The following is a true story from our friends in Bangladesh. We are humbled and honored to serve with them and their focus on the needs of oppressed women and girls. This year WiW will serve hundreds of women like Anika because together, we believe that when a woman is reached, a home is touched, and a community is transformed.
STAY TUNED for more stories from Bangladesh throughout the month of April…
“My family lives very close together, in the same village and even in the same home area. Every day, my grandmother cooked food for my father. But my mother was often left out. My father ate his meal, and he did not notice that my mother had not been given any food.
This made my mother very sad. I could see her crying, and it hurt my heart. I did not understand why the people who should care for her were not being kind.
As her daughter, and a younger woman, I felt many feelings—sadness, anger, and confusion. I was upset with my father and my grandmother, because their actions were hurting my mother and our family.
In my community, girls and women are sometimes treated as less important than boys and men. I had seen this before, but I never thought it would happen in my own family. When it did, my heart felt very heavy.
Holding on to these angry feelings made me feel worse. I felt tired inside and unhappy, and I didn’t know how to make things better. Honestly, sometimes I didn’t even want to live.
One day, a neighbor invited me to a training with Women in the Window International. Something inside me said I should go…”
“At the training, I learned an important lesson: forgiveness can heal our hearts. I learned that if I wanted to help my mother and bring change, I had to let go of my anger. If I did not, the hurt would only grow inside me. Here I learned to forgive those who have deeply hurt us.
Now, I am learning to pray—for peace, healing, and a forgiving heart. What I have learned, I want to share with other women and girls in my village, so they can also find strength and hope. I am eager to attend the next training that focuses on health and nutrition, and to continue to learn about the God of the Bible, and Jesus our Savior, who died to give us life. And who lives forever to offer forgiveness to all who ask!”
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:32
