Mosammat Sharvanu, rescued after three days, had lost all hope of survival when buried under the rubble of Rana Plaza.

When asked to revisit the memory of the first day the tragedy occurred, she shares her full recollection of the incident, "The day before Rana Plaza collapsed, they sent us home from the factory, in the early morning and asked us to come back in the afternoon to work since the electricity had been shut down. Once we returned to work later that day, the power was still out, so we were turned away, and instructed to return early the next morning for duty. 

The following morning, there was a lot of gossip and chatter before we went into the building. We knew there were some problems in the building. Many of us refused to go inside but the managers said, "Today's the 25th, if you do not go inside— you will not receive payment for the month." Left with no choice, we went inside and sat down, slowly starting the day of work. 

Very soon, the electricity went out, and then there was a shake, and I fell down next to my workstation. After a while, I realized the roof, which had been above my head, was now on top of me. Five or fix colleagues were nearby—everyone was crying and wailing for their family, and for their lives— a chorus of people pleading and making promises to God. They said if they survive, they will pray every day and will not work in garments. I could not move from where I was, and soon lost consciousness. 

After a few hours, I woke up to realize my throat was heavily parched. I began to pray to God to give me some water, something to keep me alive-- then I felt liquid dripping down and slowly I started licking it. It was only once I tasted it did I realize it was my own blood streaming down from my head. I thought it was water, but it was my own blood that kept me alive."

She continues, "Inside, it was so dark, and we could not tell if it was daylight or nighttime. I remained there as I was, waiting and waiting, praying for my son to be alright since he too was working somewhere in the building. I had no clue if he was dead or alive."

After she was found and rescued three days later, Sharvanu was taken to the Dhaka Medical College hospital to receive treatment.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"We packed our bags, and left Dinajpur a few months before the collapse, to find a better life for ourselves in Dhaka. We are extremely poor, so we decided as a family, if we all work, we could earn some money to survive. I became a rickshaw puller, while my wife Sharvanu and eldest son Chancal took up jobs in the garments factories," shared Mominul Islam about the family's connection to Rana Plaza. On the day of the incident, hysteria engulfed him as he searched for his wife's body amongst the bodies rescued, as well as at the morgue. On the third day, he found a corpse of a woman who strikingly resembled his wife, and after her brothers also confirmed it must be her; the family claimed the body as theirs. They paid 20,000 takas to the local authorities to take the body for a proper burial.

As they were preparing to take the corpse away, ten minutes before leaving, Mominul received a phone call from the Dhaka Medical college hospital informing him of Sharvanu's whereabouts—she was in critical condition as she had been admitted at the hospital after being rescued earlier that day, but she was alive!

Mominul stood in shock and relief to know his wife was indeed alive. As soon as he had received news of the collapse, he had rushed to the site and screamed for his son and his wife. He recalls, "I shouted on top of my lungs: are you here? Can you hear me?" Two full days, he was surrounded by corpses and could not find her anywhere, until discovering the body of the woman who had resembled her. Upon receiving news about his wife, Mominul received the 20,000 takas back from the Savar police and left the corpse with the authorities so her rightful family members can retrieve her. He rushed to reunite with his wife in the hospital.Sharvanu had no hair, blood everywhere, stitches covering her face and body, and overall she was not at all recognizable. She had to undergo surgeries to remove shards from within her, as well as undergo a skull surgery. 

She received initial medical treatment to stabilize herself, but to this day, she struggles greatly with head injuries. During the interview, she could not speak for a long stretch of time as her head began to spin. She has a cane and her ovaries were cut off as they were infected. The trauma of the collapse has left a deep mark on their lives. Mominul has tried to help his wife receive the proper treatment she needs but every time he approaches someone, he is directed elsewhere, which has made them hopeless in her full recovery.

Mominul and Sharvanu have three sons, the eldest, who was also in Rana Plaza when it collapsed, the youngest baby, and a middle son who they cannot afford to take of due to costs, so he stays with extended family in the village.

Mominul sighs heavily, as he tells of the difficultly of living with the ghosts of the Rana Plaza collapse within his own household, as he witnesses the struggles of his family; left in a worse state now than they had been two years ago when they had started working at Rana Plaza.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mohammad Chancal, 14, started working at Rana Plaza when he was only twelve years old. Being tall for his age, he was perceived as older and given a job in the garments factory. On the day of the collapse, he, too was in the building with his mother, Sharvanu, but on a different floor. 

He was stuck under a heavy iron gate for three hours when attempting to evacuate. This incident has caused severe consequences on his physical and mental health today. He struggles with agonizing chest pain, as well as articulation of words, as he has developed a severe speech impediment after the collapse. 

Most importantly, the psychological post-trauma damages are what concerns his father the most. When asked to share his story, Chancal is shy and in slurred speech, he replies, "In the middle of the night, I jolt awake because I still feel the roof crashing over me." Nightmares have become all too common in Chancal's young life, as he cannot erase vivid memories of the horror of what he witnessed during the collapse.

Although he survived the incident, Chancal's life is filled with grief, as he is constantly scared and has received no psycho-training or therapy post-collapse. 

It is impossible for Chancal to find a job or go to school when he is mentally unwell. There was an incident his father shared about taking his son to the hospital but he did not want to go, because he felt the hospital will may crash on him. When his father went to retrieve an admission card at the hospital, Chancal left the building hurriedly.

Chancal now spends his days mostly at home, replaying the horrific incident ingrained into his subconscious memory.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"I don't need anything in my life—I just want my son to stay alive," Sharvanu prayed as she thought of her son, Chancal, a survivor of the Rana Plaza collapse. She reflects, "I took my son with me to work in garments so we have two incomes coming into the household. When I was trapped, all I thought of was my son, and wishing for his safety. I would not forgive myself if anything were to happen to him."

Both her and her son survived but the family still struggles to move on from the trauma and repercussions of the collapse. Sharvanu and Chancal cannot work, and are heavily burdened by medical, financial and mental constraints. 

Being a mother of three, Sharvanu has become disabled in many ways as she cannot fully stand up due to head rushes resulting from her skull surgery, after the collapse. Her greatest regret, she reflects, is how she is constantly fighting to survive herself that she is not able to fulfill her basic motherly tasks, such as picking up her young child. 

Chancal is witness to his parent's struggles. Seeing his mother in such a state, as well as his father who is conflicted between earning an income for the family's survival as well as taking care of Sharvanu, he feels helpless in the fate of his family's misfortune. When asked if he would want to work in the garment industry again, he answered, "Yes I would. We need to survive and feed our family. I must do any work I can find, and if this means going back to garments, I must do it."

The family is now left considering how to make ends meet, and most importantly, how to overcome the horrendous mark Rana Plaza has left on their lives. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"Originally, we came from Jamalpur, a coastal city, far from Dhaka. We moved to Savar with the dream of rebuilding our home, as it had been washed away by river erosion. We wanted to restart our lives, so we all took jobs in Rana Plaza." Mohammad Shahin, 23, along with his two brothers, his wife, middle brother's wife and a cousin, worked in different factories inside of Rana Plaza. On the day of the collapse, the six members of their family dwindled, as they never found the body of their youngest brother, Mohammad Belal Hossain. 

How can a family grieve and move on, when a crucial part of them is still missing?

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

“If we could have found his dead body, we would have been able to bury him,” said Mohammad Chan Mia, the father of Mohammad Belal Hossain, whose dead body was never found amongst the rubble of Rana Plaza.

Belal’s mother, Mosammat Shahana, broken and hysterically crying while remembering the news of her missing son, remains weakened by his absence. While wiping tears from her forlorn eyes, she says, “We gave our entire family to Rana, but now only a remnant of it remains, as my youngest son never came home.”

Parents, devastated by their misfortune, seek answers from authorities for why their youngest son’s body remains missing. Belal’s father spent 20 days in a makeshift morgue to try to find his dead son’s body—but to no avail. 

After the building had collapsed, and Mohammad Shahin, Belal’s oldest brother, found his wife and his brother Mohammad Dulal along with his wife as well, but they could not locate Belal anywhere. 

Mosammat Rani Akhter, Shahin’s wife, says, “I did not face too many problems when the accident happened. I was a bit suffocated but I somehow managed to leave by 9:20AM. After I was outside, I noticed my younger brother in law was not there.”

After painstakingly searching for days, their family could not find Belal. They did not attend to their wounds, or admit themselves into hospitals, because they continued to search for him everywhere. Mohammad Dulal talks about this incident, “I was not okay. I was having trouble with my eye sight and other parts of my body, but at that point, searching for my brother was more important than my own condition. So I kept searching for him, and did not get admitted to the hospital. So, at the end, everyone that was enrolled in the hospitals received 1 lakh taka for compensation, but we did not get any money or government benefits since we were not admitted. We received a small payment from bKash, and our due salary only.”

Now, two years later, the family still remains heavily disheartened by young Belal’s disappearance. 

Understandably, Mohammad Chan Mia and Mosammat Shahana, cannot overcome the pain of losing a son who went missing, and passed away too early, without any answers. 

When asked about what can improve their situation, their eldest son shares their dream of moving back to their village in Jamalpur, to build a house there. They would like monetary aid from the government, so they can continue with their lives, and move away from the city which corrupted their dreams, and their fate.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mohammad Dulal unknowingly saved two lives on the day of the collapse. His wife, Mosammat Moyna Akhter, also worked in a factory in Rana Plaza, but he forbade her from going to work that day as she was seven-months pregnant. 

“The day of the collapse, we were supposed to get our salary, but my husband told me not to go, as he would be going there. But I tried convincing him that we would get our payment, so I must, but he insisted that I stay at home due to my condition. My father in law and mother in law also insisted that I do not go to work that day. So finally, I did not go. I told my husband, “Since I won’t be going, you should not go either,” but he told me, “you are sick so you do not need to go but I need to go today,”; when my husband left for work, I went to my in-law’s house, and after a while, my husband called to tell me that Rana Plaza had collapsed,” recalled Mosammat Moyna Akhter. 

Due to his love, care, affection, and some may say premonition, Dulal saved the lives of both his wife and their unborn daughter. He went to work himself because if he did not, he would not be paid, and it was the end of the month and they needed the money. 

Reflecting back to their stroke of luck, they are grateful to be alive now. But their life is hard, as the couple struggles to make ends meet, and feed their child.

