Begum lost her husband and two children in the recent cyclone. To help her start over, OBI gave her a sewing machine to begin her own business.

SHARUNKULA, Bangladesh - It may not seem like much, but clean water, a new sewing machine and a backpack full of new books are helping one widow and her daughter start a new life.

Just a few weeks ago, Begum and her daughter were preparing for a new life of a different kind – one that included

Begum's husband and their three children. However, after a cyclone hit their village in November, all that changed.

"We heard the cyclone warnings but we did not react, thinking of past warnings when nothing really took place," Begum said. "When we heard people screaming, we tried to run to the cyclone shelter but it was too late."

Begum clung to her two children as she watched in horror as her husband tried to rescue people from cyclone floods only to see him killed by a falling tree. She clutched two of her younger children while her husband held their oldest daughter, Laila. He told her to hold on as he went to help others. That's when the tree fell.

After a day of searching, Begum found the dead bodies of her husband and one child. She never found her second child.

Laila is one of many villagers who now has access to clean water from an OBI-supplied unit that purifies 10,000 gallons of water a day.

"I lost everything except Laila," she said.

As part of initial relief efforts, Operation Blessing partnered with Water Mission International and global delivery service, DHL, to provide water purification systems to devastated villages – one of which was Begum's.

It was at the water distribution site that the single mom met OBI's Kumar Periasamy and began to share her story.

Before the storm, she and her husband had a successful clothing business and were planning on building a new home.

"I am a good seamstress," Begum said. "If you could provide me with a sewing machine, I can support Laila and myself."

Within days, OBI supplied her with a new sewing machine, and Begum quickly got back to work. 

"I have to depend on the mercies of my relatives," she said, "and they too are suffering."

OBI also provided Laila with new school books to replace the ones washed away by the storm.

In all, a total of four water purification systems were installed, providing clean drinking water for more than 12,000 residents affected by the storm.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.

 

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