Monalisa is a young girl from the village of Uttar Desibai in Bangladesh. She comes from a family of six. While Monalisa was in seventh grade, her father became seriously ill due to high blood pressure. As the family’s sole breadwinner, his illness caused severe financial hardship. Her elder brother struggled to bear the burden of medical expenses, household needs, and education costs, while her mother faced immense challenges managing the household.
In 2021, when Monalisa was in the ninth grade, her parents arranged her marriage to an older man from a neighboring village, hoping it would ease their financial strain. Monalisa, frightened by the age difference, entered the marriage reluctantly. Within three months, the marriage ended in divorce, and she returned to her parents’ home, where she began assisting in her father's care and supporting her mother with daily chores.
Despite the difficulties, her younger siblings continued their education. However, her mother's health began to deteriorate under the stress of managing the family and financing the children’s studies, while her father remained ill for nearly five years.
During this challenging period, Monalisa completed her secondary school examinations. She came across the Center for Mass Education in Science (CMES), which offered free training in areas such as dressmaking, tailoring, computer skills, and vermicomposting. Recognizing an opportunity, she informed her mother and enrolled in the CMES – Empowering Women and Girls Project to receive computer training.
Monalisa was admitted to the program and completed three months of training in computer skills. Alongside technical lessons, she attended bi-weekly awareness sessions covering topics such as gender discrimination, property rights, women’s and human rights, and reproductive health and rights.
Determined to support her family, Monalisa sought employment using her newly acquired skills. She became proficient in data entry, MS Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Publisher. With the support of her computer teacher, she secured her first job at a large computer shop in Jaldhaka. Through an agreement between the shop and CMES, she began working with a monthly salary of 6,000 taka.
At the shop, Monalisa handled tasks such as online job applications, birth registrations, and CV creation. Her employer was impressed with her performance. Thanks to this income, she has been able to contribute to her younger siblings’ education and has become self-reliant. Monalisa credits the CMES – Empowering Women and Girls Project for giving her the skills and confidence to succeed, and she remains deeply grateful for the opportunity.