For the future for himself and his family, Mohammad Dulal says, “Our demand to the government is that we were victims of Rana Plaza, and one of our brothers is still missing. If we can find his body somehow, we can return to our village, because all of our family members are unemployed here. We would have returned to our village early if we had any property but unfortunately, our village is next to the Brahmaputra River, and we do not have any land where we can build a new house. If we want to build a house now, it will cost us a minimum amount of 8-10 lakhs, but we cannot afford that much money to buy land. I am still waiting to find my younger brother. We don’t want to stay in Dhaka any longer. We are living in a three-room house and it costs us 6,000 takas every month. It is very tough for us to pay rent along with our food costs, and costs needed to take care of our children. If I had a job, I would e able to pay all these costs, but whenever I think of taking a job somewhere similar to Rana Plaza, I am scared thinking about the possibility of a power failure, and the building collapsing. That’s why I do not want to take a new job here. Also, I am unable to work because of my eye condition. I do not want to work in garments sector anymore. Our only demand is for the government to give us some donations so we can go back to our village, and get some land to build a house.”

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mohammad Shahin, a survivor of the Rana Plaza collapse, says, “My baby brother went missing and now I cannot work. My parents do not want another son of theirs to go missing if we work in garments again, and the building collapses. They are already suffering very much due to the loss of their youngest son. If I take a job now, and then any accident happens then everything will go back to the same. Now my parents are able to see their children in front of them but perhaps the Rana Plaza incident can happen again, and they will be unable to bear that. We demand that our government gives us some compensation considering our situation. It is difficult for us to survive.”

Moving forward, Mohammad Shahin’s family seeks assistance to take care of their medical wounds, and psychological help, after facing such trauma. Although they have yet to receive answers about their youngest brother, Belal’s disappearance, they would like to move away from Savar and start life anew in their original village in Jamalpur, a coastal city, outside of Dhaka.

Mohammad Dulal, brother of Mohammad Shahin, says, “If someone goes to our village on behalf of the government, they will find that all of our land was lost due to riverbank erosion. Now, we do not even have the ability to build a single room. After we lost the last, we had migrated to Savar.”

Mohammad Shahin, and his family still struggles with their psychological and physical wounds which remain untreated. Since they were concerned with searching for their youngest brother’s body, they never received the medical attention they needed after the collapse happened. They are living on the edge, day by day, and only survive due to some compensation they received from humanitarian aid organizations. Shahin’s wife, Rani, talks about how difficult it is for her to work now due to neck injuries incurred during the accident. She did not get medical treatment and cannot afford it now. She is traumatized, and she cannot work as she is afraid if she works in garments, there will be an accident again. Also, she cannot go back to work because she has to take care of their child. Both she and her husband are seeking a light amongst the darkness which still engulfs their lives.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mohammad Ashraful Islam Sujon Mia came from Lalmonirhaat to the big city of Savar hoping for a positive change in his life. Before starting work at Rana Plaza, he had previously worked for seven years in another garments factory. He was experienced, and capable, but never could he have imagined or prepared for the atrocity of the collapse which would disable him for life.

There were 6 days left to mark his 7-months anniversary at Rana Plaza. Being a hard worker, he would work overtime at the factory often for 13-15 hours a day / 7 days a week. He was earning 13500-15000tk - a substantial amount of money, all to feed his family. The day before the collapse, he had pleaded to not come in to work as there were rumors and collective fear of a crack in the building but his manager threatened them. Sujon Mia shares, "they told us if we didn’t go to work that day they won’t give us salary for that month though we worked 24 days for that month."

As soon as the building collapsed, Sujon Mia shares his memory, "I can’t remember anything after that moment. I only remember a steel rod pierced my hand and an elder brother was screaming that we need to cut that piece of rod."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

The collapse has left Sujon Mia completely disabled, and dependent on his wife. He cannot walk, nor can he properly sit. He is handicapped in many ways and suffers from constant aches. His wife, Rina Begum, has been a savior within his darkness. She quit her job the day Rana Plaza collapsed to take care of her husband for seven months. While trying to leave her work the day of the collapse, another garments factory in Savar, her supervisor attempted to stop her but she replied to him, "I won’t do this job. If my husband is alive then I can do any job I like. His safety is my highest priority."  

One of the greatest misfortunes is all their dreams that have shattered along with the collapse. She shares, "I had dreams that my children are going to be educated but now we don’t have enough money to manage our living expenses properly, so I don’t know how I am going to hold onto those dreams. If we were to receive money from somewhere, we could start a business properly, and then we could think of giving our children a proper life. We have to spend minimum 3000 takas for my daughter's education. I don’t know how we will raise our children properly."

Evidently she is glad to have her husband alive, no matter the physical condition he is in, and she is hopeful things will be better as long as they are together, but she knows they need help from outer resources in order to ignite the flames of her dreams once again. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Sujon Mia lost consciousness, but was luckily rescued and taken to Enam Medical College in Savar. When asked about his physical state in those few months after the collapse, he replies, "My forehead was completely smashed; my hands were broken at two places, my kneecap was broken. Three steel rods had pierced my right hand, and although they pulled out two rods, one is still there. My left leg was completely smashed. I can’t move that leg. Actually my whole body was bruised. When I was admitted to CRP they gave me medicine and started giving me therapy every single day for the next 3-4 months. After those few months, they told me that now I can reduce therapy from everyday to two days a week. So I started going there for therapy for two days a week for 30 minutes. But 30 minutes is not good enough. To heal faster I needed more. You can see that my left leg is completely swollen. It still aches. Wherever I touch it, it aches."

Dealing with his disability everyday has really stifled his ability to provide for his family. Luckily, his wife, Rina Begum, who he fell in love with when first meeting her, is understanding and caring. Through his family's support,  Sujon Mia is able to laugh, enjoy the small moments in his life, and hopes to continue to work actively towards a brighter future.

"When we arrived at Rana Plaza on the day of the accident, our factory supervisor told us that if we don’t work that day, they will make a list of the people who didn’t go and then they would not give salary to them no matter how much they plead. After hearing this I went upstairs, and started working on the machine. At that moment the electricity went out and they started the generator. After a moment there was a devastating sound and everyone started running randomly. I saw that the stairs were full of people. There was no space. So I stood by the window. At that moment the building collapsed," recalls Sujon Mia.

He lost consciousness, but was luckily rescued and taken to Enam Medical College in Savar. 

When asked about his physical state in those few months after the collapse, he replies, "My forehead was completely smashed; my hands were broken at two places, my kneecap was broken. Three steel rods had pierced my right hand, and although they pulled out two rods, one is still there. My left leg was completely smashed. I can’t move that leg. Actually my whole body was bruised. When I was admitted to CRP they gave me medicine and started giving me therapy every single day for the next 3-4 months. After those few months, they told me that now I can reduce therapy from everyday to two days a week. So I started going there for therapy for two days a week for 30 minutes. But 30 minutes is not good enough. To heal faster I needed more. You can see that my left leg is completely swollen. It still aches. Wherever I touch it, it aches."

Dealing with his disability everyday has really stifled his ability to provide for his family.

When asked about the difference in his life before the collapse and after, he responds thoughtfully, "I had an organized life before. I did my job, received a fixed salary, managed my family and sent money for my parents. My life was secure and happy. My wife and I had planned to deposit 2000 takas every month. Also, I would send 3000/4000 takas for my parents and my siblings. As I am the eldest among them, my responsibilities were more. My life was great before the Rana Plaza incident. My wife and I earned 20 thousand takas per month, together. We earned 26000 takas during the month Rana Plaza collapsed. We had planned to lease some land in the village where we can grow some crops. Everything around me changed after the collapse. I can’t visit any of my relatives because I cannot even move properly. If I want to visit someone, I need a separate car and someone to help me move. I cannot move like a normal person anymore. When I walk, I have the pressure of my whole body on the crutch which is really tiring. Our life is really hectic these days."

Sujon Mia's disability has made him helpless in many ways— physically, financially, and emotionally. 

Luckily, his wife, Rina Begum, who he fell in love with when first meeting her, is understanding and caring. Through his family's support,  Sujon Mia is able to laugh, enjoy the small moments in being alive, and hopes to continue to work actively towards a brighter future.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

In the face of immense adversity, it is possible to survive if you have a support network which constantly helps you to get back on your feet. Luckily, Sujon Mia has received copious help from his family, his community, as well as strangers who understand his struggles. He recalls back to his recovery process, "To manage my expenditure for medicine and treatment, my dad sold a piece of land I owned in our village. Then he gave me some money to manage my family's living expenses. People around my neighborhood helped me by giving us money for buying medicine and nutritious food." 

He was still struggling immensely with medical expenses, but a stranger helped him when hearing his story. A woman from Uttara, who met him in Savar, gave him 50,000 takas for his treatment. 

Afterwards, he was able to continue his physical therapy sessions at the CRP. When feeling a bit stronger, as a result of the therapy, people at the CRP helped him to open his own small shop. 

He talks about this experience, "One day a person from CRP called to check if I can operate computer or machines. I said I couldn't. Then they asked if I can operate a shop. I told them I am unable to do anything because I can’t move at all, so they asked if I had any brother or someone who can help me to operate the shop. They mentioned that if I am interested in operating a grocery shop, I would be able to receive a training from CRP. So I received training for one month. After training I bought this shop. I had to pay 20 thousand takas in advance, and 1500 takas for monthly rent. Then people from CRP came to survey the shop and they told me that it was a nice place for setting up a store. A store located on the main road is always good. After their survey, they provided 50 thousand takas to buy inventory for my shop. Another lady gave me 20 thousand takas to manage my other living expenses. Given my ailments, I could not do it alone so I brought a young boy from the village to help me run the store. In the beginning, my store did not have all those products the customers wanted like different types of rice, soap, oil etc. since I did not have enough cash. But I thought to myself, owning this store is better than owning nothing."

Sujon Mia is now able to earn money for his family. Although he does not have the same stability as a salary from working at a garments factory, he is grateful to be able to provide for his wife and children. 

He smiles and says, "All day I am busy at my store. People from everywhere come to my shop & want many different items. Spending time at my shop, thinking about the future of my shop and my life keeps me quite busy. My parents and everyone around me are also happy about me setting up this shop as they were worried about my future."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"Her name was Rupa. I met her while working at Rana Plaza. I needed a helper so I asked my supervisor, and he brought her to assist me. 

