Feature Stories
One Girl's Dream
Mahottari, May 2009
By Sujata Subba
Sagufa with her parents
"I wish all parents understood that education is the ultimate gift they can give their children, no matter which school they may be able to afford," says Alam Ansari, a father of six. He lives in Kolhuwabagiya, located in Mahottari district. As testament to the premium he places on education, his eldest daughter Sagufa Khatoon is the first girl from their village to obtain a School Leaving Certificate (SLC). At seventeen years of age she has also recently completed an ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) course.
In Sagufa and Alam's community, money is valued more than education. Obtaining an education is not viewed as a means to earning money. Alam Ansari doesn't share that view. Starting in 1994, he started talking to the villagers about the importance of education. Since that time, fifteen villagers (including his daughter Sagufa) have earned their SLC. All of Alam's children are going to school. In his case he has chosen to send his children to Madrasa (Muslim school) where there is no charge for basic education. Alam himself holds a School Leaving Certificate and works as a primary school teacher. Yet his salary is not enough to support the family. As a result they are also subsistence farmers; the food yield from their small plot of land is enough to feed them for three to four months time.
In mid-2008, Sagufa obtained her SLC from Sri Janata High School in Kolhuwabagiya. She dreamed about continuing a higher technical education certification. Yet without money, she was mostly confined to staying at home and helping her mother. Imagine then her delight, when in November she learned that the UNFPA would be offering support for her to enroll in Reproductive Health Facilitators Training. She began conducting Reproductive Health Literacy classes for women in her own and neighboring villages. During the facilitators training in Jaleswor, Mahottari, she learned of other opportunities too. The Nepal Utpidit Utthan Pariyojana (NUUP), a UNFPA non-governmental partner, informed the training participants that the UNFPA was providing further scholarships. The UNFPA scholarships were designated for Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) training. Girls from underprivileged communities were the eligible recipients. Unfortunately for Sagufa, the courses had started in October. Unexpectedly, one of the students died, and from this was born Sagufa's opportunity for furthering her education.
Sagufa Khatoon
Despite her starting point behind the other students, Sagufa jumped at the opportunity to further her education. She studied hard at the Institute of Health Research Development Centre (IHRD) in Janakpur to catch up with the other students. Initially she had difficulty finding a place to stay in Janakpur. Many more Hindus than Muslims reside there, and Hindu residents were reluctant to accept a Muslim girl into their homes.
Eventually, she connected with a family originally from Kolhuwabagiya and they rented her a room. Sagufa graduated as an ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) in March 2009. Now she dreams of continuing her studies and becoming a staff nurse. For this to happen, she would first need to find a donor;
1 in the absence of finding a donor she will start working. In the meantime, she is grateful to have a profession; she considers herself fortunate to have already had such uncommon educational and professional opportunities. As a way of 'giving back,' Sagufa wants to work in poor communities like her own. She is more confident than ever, and is even ready to search for employment located outside of her district. Not surprisingly, her parents are very supportive of her endeavors.
Sujata Subba is Training and Social Inclusion Officer at UNFPA, District Program Support Unit Mahottari
1. Three years of studies on a nursing campus with food and lodging included would cost upwards of $3000 (USD).
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