late 90s, I used to look after five orphans in my house located not far from the present Shishu Sadan. I also did some social work like giving free tuition in Bangla and social science to poor children in my neighbourhood," she said.

"On a winter day in 1999, on the 27th of Ramadan, a mentally challenged Hindu woman named Jharna came to my house with a baby girl," said Bilkis, recalling how Jharna had given birth to the child one and a half years ago on the porch of a shop in Nageshwari Bazar.

"She could hardly take care of her daughter. She never cleaned her or gave bath to her. The baby used to sleep with her mother almost everywhere, even with the dogs sometimes," Bilkis said.

"One day I asked Jharna for the child and she gave her to me. I named her Pritilata."

The night Bilkis took Pritilata into her lap she had a vision in her dreams. She saw none other than Mother Teresa, the Roman Catholic missionary who dedicated her entire life for the poorest of the poor, especially orphans and abandoned children.

"After that, my husband and I decided to build an orphanage named Golap Kha Shishu Sadan after my father-in-law on his land inherited by my husband," she said, adding that the orphanage was shifted to its current location on June 26, 2009.

Pritilata, now a student of Class IX, lives in the Sadan, built on one acre of land near Nageshwari Degree College where Bilkis' husband Rabiul Islam teaches economics as an assistant professor.

Two one-storey tin-roofed buildings of the Sadan now house 21 girls and 34 boys of different ages. Of the 55 children, four are toddlers and the rest study at different nearby primary and secondary schools.

In addition to formal education, the children are given religious and moral lessons.

They also take part in physical exercise and perform in cultural events held within the walled compound of the orphanage.

The students of high school are also given training on ICT.

Bilkis has employed 10 teachers for giving the children tuition in different subjects and six non-teaching personnel for administrative and maintenance jobs.

A charming and healthy atmosphere prevails inside the orphanage compound which includes a play ground, a garden, a prayer house, a rest house, separate sleeping quarters for boys and girls, a dining room, toilets, classrooms and office rooms.

In 2013, Bilkis moved to the orphanage with her husband, university going son and school going daughter. The family lives with the girls in their quarters.

The orphanage is mainly funded by income from Pritilata Super Market owned by Bilkis and her husband located beside Bhurungamari-Kurigram road in Nageshwari town.

Rent from a girls' hostel near Nageshwari Degree College and other income from the family's land property are also used to run the Sadan.

A local donor sometimes extends a helping hand, while Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abu Hayat Muhammad Rahmatullah once donated solar panels for the orphanage, informed Bilkis.

"But it is very sad that most people do not acknowledge my orphanage. They think I am insane, a fool," she said, adding that one of her sorrows is that people never visit the children or spend some time with them.

"No-one pays a visit, not even on special occasions such as Independence Day or Eid day. The orphans expect people would come and say something affectionate to them," sighed Bilkis Banu.

She herself has nothing much to ask for in her life. "When the children call me maa [mother], I feel proud as a mother of 55 children. I think I have nothing else to ask for in my life.

"Now I have no personal life of my own. My personal life is the Shishu Sadan," she said.

She has plans to construct a new orphanage complex on a piece of three-acre family land where orphans from all over the country can find their home. At present, any orphan or abandoned children under six are welcome at Golap Kha Shishu Sadan.

"I will make sure it has all the facilities needed. To ensure that the children get fresh, unadulterated food, I will start poultry, fish and dairy farming and also grow fruits and vegetables," she said describing her dream complex.

Although she herself could study only up to Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) level, Bilkis wishes to provide maximum opportunities to the children to complete their education.

"I will do everything needed to fulfil the wishes of the children in whatever fields they choose to study," she added.

"My aim is to bring up the children as good human beings," said Bilkis with a smile on her face that reflects her love and affection for the children and determination that she can make her dreams come true.