After talking to her and working together, we started to feel something for each other. I did not realize when I started to love her. Our relationship was for 6 months. She was 15 years old. She came to work at the garments factory with the help of a fake ID. 

Some people came to her house to propose for marriage. When she told me it, I told her not to worry about that. Her family was thinking about her marriage, so we planned that we will get married before Ramadan during the summer.

But before it could happen, Rana Plaza collapsed. 

On the day of the Rana Plaza incident, I did not talk to her. I saw that she came to work and started working on a machine. After seeing that I started to work on my machine as well. 

The day after the accident, my friend called and informed me of her death. Then I called her sister’s number. She used to talk to me with her sister's phone. Her sister confirmed me that she is dead and they found her body." 

Raihan's greatest loss from the tragedy of Rana Plaza was not his physical disability, but the emotional boulder he faces from losing the love of his life.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Raihan Kabir, 24, was working in Rana Plaza for seven months before the collapse. He was the sole provider for his family, consisting of his parents and his sister, while working in Dhaka for 7.5 years in the garments industry. They are originally from Dinajpur, a relatively impoverished area of Bangladesh. 

On the day of the collapse, Raihan was stuck under a heavy machine that is used to sew jeans and pants. It fell down on his legs, and he was entrapped for 14.5 hours until he was finally rescued. Unfortunately, it was too late for him.  He was first taken to Dhaka's CMH (Combined Military Hospital) and then transferred to another hospital. 

Raihan describes the horrific tragedy, "My right leg was burning and aching a lot. It was completely smashed by the machine. Then they did the X-ray. After that they completed an operation. After the operation I thought I am okay now, and they would take me home. The day they did operation was the same day the accident happened. I was rescued at 12.30 AM, so it was almost 14.5 hours after the accident. I thought I was completely okay and they were going to take me home now. But when they took me out of the hospital, we passed by where my house is in Savar. I asked them where they were taking me, and they replied we are going to Dhaka Orthopedic Hospital (Dhaka Pangu Hospital). They kept me in the emergency ward. My leg was burning and aching so much that it was intolerable. I could not tell how long I was in the CMH, but then I saw from the Dhaka Pangu Hospital's clock that it was 5 AM. Again they took me to the operation theater. I can’t remember what happened to me during the next 4 days after that. I could not feel anything. I just saw that they were moving me around. I simply could not understand what they were actually doing to me. I overheard the doctor saying that my right leg had been infected and they could not keep the leg. My leg was aching so much that I could not tolerate it. I told them to amputate my right leg. I could not bear the pain any longer. It won’t be a problem. After another operation, I was feeling a bit better. My leg was not aching anymore. After the operation, since I was feeling a bit better, they moved me to CRP. The doctors had already amputated my right leg by this time, but I had a strange feeling as if I still have my leg. The area where my leg had been was itching, so when I tried to scratch it, I found out that my leg was not there anymore. I realized that they had actually cut my leg. I had to accept the fact that my right leg was gone."

The terrible, dire life decisions one has to make in difficult situations frightens Raihan. In order to survive, he had to amputate his leg, and now lives with the consequence everyday. 

He continues with his story, "when the accident happened, it was telecasted on the ATN Bangla channel. A company from Canada that produces false legs and exports to Bangladesh saw the coverage, and a lady contacted me. They wanted to provide a plastic leg for me. The lady is a great person. She still contacts me sometimes to know my condition. She was Bangladeshi but lives in Canada. They provided the transplant for my right leg 3.5 months after the accident. Before the transplant, I had to use a crutch to move everywhere. For showering or other purpose, I needed help from other people.  I went to the hospital before they provided the transplant for my leg. At first I was at Dhaka Pangu Hospital then they moved me to Savar CRP. Then I went to Handle Light, the company which produces prosthetic legs. They told me a plastic leg was available, and first I should go to receive training in Mohammadpur. I went there, and stayed for one month to receive the training. Afterwards, they transplanted a plastic leg. I went back to my home after that. After the incident happened, I informed my family that I was in Pangu hospital. My family members (mother, father, and sibling) came to see me at 8 am on the day after the accident. Before the accident I lived in Dhaka but now I live in my village."

Having to sacrifice all his dreams of living in Dhaka, and earning a good livelihood for his family, Raihan lost it all after the collapse. He shares, "Losing my leg was a big accident for me. That moment when the Rana Plaza building collapsed, all my dreams shattered at the same moment. I am scared to dream now because I keep worrying what is going to happen next." 

Due to his unforeseen fate, Raihan now lives with nightmares of the collapse. His dreams are replaced by paranoia and fear, as he does not feel he can ever regain the self-autonomy and confidence he once had. Due to his stifling disability, his dreams, too, have become plastic. 

The only photographic memory Raihan and Rupa have together is their one and only date. Raihan recalls, "That was our first and last meet. It was the 8th of April. We went to a shop to eat 'fuchka' (street snack). No one knew we went there together. It was secretive. Then we went to visit the National Memorial in Savar. Inside the grounds, we walked around for a bit, then sat together and ate more snacks. Afterwards, I took her home. She did not have her own personal phone, so we could not talk on the phone daily. But when she came to work at the factory, we would always talk there."

He remembers this fond memory, but coincidently has a heavy heart while remembering her. He feels cursed by his imminent unlucky fate. He was supposed to marry Rupa that summer, in a few short months. How could she be gone?

Raihan shares with choked emotions, "If I had gone towards her, then maybe I could have saved her. I still remember her every day. I always have her picture with me. When I see her picture, I feel good.

And sometimes when I cry, it eases my pain."

He knows there is nothing he can do now, but live with the reality of the love he lost. He remembers, "We had made plans for getting married. We planned one step at a time and how we would move forward with our future. Our first plan was to get married. What happen after marriage, we thought we will think about later. Her family was pressurizing her because of me. Once, she did not eat for 2 to 3 days because they beat her. It was tough for her to go out out of her house when I asked her to come with me on a date."

Risking her family's disapproval, Rupa went to see Raihan. They spent a beautiful day together, which he will forever cherish. 

After the collapse, Raihan cannot bear to keep in touch with her family, as he feels the ghost of her presence in his life more if he remains connected to them. 

He reflects, "Her family went back to her village. I still have her number but I do not contact them. Sometimes I call her number but of course, the call does not go through. Whenever I see the number I dialed, I remember her and how we talked secretly, on this same number. 

I heard how she died. She died because of a head injury. The roof collapsed on her head and she was badly hurt. 

Still I do not know why I did not run back inside when the building was collapsing but instead I ran towards the front. If I had gone to her, then perhaps I could have saved her life. I cannot help but regret why I did not run back inside, to protect her. 

I still feel so strongly for her. 

I miss her a lot."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"When the building collapsed, I screamed and called his name, "Raihan bhai! Is that you?" He also called my name and asked, "Rozina apa, is that you I hear?" He told me that a heavy machine had fallen on his leg and he cannot move. He asked me to call someone for help. But how I could help? I was also stuck there. 

No one came to help us. There was a mechanic nearby whom we asked for help. But he did not care about us. He told us to hold onto his leg and he will try to move us out by pulling us along with him. But he did not even offer us his hand so that we could move. The mechanic was in good condition. He moved out thirty minutes after the building collapsed. But he did not help anyone else stuck there too," shares Rozina, who remained buried under machinery for 14 hours, along with Raihan Kabir. They were talking but unable to see one another.

She continues, "There was a lady with us who was pregnant and she was suffering a lot as a machine had fallen on her legs as well. I do not see her anymore. I had only met her twice since the incident, at the CRP. Since I don’t move anywhere anymore, I cannot go to meet people.

When the building collapsed completely and the ground stopped shaking, I asked Raihan bhai about his condition. He told me that he could not move the heavy machine that had fallen on his leg. I told him I was trapped too as a pillar had fallen on my waist. I screamed a lot for help but no one even listened. I wanted water but someone handed me an empty water bottle in my hand."

Luckily, after 14 hours, both Raihan and Rozina survived.

Raihan reflects on all the negative effects the Rana Plaza collapse has had on his life, and angrily states: 

"The owners of garments industries should ensure that an incident like Rana Plaza should never happen again. So no one will have to mourn and cry like the workers from Rana Plaza and their parents.

The people who are illiterate or less privileged do not get any job except in the garments sector. They cannot afford to invest money to have a better job. But in the garments factories, these people can get a job without paying any money. They are earning enough money per month for their living costs and food.

Garments is a big sector for jobs. Because of the garments industry, people from other countries know the name of Bangladesh. The owner of the garments factory only built it but he does not do any work. We are operating the machine through our sweat and blood, while making the clothes. By our hard labor, they are earning money.

Our economy is highly dependent on the garments sector. Through this sector, the international market knows the name of our country. Garments sector is ahead compared to all the sectors.

The clothes from our country go to Japan, Australia, Netherlands, China, India and many more places. Bangladeshi clothes are being exported everywhere. We sew the clothes but we do not know the price at which they are being sold. 

Sometimes foreign buyers would come to the factory and check how we were making the clothes before placing the order, but they never receive the full truth."

Raihan Kabir is a brave soul for being outspoken and critical of the industry in which he lost a large part of himself, both physically and emotionally; these deep parts of him that can never be regained.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"Sometimes when I am sleeping I recall the day of the accident and I wake up screaming. I jolt awake from my sleep suddenly because in my dream I see the building is collapsing but when I open my eyes, I can see everything is okay. I am especially scared to go near any buildings or to enter them. I cannot help but think that maybe this building will collapse too," shares Raihan about his trauma after losing so many loved ones in Rana Plaza.

"Before the Rana Plaza incident, my life was enjoyable—spending time with my friends and earning money for my family, but now after the incident, my life became completely different. I feel weak and everyone thinks of me as a weak person. Before the incident everyone gave me work. But now I can’t get any work because I can’t operate any machine, I can’t climb stairs, and I can’t move like the other workers," says Raihan.

He has always been a hard worker, as he worked two jobs, in garments and as a rickshaw puller on weekends, to support his ill father's treatment and their family's living expenses. His life was full of purpose and meaning prior to the collapse. He had great friends, his family lived with him in Savar, and he felt wholly fulfilled despite being poor. Now, he feels truly stifled by the unfair turn of events in his life.

