Raju Roy is one of the six siblings who lives at New Jummapara Sweeper Colony in Rangpur district. His father Mohabir Roy works as a sweeper under Rangpur City Corporation and his mother is bed-ridden due to mental illness. Mohabir is the only breadwinner of the family consisting of ten members, along with Raju’s grandparents. The family bears enormous sufferings due to poverty, lack of health care services and access to basic needs such as clean water, electricity, gas, etc. Excluding everything else, on a particular day when Raju’s family had enough food for the family, that was their contentment. As Raju and his siblings were growing under the threat of illiteracy, a Community Mobilizer from UCEP Bangladesh extended support towards them. Raju being the eldest among them got enrolled in the UCEP-Rangpur Pourasava New Jummapara School, which is now known as KIK UCEP Rangpur City Corporation School. After completing his General Education (Grade VIII), he progressed further in quest for a Graduation degree. Raju has been a trailblazer in his community being the only person to complete Graduation. Currently, he is eyeing on acquiring a Masters’ degree and getting a decent job. Besides his studies, Raju is relentlessly working to provide education to the small children in his community for free. According to Raju, “UCEP Bangladesh helped me to get educated without a penny. There is a taboo in our community that parents do not offer their children education due to poverty. I want to establish the model of free education among the children here and want to spread the vision that UCEP Bangladesh aspired me to see.”
Raju Roy: Comes from a socially excluded community, dreams of a new horizon
