Unsung Women Heroes: Sumi’s resolve to help those with disabilities

Shamima Akter Sumi

Shamima Akter Sumi, popularly known as Kabya Sumi Sarker, is a poet and prominent social worker in Mymensingh. Over the years, she has increasingly involved herself with multiple initiatives to support all who need help.

"I started supporting 32 disabled people at my village, Khaloipura, in Mymensingh's Fulbaria upazila in 2017," said Sumi.

"It was 2016, when my housemaid, Romicha Khatun, informed me that her five-year-old grandson had disabilities, but she could not manage any government allowance. Then I, with the help a relative, started trying to manage a [government allowance] card meant for people with disabilities. But sadly, the card was managed one and a half years later, and on that same day, the child died. That shocked me so much," she said.

"Then I thought about doing something on my own and formed 'Anwara Karim Samaj Kallayan Sangstha', named after my parents Abdul Karim and Anwara Begum, at my village in 2017. After establishing the organisation, I shared the initiative with some of my friends and close relatives, and they promptly came forward with financial assistance," said the 37-year-old.

Gradually she spread the service outside the village, and now, 52 people with disabilities are under the organisation in the district, including 41 from Khaloipura village, she added.

With the help of her initiative, around 50 percent of people with disabilities are now under government allowance. "As our contribution, we monthly donate Tk 300 for each person with disability who does not get government allowance, while the rest get Tk 150 each," Sumi said.

Besides the monthly payment, they also support the people for their illnesses, and provide essentials for Eid and winter clothes. For this, they collect funds by receiving zakat from their near and dear ones.

Primarily, Sumi, a mother of two daughters, had to manage most of the costs from her salary as a lecturer at a private college. Sumi thanked her family and locals, who always encourage her for such philanthropic activities.

With the help of the organisation's initiatives, five families are now self-reliant, and they do not need financial help, said Jahanara Rani, a member of the organisation.

Sumi, also founder president of Divisional Blood Society, a free blood-donation forum, said there are some 500 members in the forum, and they have rendered blood support to 117 critical patients, mostly the poor and helpless, in the last one and a half years.

Ali Yusuf, a prominent volunteer in the city, said Sumi and her volunteers helped some 150 families amid the pandemic so far.

Sourav Dutta, secretary of Anwara Karim Samaj Kallayan Sangstha, said their main target is to support people with disabilities and help them get government allowance. 

Quoting a recent case, Dutta said they supported an 11-year-old orphan and thalassemia patient, Farzana Akter, with bags of blood for her operation at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.

"After getting information that Farzana's operation was being delayed due to blood unavailability, we contacted her family and managed five bags of blood immediately, although the operation needed only four," he added.

The volunteers also managed Farzana's return to her village home at Purakandulia in the remote Dhobaura upazila of Mymensingh.

For his cordial support for Farzana's treatment and other activities of the organisations, Dutta mentioned Ali Yusuf, also an adviser of Divisional Blood Society.

Sumi has achieved so much more. She is also the founder principal of Mymensingh Divisional School and College and president of Mymensingh Divisional Sahitya Parishad. For her contributions in social service, different organisations have honoured Sumi throughout her journey.