He shares more about his family and life before the collapse, "My family lived in Dinajpur. I took a job at a multipurpose company in Dhaka in 2006. After working at that company for 1/1.5 month I moved my family from Dinajpur to Dhaka. I worked with the company part time and during my off days I worked as a rickshaw puller. Through this, I tried to earn enough for my family. I lived with my family in the Shimultola neighborhood of Savar. My dad was paralyzed. If he worked at all, he would get sick. That is why I didn’t let him work. The little money he would have earned was less than his treatment bills. My sister was studying when my family lived in village, but when we moved to Savar, my earning was only 3000 takas. It was tough to even buy food, so she had to stop studying due to the money crisis. My sister stayed at home. My mother tried to work outside and after some time, she got a job as a service worker (bua) in garments. My mother worked as a service worker, and I worked part time at the multipurpose company, but it was difficult for her since she was old. So when I started working at garments I didn’t let her do the job anymore. I started working at a garments factory after working 6 months with the multipurpose company. I worked there full-time and during off days, I took on side jobs. Gradually my condition was getting better. When I first started working there I received 4800-5000 takas salary. During weekend I worked as a rickshaw puller. So compiling that money I tried to earn living for my family. I started working at Rana Plaza seven months before the accident as a sewing operator. My salary was 5100 takas there. With overtime I earned 8000 takas in total. They paid properly on time. After the incident happened, I moved back to my village because I had to pay rent if I stayed in Dhaka. When I moved back to village I got some help from neighbors. From their help, I tried to make a way of living for us by setting up a shop. If I get a good job in Dhaka again, then I would move back there. My whole family depends on me and we cannot live on people’s donations all our lives. If I can have a good job then I would manage to fully support my family again."

In terms of how Raihan and his family have managed to survive since the collapse two years ago, he has received compensation from various entities. It helps temporarily, but it is not enough to sustain themselves long-term. He also had to spend a lot of money on medical treatment for his injuries. He speaks further about the help he received, "I received a savings certificate of 10 lakh taka from our Prime Minister's fund and also 3/3.5 lakh taka in cash from donations from various organizations. From the bKash fund, I received 75000 takas. I have a letter saying that I am supposed to receive a 10 lakh takas saving certificate and from bKash, another 50 thousand takas. On 23rd April of 2014, they gave the 50 thousand takas donation but I didn’t receive it. After complaining, then they transferred the money to my Dutch Bangla account. I don’t have any work now but I have to feed my family too, with this money."

It has been difficult for him to find a job while being handicapped, but he is trying his best to make ends meet. With a portion of the compensation he has received, he has set up a small shop in his village. 

"I have started a small shop in Dinajpur. Now I am operating the shop. It’s a grocery shop which sells daily rations. This shop is a way for time to pass. I meet lots of people every day through the shop. When I sit idly, the incident of Rana Plaza haunts me. So it is better that I sit at the shop, and people come to talk with me so I can forget about the incident," shares Raihan. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Rozina Akhter, 30, originally from Manikganj, was stuck under a beam during the Rana Plaza incident. The beam fell down on her waist and she fainted. After some time, she woke up to notice she could not move. She did not realize then this would be the turning point for her life, as she will have difficulties doing anything with the same ease as she once had before.

She vividly remembers the day of the collapse: "When Rana Plaza started collapsing, I saw that everyone was coming running here and there. Then I saw the bricks of the building started falling. So I did not move. I just stayed at the same place and started screaming. After a while I could not remember where I was or how I ended up there. Sometime after, I started vomiting and my clothes were spoiled. Then my senses returned and I started to feel that my whole body is aching, blood is spilling and I realized I was under a pillar."

She shares, "Before the Rana Plaza accident, I earned my own money and lived my life in my own way. But now I am stuck at home as a handicapped person. I cannot do anything without the help of another person. Before, I had a good life, I did my work on my own, I earned money and I took care of everything but now I cannot function alone. I need help from my mom and sister in every single thing I do—even household chores. If I want to carry a heavy bag with  groceries, I cannot even do that.   I have to ask help from my husband. I feel really bad about this. Sometimes I feel like dying rather than living this life of constantly taking help from people."

Although she is handicapped now and struggles to complete small daily tasks, she tries to do as much as she can, from cooking meals for her family to getting her daughter ready for school in the mornings. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

When Rana Plaza toppled over, Rozina Akhter felt all her dreams have fallen as well. The reason for such sentiment, she explains, "Now I am stuck at home and I cannot give anything to my daughter. When my daughter wants something I cannot buy it for her because I do not have any money. So it is very painful for me in my situation."

Rozina Akhter and her husband Saju Talukdar have a 5 years old daughter, Sanjida Akhter Lamia. They both work tirelessly to give her a comfortable life, and provide an opportunity for her to gain the highest level of education so she never has to go into difficult laborious work as her parents have had to do.

Rozina shares, "My dream is if the government gives us any assistance, then I could expand my small shop's business, in order to properly raise my daughter. I can never be pregnant again because of my physical condition and disability. So I have to raise my daughter carefully. My dream is to give her the highest education since I could not study when I was young myself. I will try my best to give my daughter the best life. My only dream is that."

Saju Talukdar chips in, "My daughter is still a kid. She is going to nursery now. After Rana Plaza incident I requested the BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufactures & Exporters Association) to help her to go to school. I requested that when she becomes 6 years old, they will not take school fees anymore so then we will not have to worry about her education. We will know our daughter will receive free education and have an opportunity to succeed despite if we are struggling to make ends meet. Like other parents, we also have a dream to give our daughter a good education and a bright future."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"Having a job is important for a person and his family. Our condition will never be as great as it was before. Previously my wife and I both worked and earned 18-20 thousand takas per month. But now my income has decreased to only 6 thousand per month. So it is really hard for me to manage my family expenses with this small amount of money. Compared to our previous situation, we are not in good shape," reflects Saju Talukdar, Rozina's husband. 

The garments industry is the only real substantial source of income for many who cannot afford a good education in Bangladesh. Rozina shares, "For poor people, working in garments is the only way. For girls, no other job choices are left except the garments industry. Most of us do not have money to apply for jobs outside of the country. Also, people say terrible things about girls who work abroad. Girls who work in garments hear these rumors as well, but at least we work hard and earn money on our own."

Saju agrees and adds, "Garments sector is a huge working sector for women in our country. She can easily earn 4 to 5 thousand takas per month, which is helpful for running a family. The garments sector is important for the Bangladeshi economy. Since many people are unemployed, when new garment factories open, lots of people have jobs. If these industries develop further, then everyone will find jobs and be able to take care of their family."

Unfortunately safety regulations in the garments industry do not exist yet. There is no sense of accountability, even in terms of compensation. Rozina expresses her frustrations, "The government is not helping us with anything. I do not know what is going to happen. There was financial assistance that came for the purpose of helping us but they did not actually give us any help; instead some people took the money selfishly and became rich. They did not give us anything. Money that came into the government fund stayed in their own fund. Some people who tried to assist us after the situation took the money which came for our aid. People who were supposed to help us stole our money. The government is not paying any heed to our situation after this huge accident, eventhough they should take care of us."

With all these thoughts in mind, the incident of Rana Plaza, as well as how the situation has been handled afterwards, has stifled the couple's own desires to ever work in garments again. But both Rozina and Saju acknowledge the industry is booming in Bangladesh. Alongside the developments, they feel safer regulations and better working conditions must be implemented, in order to increase transparency and prevent future atrocities.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Saju Talukdar, husband of Rozina Akhter, is quite familiar with the garments industry as he has worked in it himself for 11 years. He was at Bishwas garments for 7 years, 3 years at Dark garments, and in between those, he had spent a year working at Rana Plaza, long before the collapse. About his opinion of the industry he states, "Garments is a good workplace for people in my view. When both husband and wife work in garments, they can properly run their family with their earnings. But because of many garments’ poor working environment, the garments sector as a whole is earning a bad name."

His wife's disabled condition today is a true attestation to his claim. 

He shares, "After the Rana Plaza incident, I left my job. Now I am running a shop and earning my living this way. I do not work in garments because after that incident, I am scared. Also, my wife needs my help. I can assist my wife and make a livelihood from the small shop we set up. I do not want to work in the garments sector anymore. I have to be with my wife at all times.

Since my wife’s leg is injured, I have to help her when she washes clothes or does household chores. When we go outside, I always hold her hand and take care of her. Now I have to help her with everything. She is easily frightened in doing something alone. Before Rana Plaza incident, all of us were physically and mentally healthy. But now, the situation is not the same anymore."

Rozina Akhter's husband is her lifelong partner and will remain as her crutch for as long as she needs him to be. They met when working in a garments factory together. Saju Talukdar shares, "I worked in the finishing department and she worked in the sewing department. We worked together on the same floor for 2 years and during that time, we were in a relationship. Then we decided to get married. I sent a proposal to her parents’ house and then we were married in 2006. Both of us worked at Bishwas group. From 2003 till now, we are together. We worked together and now we are running our household together. We have stayed together since knowing each other." Saju Talukdar clearly adores his wife, and is very supportive till today.

He concludes, "I am never irritated or angry with my wife. She did not have any faults during this accident. Now she is helpless and I must help her. This accident could have happened to me as well since I worked in garments too. When I place myself in her shoes, I do not feel bad at all. I understand her situation and I feel good being able to help her in any way I can."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Rozina Begum, another survivor of the Rana Plaza collapse, lost her entire left hand during the collapse. She had to saw it off herself, while stuck under a beam.

Her husband, Mohammad Saidul Islam, describes the horrific incident: "When she was stuck in Rana Plaza, her body was trapped under a beam. Many doctors went to her but could not cut her hand so she could not come out. Then they gave her a hack saw and she had to amputate her hand on her own. But a little bit of bone from the arm was attached to her body and at that moment, she became weak. A few rescue volunteers went to her and finally released her after tiring efforts. Afterwards, she was taken to the hospital and her treatment started. 

She was stuck at Rana Plaza for 3 days. She came out from the building on April 27, 2013 at 12:15pm. They took her to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) first, then to Dhaka Medical and finally to Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP). She had 3 operations in total. We were at Dhaka Medical for 31 days and then at CRP for 86 days."

Even till today, Rozina must receive physical therapy for the hand she lost. Her husband continues, "She has to take therapy everyday from Enam Medical which costs 500 takas daily, but we do not have enough money to afford the therapy sessions."

