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Women in Bangladesh attend a village courtyard meeting to learn how to gain access to helpful information from their local government. The Carter Center provides support to the organization that leads the meetings. (Photo: The Carter Center/ H. Khanum)
Selima Begum, 28, is the mother of a 7-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. They live in Tuker Bazar Union, Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. Since her divorce, Selima has struggled to provide necessary medical care for her son, at times having to forgo routine medical treatments because of a lack of money. Though she works as a housecleaner when she can, it often does not pay enough to meet all her family’s needs.
Selima knew that disability allowances existed but was not familiar with the requirements or application process for receiving them. After several years of being unable to find this information, Selima says she had lost hope of ever receiving the assistance.
Then she began to attend meetings sponsored by The Carter Center. The meetings teach women how to request information from their government, information that can improve their lives and help lift communities out of poverty.
Support like yours helped Selima learn how to access government aid. And today, her son receives regular health care.
Although the process was straightforward, it was inaccessible and opaque to Selima when she couldn't access the necessary information. Now, she says, "If women have information, they can do anything. … They will be able to change their lives."
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