Roksana Akhter was born into poverty and without land in Charikata village, Jaintapur Upazila, Sylhet District, in Bangladesh. She is the daughter of Azizur Rahman and has three sisters and one brother, all pursuing education. However, her father’s income, primarily from working on others’ land, must be increased to cover household and educational expenses.

The family face financial difficulties and, on some days, can only afford two rice meals; on others, they go without food.

After completing her Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Roksana tried to find employment but needed to gain the necessary skills. Determined to contribute to her family’s income, she wanted to have computer skills. She could not find a suitable place to learn but heard about the training provided by the Centre for Mass Education in Science (CMES) in the Jaintapur Unit.

Roksana successfully completed the computer course in November 2023. She also attended training that included human rights, sexual and reproductive health, political participation, legislation protecting women’s rights, empowerment, and public health care services.

CMES also connected Roksana with Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS), a national NGO, where she is now an online data entry clerk. She earns a monthly income of 8,000 Taka and juggles work and further studies, but she is happy as she is contributing to her family’s livelihood. Roksana is optimistic that as her skills improve, her salary will increase, and she dreams of achieving independence so she can support her family and father.

Grateful for the opportunity, Roksana attributes her newfound skills to CMES and the support of the Commonwealth of Learning’s Empowering Women and Girls project, with funding from Global Affairs Canada. Learning computer skills under the guidance of trainer Shuiebur Rahman brought joy to her father’s face, expressing eternal gratitude to the organisation for their support.