Since Rozina's left hand is amputated, she cannot do any household work. So her husband must do all the work on her behalf. He commented that her condition was good a few months back but now her health is deteriorating. Day by day, she is becoming weak.

Handling a disability and high costs of ongoing treatment is extremely difficult for the couple but through their joint effort, they are trying their best to make it work. They are still in dire need of financial help for Rozina's therapy sessions.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Rozina Begum's baby was born by Caesarean operation, which created another entity of health problems for her. During her pregnancy, Rozina fell ill and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. 

Mohammad Saidul Islam shares about his wife's condition: "People are saying lots of things about how I should be careful when I am near her—that I should wear a mask otherwise I will be infected as well. But these things are not always possible. As we are living in the same family, I have to always be around her. I am stressed about her tuberculosis. She has to take medicine for this disease for the next six months consecutively. She also has to take a lot of medicine for other health issues so she becomes weak and her head spins. I am really worried about her. Her tuberculosis was checked 2 days ago, and it is getting worse."

The difficulties that come with disability and disease can only be understood by those who spend their everyday lives with the person who is sick. Rozina's husband continues about his wife's condition, "She can wear dresses on her own, but I have to help her to shower and to get her cleaned up. But she can eat on her own. Often with these daily tasks, it is me who assists her or her mother."

For them, every day is a struggle. He has to care for his wife as well as be a provider for his family. He says, "As we cannot afford her costs to stay at the hospital, we shifted her home. She cannot move her right hand because during Rana Plaza collapse, it was smashed. Her chest, arms and upper portion of her body are weak as well after the accident. Also, the drums of her ears were damaged. A metal rod bored through her thigh and the entire area was infected. They gave her copious amounts of medicine for that, and now she is improving. But she still cannot move that area much.

She cannot even carry our baby in her lap or arms."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Ismail Ferdous: “I took this picture 20 days after the Rana Plaza collapse in Savar, a suburb of Dhaka. I had been covering the event and aftermath for nearly three weeks. It was a very emotional moment for me when I saw tears rolling down the cheeks of killed and missing victims' family while praying for the 1,134 people who died in the garment building collapse. I had seen thousands of people crying around me over the past weeks but in that moment nobody could hold in their emotion and pain, for this was the last day (14 May 2013) of the painstaking search for bodies among the rubble in the worst tragedy in the history of the global garment industry.

It haunts me to this day. I covered the rescue mission for 15 hours a day for almost 3 weeks straight. A few months after the collapse when I went through these images, I had an emotional breakdown thinking about this day in particular."

The rescue operation was declared officially complete on the 20th day of the operation. At this point, a total of 3,565 people – dead and alive - had been pulled out of the rubble. The army, along with locals and fire brigade, had rescued 2,438 people.

On the 14th of May, 2013, the Bangladeshi army handed over rescue operation responsibility to the civil administration in Savar. 

On this final day, the death toll of the country’s deadliest industrial disaster stood at 1,127, including the 12, who died while undergoing treatment at hospital. As many as 234 unclaimed bodies were buried in the capital’s Jurain graveyard while another 59 unidentified bodies remained at the Dhaka Medical College morgue.

Let us take a moment to remember those who died, those who survived, and those who were never found. This is for them.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Never forget. 

Rozina Begum lost her sister to the building collapse. While somehow she managed to survive, her younger sister was not as lucky. She woefully tells the story, "My sister Marjina Akhter Marjia and I worked together at Rana Plaza. She worked on the back floor and I worked towards the front. We received her dead body after the accident. She was only 18 years old.

I am the eldest amongst three sisters. After me, there is a sister who is working currently and the youngest one who died during the Rana Plaza collapse. We worked at Rana Plaza for 6 months. Both of us were in the same department. On the day of the accident, they forcefully told us to enter the Rana Plaza building. When the electricity went out, they started the generator, and at 8:45am, the building collapsed.

While I was stuck inside the collapsed building, all I thought about is if my sister could move out or not. I was really worried about her. I still feel really bad for her. She took the job after seeing me working there. As our work finished at 10pm every night, she told that she would take a job at the same place so that we can come back home together. I wanted to see if my sister is alright, so I had to amputate my own hand to move out from the shattered building."

Afterwards, when Rozina was admitted to the hospital, she wanted to see her sister but they received news she had died. One's family is a large extension of themselves. Rozina Begum struggles to accept the fact that her youngest sister never made it. She feels a large part of her world is gone. 

Rozina continues, "I miss my sister a lot. When she was alive she managed everything properly for the family and did not face any problems at all. She took care of everyone. But now I cannot do anything on my own and things will never be the same; she will never be here again. She paid for my two brothers' studies but now I do not know what will happen to them. One of my brother goes to school and another one goes to madrasa."

There is nothing to do in the face of the family's helplessness. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Rozina Begum has been traumatized by the accident and cannot move at all. She must stay in bed all day and rest, because any form of physical activity causes her head to sway and often she loses her balance. Yet, despite her own illnesses, all she seeks is financial help for her daughters to have an opportunity to study and succeed in the future.

She explains her desire, "No one gave us any assistance after the Rana Plaza accident for my daughter’s education—not the government or the foreign organizations.

I have a request to everyone. Since I am unable to work now, if someone helps to pay for my daughters' education then I would be really grateful to them."

Her one true wish is to provide a good education and fair opportunity to her two daughters. Her eldest daughter's name is Rumi Akhter and her youngest baby daughter's name is Sabiha Akhter Salma.

Rozina continues, "Our condition is really bad. My physical condition is worsening day by day. My hands, head and ears are all injured. We do not have any money to get medical assistance properly and we do not have any assistance to help me recover while I am at living at home."

Her husband, Mohammad Saidul Islam, agrees with these real concerns in their lives. He says, "I do not know what to do now. Our life is in great crisis. My income was okay before so we lived a proper life. But now everything is falling apart. We had a nice plan for the future; we planned that we will move back to our village, build a house and live there happily. But now we cannot do it anymore." 

In order for their hopes to be restored, Rozina and Mohammad Shahidul both request any help they can receive to improve their family's situation. They want their daughters to be educated and to one day settle back in their village home.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

On the day of the collapse, Rozina's husband, Mohammad Saidul Islam, was miles away and not in contact with his wife. He recalls the very day he heard about the accident, "Rozina worked at Al-Muslim Garments before, and because of this, we had a fight and I went back to the village. While I was there, I heard that she had left Al-Muslim and started to work at Rana Plaza. When Rana Plaza collapsed, I was still in the village. So I called my cousin who was in Dhaka at that time and asked him if anyone we know was in the building. He informed me that my wife was inside.

I panicked and called so many people but could not receive any news about her whereabouts. I came to Savar two days after the incident. When I reached here, I heard she was being admitted to the Central Military Hospital (CMH). The army people called me from her phone. So I went there in a rush and at last, I found her. At 9pm on the same night, after conducting a serious surgery, they sent her to Dhaka Medical Hospital."

After that day, Mohammad has not left his wife's side. He continues, "Even now, my wife is still very sick. So I have to stay with her all the time. Previously I could work 8-10 days a month. But now I cannot because it is more important to stay at home and take care of my wife. From the Prime Minister's fund, we received a 10 lakh takas saving certificate, so from this amount, we receive a 10,700 takas allowance every month. Also, BRAC gave us 1 lakh takas so we receive a small amount monthly from this fund as well. With this money we manage our living." Though donations, Rozina and her family are surviving. 

After facing such a tragic incident as Rana Plaza together, it has worked in positive ways to bring Rozina and her husband closer. They are inseparable, for they realize the ephemeral nature of one's life—existing at one moment, and perhaps not being alive the next. Rozina's husband feel blessed for his wife's survival despite her ongoing illnesses and struggles to heal completely.  

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"It has been two years since my son has died. But I still cannot sleep or eat properly. I could not help my son when he died. I could not even give him water to drink. He cried for help but I could not help him at all. When I sleep at night, sometimes I feel as though he is calling me. I jolt awake suddenly to I realize he is dead.

I never imagined that my son would die this suddenly. That all I would receive of him was his dead body. No matter what I say or feel, I still cannot believe my son is gone. I always thought if my husband were to pass away, as he is very old, my Rabbi will take care of me. But I cannot expect this from anyone now.

My son always showered me with love and care. He would always feed us first before eating anything himself. Now all I can do now is pray for him so that Allah grants him a place in heaven and the respect of a martyr. We cannot express our suffering now. We do not have anyone that can look after us. My husband is really old so he is unable to find any work. He tries to tutor one or two students at home so that he can earn some money, but it is trivial amount for our survival. If our son was alive then he would have taken care of us. But he is no more and we miss his presence every single day."

Rahela Begum and her husband moved to Dhaka with their two sons after her husband retired from his job as a schoolteacher. Their financial condition was extremely devastating, and remain so after the death of their son, Fazle Rabbi. Rahela shares, "My younger son always told his dad that he would support us through this crisis. He will study as well as get a job and earn money for us so that we can survive. My elder son got married and now he has two kids. He cannot help us because he is hardly managing his own living with his family. But the main focus of my younger son was to help us from all the trouble.

We are really helpless these days as we need medicines that cost 5 thousand takas per month but we cannot manage it. My husband cannot work for a living. We live with my elder son but he does not even care whether we have eaten properly or not. We cannot share this kind of embarrassment with other people. My younger son always took care of us. Whenever we were sick, he would take us to doctors as early as he could. He started his job at Rana Plaza to pay our debts and to save us from our financial worries. But now he is no more."

Rahela cannot help but to cry continuously, as she has lost a large part of herself in her young 13-years old son's death during the Rana Plaza collapse. She felt helpless then and still lives with those lingering emotions. She says, "My biggest regret will be that I could not save my son from such an excruciating and painful death. He was crying for water and help but no one helped him during his suffering. As a mother, I cannot express my pain to anyone and there is no one to share my pain with. I cannot express my sorrows to anyone except Allah. Only he will understand what I feel inside."

As she is attempting to maintain composure but constantly breaking down as she reminisces, she looks around their house and shares, "All the furniture we have in the house were bought by my son's hard working money. He always dreamt of buying some land in our village and settling there together; he never wanted to leave us alone there. Now he is lying in his grave alone in the same village."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

The remains of a memory is hardest to reconcile. Losing a child amidst one of the greatest atrocities in the world can be unforgivably scarring. The Rana Plaza collapse snatched the most valuable person in Rahela Begum and Fajlul Haq Khan's lives—their 13-year old son who worked in the building.

