Drop-in Centre (Night Shelter)
Fatima lived with her father, a scrap dealer, and her older brother. Her mother remarried, bringing Fatima and her brother to an overcrowded and unsafe home.
Facing abuse from her stepfather, Fatima chose to sleep on the streets. To survive, she made pocket change by collecting and selling garbage.
Her life took a new turn when she found refuge at READ Foundation’s Drop-in Centre in Jatribari, Dhaka. Majeda Akhter, the house mother of the Night Shelter, provides a safe environment where Fatima can grow and envision a better future.
Despite her hardships, Fatima is calm and polite by nature. Now that she has found respite at the Night Shelter, she dreams of studying and becoming self-reliant through vocational training.
The project supports Fatima with educational opportunities and work skills training. She says she feels cared for at the Centre in a way her parents did not. She enjoys games, receives clothes, and participates in hobby activities. The staff have helped her move past her painful experiences.
Fatima now hopes to build a beautiful life after the centre, a future she once thought impossible.