Shibu's Darkness, His Son's Light: A Dalit Family's Journey from Struggle to Resilience
In Kharikhali village of Jhenaidah Sadar upazila lives Shibu Kumar Das, a 55-year-old blind man who has spent his life at the margins of society, carrying the double burden of poverty and social exclusion. Shibu belongs to the Dalit community, one of the most historically disadvantaged groups in Bangladesh. Families live in fragile huts, earn a living through low-paid, stigmatised work such as shoe-sewing, and face hunger, illiteracy and discrimination.
Shibu lives with his wife and his youngest son, who is just 17. Of his four sons, one was born deaf and unable to speak, and two others married and moved away. The youngest, though still a teenager, became the family's lifeline by trading raw materials in the local bazaar. On some days the family eats three meals; on others, Shibu and his wife go without. They own no land, and their small hut barely protects them from rain and storms. Their daughters were married off early, before they could finish school, not out of neglect but out of necessity.
Seeds of resilience
Yet amid the hardship, change is beginning. Young people in Shibu's village are daring to dream beyond traditional occupations. Through youth networks and local development initiatives, they are pooling their skills, sharing knowledge and finding new ways to earn.
For Shibu's youngest son, this has meant hope. Through community networks he learned how to grow his small trade, save money and manage his profits. Neighbours who once had nothing to offer now share information, organise community dialogues and push for children's education. As one community elder put it: “Earlier we thought poverty was our fate, but now we see that with small steps, working together, saving together and supporting each other, we can bring change, even if slowly.”
A call for partnership
Shibu's story brings together many challenges: disability, caste-based discrimination, poverty, food insecurity and child labour. It also shows how resilience grows when a community finds strength in solidarity. Supporting families like his means investing in lasting change: education so that Dalit children are not married off early, skills for young people so they can find dignified work, healthcare so that a disability is not a life sentence of dependency, and community-based programs that help marginalised groups face crises together.
Shibu cannot see the world, but his youngest son's efforts allow the family to dream of tomorrow. Their journey from despair to resilience is where the true story of impact lies.