"My son Fazle Rabbi was the apple of my eye. To solve our family's problems, he started working. He always told me that he is going to bring us a lot of money and make our lives better. I never imagined he is going to be snatched away from me so soon.

On the night of April 23rd, I spoke to him for a long time. He told me that it is 100% certain that Rana Plaza will collapse. I assured him that if something like that would happen, then the garments authority will give them vacation or let them know ahead of time. But I did not tell him that he should not go to work that day. He died the very next morning and we received his dead body on the 27th of April. We buried him in our village that night," says Fajlul Haq Khan, Fazle Rabbi's father. 

He continues to fondly speak about his loving son, "He always tried his best to take care of us. I cannot forget his last words to me the night before the collapse. I came to Dhaka with my wife and two sons. Now my youngest son has passed away. All I can do now is pray for his soul so that Allah gives him a place in heaven.

I have regrets that I could not give my son the love and the facilities he needed. Instead he gave us all the comfort to the best of his abilities."

Larger than life and mature for his age, Fazle Rabbi understood his parents' adversity and promised to earn money to move them out of poverty. He saw the deep wrinkles in his mother's face and greying beard on his father's face, which motivated him to strive and work hard to ease their lives in any way he can. 

Forgoing his own desires as a child, he prioritized his parents above all. His parents now live with Fazle Rabbi's elder brother but no one can care for them as their youngest son once did. Rabbi's mother, Rahela Begum sadly explains, "Now we are staying with our elder son. We are completely dependent on him. If he feeds us then we can eat, and if he does not, then we cannot tell anyone about it. Now I am helpless. My son who loved me so much, who earned for me and supported us fully, has passed away suddenly. Now we do not know how to manage our life."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

“My son had lots of dreams for himself and us. He promised he will improve our condition in the future. But my son went somewhere from where he will never come back. My son was very fond of me. During the winter he would give us the blanket and lie around in the cold. But he never complained. He would always say that he does not need anything except caring about us.

On the night before 24th April, he came back from work and fed me dinner himself. I was really sick then. He made my bed and put me to sleep. He told us about the cracks inside Rana Plaza and there was a possibility of the building collapsing. But I did not pay any attention to this. If I knew that this collapse will happen then I would have never let him go to work that day; no matter how much money someone offers me.

The next morning, when I heard the Rana Plaza building had collapsed, I ran towards it from our house. When I saw the building had completely collapsed, I could not figure out what to do. I requested a guy in front of me to give me his phone so that I could call my eldest son. For the next three days we searched for him in every possible place but we could not find him. We went to all the clinics around Savar so many times but there were no traces of him. On 27th April morning we went to Enam Medical Hospital because we heard victims from the 4th and 5th floors of Rana Plaza had been rescued that day. But he was not there.

Afterwards, we went to a nearby school field. We saw ambulances were rolling in with dead bodies. Then we saw a microbus coming towards the field. My son’s dead body was in that ambulance. I found his body lying on the verandah and I told the authorities “it’s my son!” When they asked me how I know that it’s him, I told them I can recognize him from the shirt and jeans pant he wore on his last day of work. He body was smashed badly. I could not believe it. The people from the authority asked me about his ID card number from Rana Plaza but I told them I do not know it.

Fazle Rabbi’s friend who was with me knew it— he told me it is 1081. Then they told me to identify my son’s body. After I identified him they told me to move away as there was a smell coming from dead body. But it was body of my dead son, how can the smell ever bother me?” shares Rahela Khanam, mother of Fazle Rabbi.

Fazle Rabbi was born in 1996. He worked at one of the factories inside of Rana Plaza. On the 24th April, 2013 he died during the collapse. He was only 13 years old. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Monir Hossain Tushar, originally from Old Dhaka, was 16 years old when the Rana Plaza collapse happened. Upon hearing about the demise and people's helplessness, he left his home and rushed to Savar to work as a volunteer in the rescue operations, which took place for 22 days straight. 

He reflects on that very day he heard about the collapse, "Since the early morning, I was hearing from everyone that a building named Rana Plaza had suddenly collapsed. But I did not have any idea that it was such a severe accident and to an extent, believed people are exaggerating about it. Then when I came home, I started watching the news and saw that the incident is real— a building had suddenly collapsed and thousands of people were stuck inside it. I saw many people are helping to rescue them as well. 

Then around noon, I saw on TV that blood is needed for the victims of Rana Plaza. I thought I could donate blood for them. So after evening I started for Savar. I did not have any idea where Savar is or how far away it is from my area. So I asked the bus driver for directions and had only 50 takas in my pocket, but somehow I reached there anyway. When I reached there, it was 12:30AM and not enough people were there to help. The people stuck inside the building were suffering a lot. I saw many dead bodies coming out and so many victims were being taken away to the hospital. After seeing all this, I knew I had to help so I decided to start working as a volunteer at Rana Plaza."

In the span of those few weeks, Tushar helped to rescue over 500 people from Rana Plaza. He shares about one of the most difficult rescue operations, "When we tried to rescue a guy named Shahjahan from the second floor of Rana Plaza, we could not break the wall but we kept talking to him. We could not pass him water or food but we were able to know from him that he is stuck beside an air conditioned room on the 2nd floor. So we talked to victims whom we rescued before and asked them where that AC room could be. When they gave us the exact location we tried to break the walls from the roof. 8 days after the collapse, we successfully rescued him. There was an organization named NSI which had a secret camera attached with a stick. When we used this camera to find the location where Shahjahan was stuck, we found out that he is lying down and he was not wearing any clothes because it was really hot inside that room.

If Shahjahan was not courageous, he would never have survived those 8 days. When we found him he was naked and not breathing. He was stuck in a small shaft on the 2nd floor. I do not remember the date when we rescued Shahjahan but it was the same day when the fire accident happened inside the shattered Rana Plaza and we were working to save a girl named Shahina.

I worked on both of the operations to rescue Shahina and Shahjahan. After rescuing Shahina, I moved to the shaft where Shahjahan was stuck and at that moment the fire accident happened. But we did not care about the fire. We rescued Shahjahan first. In the meantime, a huge fire was roaring inside. If we cared about the fire then we would not have been able to rescue Shahjahan. I was inside the shattered building for 2-3 hours when we rescued Shahina. When we started working for the Rana Plaza victims, only our team of civilian volunteers could enter the building, and no common people were allowed inside the premises.

Our team was divided into separate units and worked to rescue the victims with our teams. I considered myself lucky that after rescuing Shahina Begum, I rescued Shahjahan Mia, but then the accident happened.

During Shahjahan's rescue operation three of us entered the building together— me, a guy named Mobarak and another guy named Sumon. I am physically slim so I had no trouble entering the broken building. Two guys named Kaikobad and Sabuj were rescuing Shahina when the fire occurred. Kaikobad died during the fire and Sabuj was injured quite a bit. That was the most painful operation done by us."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Being one of the youngest volunteers to work on the rescue operations after Rana Plaza collapsed, Monir Hossain Tushar, still remains insightful and reflective of how much the incident has changed his perception on life. He shares, "Working as a part of the Rana Plaza rescue team has changed my life completely. It will always be a part of our history. I feel really proud that I had been able to help innocent people and reconnect them to their families. I feel proud not because of my own self but rather, I am proud of those that I rescued that are now living a normal life. However their condition may be, they are happy to be alive. There is no greater satisfaction."

Monir Hossain Tushar, almost 18 years old now, was younger but as wise when he left secretly to volunteer at Rana Plaza. He felt a societal obligation to take action for those who were suffering. He says, "When I got to know about the Rana Plaza collapse, I initially went there to donate blood. But after I reached the destruction site, I realized that I can be a part of the rescue team and actively help victims. From a young age I was a bit adventurous so I started working as rescuer out of my own courage."

He continues, "During those 22 days, my family supported me a lot. They were scared about my safety but they did not stop me from helping the victims. When my brothers came to know that I am working at the Rana Plaza site, they came to donate blood for the victims. At first no one from my family knew but when I informed them, they supported me."

Monir Hossain Tushar's altruistic attitude has led him to continue his work helping people even after the collapse. He shares, "After I worked with Rana Plaza victims, I worked on other rescue operations as well, within Bangladesh. A launch boat sank in the Padma river so I was part of the rescue team. Then, a building in Rampura also partially collapsed and I worked there for a whole day and night as a rescuer. Whenever I see someone near me in trouble, I try to help them to the best of my ability. I am trying to improve my skills so that I can assist people further.

I will be 18 years old a few months later. Now I am studying in the second year of college. My main goal is to continue my education and serve the people of Bangladesh. I am not sure yet which career I will choose in the future but I am certain that I will serve for the betterment of people's lives. If this will be my career, I will be happy. But even if it is not, I will always try to help people around me anyway."

With great dreams in his eyes, Monir Hossain Tushar closes them to reflect back on the incident which brought him to his life's goal of serving others.  He keeps his eyes shut and says, "If I have to summarize my experience during the Rana Plaza incident, I would say that it was my pleasure rescuing so many helpless people and sending people to their loved ones. The feeling was heavenly and I do not want anything else in my life because the feeling of serving others was priceless. This is my positive outlook and achievement from the Rana Plaza incident."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"In his diary, my son has written that he feels maybe he cannot fully fulfill his parents' wishes. He has also written that children who take care of their parents are always the good ones and if he does not have ability to serve his parents then he should leave this world," shares Rahela Begum, Fazle Rabbi's mother. 

She continues, "His father has kept his books as his memories. Still we have trouble believing that our son is dead. All I can do is pray for my son so that Allah grants him heaven. 

Whenever I go in front of Rana Plaza, I feel like my son will come back suddenly. My elder son told me to change our house but I denied him. I told him this house is attached with my son’s memories and I will not leave this place at any cost."

For Fazle Rabbi's aging parents, it is difficult to reconcile their son's death even today. Being so familiar with his love, care and dedication, they are wistfully living with his warm memories day by day.

Fazle Rabbi's mother shares a small anecdote about her son's generosity, "He gave his dad a sim card and his brother a phone that he was using. When his brother refused to take it, he told him that he will buy a new one for himself after receiving his salary that month. But before getting a new phone, he died due to the Rana Plaza collapse. He never returned home. Like any other people, my son had lots of dreams but before he could fulfill his dreams, he passed away. I  feel extreme pain every single day when thinking how much he suffered during his death. May Allah protect my son."

Rahela Begum and Fajlul Haq Khan both feel the responsibility of the Rana Plaza collapse should be claimed by the owner of Rana Plaza, the Honorable Prime Minister and other people who are affiliated to the incident. They should take care of the victims and their family so those who were affected receive proper donations to improve their situation. 

Rahela Begum adds, "We got only 1 lakh takas as government donation only. What can we do with this limited amount of money. We do not have anyone to share our sorrows and needs. The amount is really scarce compared to our needs. One lakh takas is not good enough to fulfill our needs. Our son died and his life was not worth only a mere 1 lakh takas."

She shares, "My son always told me how the owner, Rana, of Rana Plaza gave a lot of pressure to the workers. Whenever they finished their shifts at one place, they would be dragged to another floor to work. The authority made them forcefully work overtime. When I told my son that he should leave this painful job then he would always tell us that he is doing it for us. He told me that he does not want his father to take any financial help from others so he will always work hard to earn money and give us comfortability. My son would tell me that his supervisor praised him for his hard work all the time. He was always be exchanged amongst different floors because of his work expertise. He was loved by everyone."

Without the pillar of their support, Fazle Rabbi's parents are not able to financially or emotionally survive. They need help with basics such as food, rent and medicine. If any help can be provided to them from compensation funds as well as people's generosity, they can lead the few last years of their lives in peace. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

The volunteers who rushed to Rana Plaza to participate in the rescue operations were mostly all civilians—consisting of students, day laborers, rickshaw-pullers, vegetable vendors, and businessmen from the surrounding area in Savar. Many had never been trained or briefed on how to rescue people in disaster situations. 

They felt the call to serve and from their intuition, they went to Rana Plaza and helped in any way they could. Volunteers completed a range of activities from rescuing live victims to supplying equipments to searching and recovering dead bodies. Others were in charge of controlling the mob and family members around the collapse site, some carried wounded people to the ambulances, some worked to assist senior trained volunteers, some provided food to other rescuers, and some supplied food and drinking water to those victims that were trapped under the rubble. Despite not having proper training, they worked. They knew they had to do it and other people’s survival depended on their actions. 

A total of 3,565 people – of whom 2,500 were rescued alive - had been pulled out of the rubble when the rescue operation responsibilities was handed over to the local authorities in Savar on the 14th of May. Volunteers were the first to be present at the situation and help those victims that were trapped. Although there was a lack of tools and equipments, they made it their goals to rescue as many people as possible. 

A survey was conducted by the Bangladeshi Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief along with prominent international aid organizations to gage the experiences and impact of the Rana Plaza volunteers. The study was conducted with 52 urban volunteers. Out of the total amount, approximately 65% men and 35% women and their ages range from 16 to 40+. Most volunteers who helped rescue victims were between the ages of 18-22—students who felt it was their duty to step in when a national crisis had befallen them. 

Volunteers had the most difficult time of rescuing people who were crying for help. The trauma which impacts their lives cannot be described. Even two years after April 24, 2013, many have said they cannot erase the images or drown out the cries. They feel proud to have been a part of the rescue mission and been able to help as many people as possible, but some volunteers remain unsettled by those victims they could not help. They all plead that garment factories in Bangladesh and around the world respect human lives and work to never allow another catastrophe such as Rana Plaza happen again.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Let us always remember the volunteers who came forward to serve humanity despite the dangers that could have befallen them. Many volunteers died during rescue operations. We must remember volunteers are an integral part of Rana Plaza’s narrative.

Mobarak Hossain, originally from Kishoreganj, happened to be nearby the Rana Plaza building when hearing news of the collapse. He worked as a volunteer for more than a month after the building had been destroyed to rescue victims from the rubble as well as provide relief. 

He shares how he first heard of the incident, "On the day of the Rana Plaza accident, I went to Savar in search of a job. While I was drinking water at a tea stall, I noticed on the news they were showing a building named Rana Plaza had collapsed. The incident was being telecasted live and many people were crowded there. I thought it must be an incident worth watching so I decided to go to the site. I took a rickshaw to Rana Plaza but the place was over crowded. I started to walk towards the area. Although I attempted to enter the Rana Plaza premises, the authority was not allowing civil people to enter so I went to the clinic opposite of Rana Plaza and found the hospital was full of victims from the building. At this time, I still did not know what Rana Plaza actually was. I went to the place where Rana Plaza once stood and upon seeing it, I understood there used to a building here which has collapsed brutally."

Shock and trepidation ran through Mobarak's body once he saw the ruins and destruction all about. There were family members crying for their loved ones stuck in the collapsed building as well as fire fighters, the army, and rescuers running about trying to figure out how to facilitate ways to bring people stuck in the building to safety. The environment was erratic and unbelievable. 

Mobarak knew he could not leave. Without a second thought, he knew he had to help people as they were completely helpless. He explains how he began volunteering at the site, "Around 2PM, I noticed a guy from the rescue team was asking for water and another person behind me was holding two cases of water bottles. I asked him if he needs my help, and he agreed. Their plan was to pass cases of water inside the shattered building through a hole and give it to the people who were stuck inside. I told them I can do it but they told me that it is risky for me and I cannot do it. But I requested them once again to let me try. From my childhood I was an expert at climbing into small spaces since my body is flexible. So when they gave me a light, I entered there easily and found people stuck inside. Then I told them they should dig the hole and make it wider so that we can take victims out from there quickly. After this operation, the organization asked me to start working with them as a volunteer."

Although he was not trained, Mobarak knew he had a mission to complete. He rescued over hundreds of people in the month that he worked tirelessly at the Rana Plaza site. 

Mobarak speaks about one of the most difficult missions, "During an operation, we rescued a guy and a girl. A concrete poll had fallen on the girl's waist and the guy's leg was stuck under the girl's body. So both of them could not move. When we entered the place, we had to cut the poll from both sides but the girl still could not move. While we were dragging her from the poll, she was telling us that her legs and hands were hurting. She told us whatever the situation may be, she needed to get outside no matter if she must lose her hands or legs. 

Similarly, while we were rescuing the guy, he was stuck because of his phone and wallet, so I took those in my back pocket and moved him outside. I forgot to give him these things back later amidst the confusion. Now I regret that I could not return his belongings back to him. I feel because of me he had a loss too." 

Volunteers such as Mobarak were saviors for the victims who believed they would die in the darkness they were entrapped within. Luckily, because of them, so many people survived. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Volunteers who came forward to work as rescuers were from all walks of life. Some lived nearby, others came from far away, while some were family members who wanted to find their loved ones. Being a volunteer after the Rana Plaza collapse meant being available on call around the clock. You never knew when you will be needed. 

From the morning of the 24th of April until the 14th of May, 2013, all the volunteers working to rescue the victims barely rested. They had little sleep, inadequate self-hygiene and self-care, were scarcely eating and constantly busy with the thoughts of their next mission. When they were not within the rubble, they were visiting those who they have rescued to reassure the victims were recovering or they would catch a wink of sleep in the makeshift hostel in an area close to the site of the collapse. Monir Hossain Tushar, a Rana Plaza volunteer rescuer, shares, "On the first Friday after the Rana Plaza collapse, we rescued a woman whose leg was infected and her hand was injured as well. When we visited her at Enam Medical College few weeks later, she told me that I looked familiar. It was at that moment that I remembered I had rescued her."

Constantly circulating amidst a haze, volunteers had to remain physically, psychologically and emotionally stable despite the pressures. Although the stench of dead corpses and battling a constant fear that the building might crumble amidst a rescue mission, the volunteers stayed strong. Despite being unbathed in the sweltering heat for 10 to 15 days straight, their spirits were not broken. The spirit of service and directly seeing the impact of their work drove them to continue working despite the hardships.

Monir Hossain Tushar highlighted an important factor that helped volunteers to carry out their tasks: "The victims we rescued always gave us more courage instead of us providing them with courage. For example, while we were rescuing Shahina Begum, she was telling us after we rescued her, and when she becomes alright, she will invite us to her home and cook for us. Although she passed away, I remember her brave words today. The people we rescued always tried to show care for us by greeting us and offering food at the hospital." Touched by those who barely escaped death, volunteers had a range of emotions they felt on a daily basis. They knew the work was difficult and one had to struggle extraneously but nothing could account for the feeling of pure happiness and relief when you climb into the abyss, and bring someone back. Often many victims believed they would never see daylight again. Such gratification from your work is barely possible. Fortunately, for the all hardships they faced, there were greater strokes of happiness.  

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"Call for Justice — Finally Heard"

After two years of one of the greatest industrial catastrophic atrocities, justice is finally being served in Bangladesh. This week, 42 charges have officially been issued by the Bangladeshi government authority against those who are responsible for the atrocious incident which killed, destabilized, and handicapped thousands of helpless people. These charges are against the factory owners, corrupt government officials and evidently the building owner himself, Sohel Rana. The Rana Plaza collapse killed 1,135 people on April 24, 2013. Justice must be provided for the innumerable unfortunate deaths.

Over 1,000 workers, as well as building construction officials have provided testimonials of the known presiding cracks and unsafe conditions of the building prior to the collapse. Everyone knew the collapse was imminent and yet, workers had to report to work due to threats from those who are currently being charged for the inhumane crime. Workers were forced to walk the plank onto their own death traps. Survivors, volunteers, labor organizations, fire services, the Bangladeshi Army as well as others can provide testaments to the truth of the building's condition which caused the disaster to occur. 

If we do not continue to ask these questions and fight for those who lost it all, how will the situation improve? Copious survivors have never received fair compensation and are permanently emotionally and physically disabled. We must ask those who have been charged what the cost of a human life is to them. Was it worth the profit to place all those innocent souls in harm's way? 

With presiding trials in court, we will receive answers to these questions.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mohammad Saiful Islam, originally from Madaripur, worked as a volunteer during the collapse. On the morning of the incident, he was riding his bike to work at a car garage opposite of the Savar Fire Service station.

He describes the day vividly, "When I came near to the fire service station, I heard the bells from the fire service were continuously ringing. I had been on my way to work with some of my tools when I noticed the fire service trucks were going somewhere. So I followed the cars because I thought maybe a fire has broken out somewhere. While I was following them with my bike, I noticed there was a huge crowd at the police station. The fire service trucks could not move because of the crowd, so I took my bike to the wrong side of the road and reached the place of the accident before the fire service people. I had trouble finding a parking place for my bike so I left it with an assistant of mine who was also with me. I told him to wait there until I came back from finding out what actually happened. 

As soon as I reached Rana Plaza, I saw there was a kid who was trapped under the collapsed building. My first instinct was to save him. When I dragged the kid out of the building, I noticed his head was heavily smashed and parts of his brain were just spilling out. I handed the kid over to the rescue people and then climbed the first floor and noticed there were some more injured victims. There were some rolls of clothes on the floor so I rescued them using these rolls. I used the pieces of cloth as a support stand so they can hold on and come out safely. At first, I moved some injured people by carrying them but it was really difficult to move them this way around the mess. Several times I had to lift people onto my shoulders and take the ladder. While we were rescuing people, those who were still stuck in the building were screaming for water and help. There was so much to do."

Saiful jumped into action upon seeing the victims in their exposed, vulnerable state. He was compelled to come to their rescue despite not knowing about how to properly save people. 

During his rescue work Saiful made an interesting observation about the rescue efforts, "I realized there were many people who were helping to rescue the people who were alive and stuck. But only a few volunteers were rescuing the dead bodies inside so that the relatives of those people could get their loved one's dead body for their mental peace. Dead bodies were being retrieved at the end of all the operations. The Army started rescuing people on the 4th day of the Rana Plaza incident. Actually, including the army, all the people who were doing rescue operations were mainly focused on rescuing the people who were trapped but still living. 

The rescuers thought they needed to save to people who were alive first because they cannot help the people who were dead already. On a scale of 100, 99% rescuers worked with victims who were still alive. After day 6, I thought it is good these people were being rescued but what about the dead bodies? From the first day I have rescued lots of people that were alive but I also noticed the dead people and kept track of their locations so that I can retrieve those bodies later."

As Saiful alludes to, in a situation such as Rana Plaza, there were numerous victims, limited supplies and trained personnel for disaster management, and an overall frenzy, so many volunteers suffered as they could not save everyone. He continues, "Till now there are lots of people still missing. Their corpses were not found. I tried to my best ability to rescue people that were alive as well as dead bodies, so that the people who lost their close relatives could at least have a peace of mind. I wanted to provide them the relief of receiving their loved ones dead or alive."

Saiful was able to deliver on his promise and brought back many corpses from inside the collapsed building. Only on one incident, he was not able to retrieve a victim's body due to difficulty of the situation. He explains, "After 6-7 days of the incident, another volunteer and I went inside to find a man's body. His son was requesting to us if we could find his father's dead body somehow. When we found him, his condition was the worst. There were worms all over his body and his body was so fragile that if we held his hand, it would hang away from his body. The body had started to decompose. We could not retrieve his body. His son asked us after all the operation was over if it is possible for the army to get his father's body, then he would be eternally grateful to us. The family wanted to give him a proper burial. But we could not retrieve his body or do anything about it. This incident saddened me most. Later, I never received news of whether they retrieved the father's body or not."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mobarak Hossain arrived at the site of the Rana Plaza collapse the same day the horrific atrocity occurred. Through his intuition, he knew it was his duty to help victims who were buried under. He shares, "During our operations, many parents requested help to retrieve their beloved son or daughter's dead body so they could have peace. I thought if my efforts could provide someone peace, then I should do it any way possible. If regular people such as myself and the organizations do not help them, then who else will? I think of my rescue performances as a contribution to my country and the nation. This kind of accident could have happened to me as well. So I could not leave my people."

Driven by persistent self-will and sense of national duty, Mobarak worked tirelessly day and night. He describes the life of a rescue volunteer, "Before we started, all of the volunteers would go to the shattered building's corners and try to scope out the situation and then pass the information to the army people who were controlling the rescue operation. After receiving the information from us, the army people would handle the rescue operation and delegate tasks. Lots of people said there were bad smells around the site but while we worked inside, we did not feel anything. When I recall those memories, I still wonder how I carried all those people from their death trap to outside. If someone tells me to carry that much heavy weight now, I cannot do it. Normal people would have felt pain at that time but I did not."

Constantly in a mode of recovery, Mobarak as well as many volunteers did not fully reckon the mental and physical pressure which they were evading. They were busy with their work and worrying about those who were waiting for them inside. They lost all sense of time within the rescue missions.

"I could not realize how whole nights have passed after first starting work inside the shattered building. When I performed in the rescue operations,  I would normally dig holes and try to search for a way to get inside. Then I would tell my team members to go and rescue the victim after finding their location, and I would go to another side to search for other victims inside. When I noticed that the condition of victim is extremely terrible, then I would go inside myself. 

From the second mission, there was a hole from which we rescued 11 victims. When I reemerged from the hole, a major from the Bangladesh Army told me to come near him so that he could kiss me on my forehead. I told him my whole body is dirty so he should not do it. He told me he does not care about that and asked me if I realized how late it was and how I have not eaten anything. But I had some juice and water inside so I informed him. But he insisted on giving me a glass of juice from his own hand."

Although there were these small incidents of gratitude shown to the courageous volunteers, majority of people have forgotten the good deeds volunteers completed. They were not properly cared for, in terms of their mental well-being after the rescue operations were completed. Mobarak Hossain is now unemployed because he faces many psychological strains till date since he has never received any serious medical attention. Volunteers were the soldiers who bravely carried dead bodies, performed burials with family members as well as rescue victims from the jaws of death, yet many remain under appreciated or unacknowledged.

Mobarak reveals, "I found out that many people used our names and took certificates though they did not work on the Rana Plaza rescue operations. Sometimes I feel bad that we worked so hard during the Rana Plaza incident and yet, our rightful certificates were taken by people who have not done anything. These people ask us to show them our certificates and this is really insulting. Sometimes people that know me and knew I was there working for more than a month at the site, ask me about why I never received any certificates; this is when I truly feel terrible."

Due to underlining corruption, cases such as taking credit for others work exists in Bangladesh. People have taken volunteers' certifications as well as small grants of 5,000 taka (64 USD) for their hard work during the rescue operations. Appropriate amount of appreciation or veneration has not been given to heroes such as Mobarak, who dropped everything in their life to work on helping others.

Mobarak has also suffered heavily from the psychological damage of losing fellow volunteers who worked alongside him. He shares the story of his friend Kaikobad, "I recall before starting Shahina's operation, one of the other volunteers named Kaikobad jokingly told me, 'Mobarak, you will die today-- the speed at which you are working, it is too much, so you might die soon. Give us an address so that we can send your dead body to your village.' He was joking but now when I recall those memories I think that if I had gone to rescue Shahina, I probably would have been dead. During Shahina's rescue operation I entered the hole first where Shahina was stuck and then Kaikobad sent me outside to bring some water and juice for Shahina. He was joking about my death during that time too but unfortunately, before I could return, the fire had started inside and he died instead of me."

Mobarak did not receive any appreciation but rather faces rebuffs from people who believe he is mentally unwell. He shares, "My future plan is to work for the country's betterment and in particular, I want to work on supporting people during disasters. I wanted to take part in a three day training program with the Bangladesh Volunteer Association but every time I go there, they insult me because of my poor health condition and kick me out. I feel really insulted."

Mobarak's family has been his pillar of strength during his work as a rescuer as well as currently. Mobarak shares updates about his family and life now, "I am unemployed now. My plan was to run a small business and with the profit, I could help the other people. My family, and especially my elder brother supports me a lot. He tries to fulfill my wishes to the best of his ability. He wants me to get a government job but these days you cannot get a government job without providing some money. He is ready to give this money for me to get a job but I do not him to spend his money on me. My brother has already done a lot for me."

He continues, "My family did not know my whereabouts on the first day of the collapse. On the second day while the incident was being telecasted live, my family received news of where I was. My mother was worried about me but I could not care about this during the rescue period. I threw away my mobile because it created trouble during work. One day I met a person from my area and he told me that my family is worried about me. Then I called my village and told them to pray for me. My mom told me that all my family members were praying for me and I should help those who are affected unconditionally. My family inspired me to work for the victims and save as many people as possible. As a human being, it was my obligation to help them."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mohammad Saiful Islam, a courageous individual who volunteered for weeks after the Rana Plaza collapse, has great goals for his future. Through his initial work experiences rescuing people, he now wants to build his own organization to work on disaster and crisis management. Since the Rana Plaza incident two years ago, Saiful has completed relief work in various locations around Bangladesh and was recently hoping to go to Nepal to help rescue victims after the earthquake. 

He shares more about this, "When the earthquake in Nepal occurred, I was prepared to go there to help people. I even got my passport ready. I was waiting for Mobarak, another Rana Plaza volunteer, to accompany me. Four people, including me, went to the Nepal Embassy in Dhaka to talk to them about our visa procedures. I asked my mother to give me money so that I can buy a flight, and join the rescue operation to Nepal. Now my family knows they cannot stop me from helping people, and instead they are extremely supportive. They told me to complete the necessary paperwork and they will give me the money. I was ready but my friend Mobarak did not receive his passport back, and I did not want to go alone. In the end, I could not go to Nepal. Both of us had managed the money but unfortunately we did not end up going due to delays in processing documents." 

Saiful was disappointed he could not help people in Nepal. The news of the earthquake reminded him of the aftermath of utter shock when Rana Plaza happened. The two incidents are different in nature but nonetheless, similar in terms of needing a myriad of volunteers to rescue and reconstruct. 

Saiful reflects on his relief work in Bangladesh, "A launch sank in the Padma river and I attended the rescue operation. I went to a rescue operation of a drowned launch in Mymensingh as well. It was probably 8-9 months ago. I told my fellow volunteers to hold me from the back so that I can check swim under the launch which had sank and there I found a woman's dead body inside. I asked them to give me a bamboo stick to retrieve her, but they kept telling me the rescue operation is over. I did not listen to them but tried to bring her corpse out. While I was trying to drag the dead woman's body from the ship, her hands were tearing apart so I brought a towel and put it under her body and dragged her out slowly. In that moment, the Rana Plaza incident's memory came back to my mind. I rescued more people from the ship by smelling them, which is really an uncanny skill I have developed. I then found three more people and brought them back from the drowned ship. After the rescue operation, I took a shower in the river with the fire service people, ate with them and then came back home.

When I initially went on the rescue operation of the drowned launch in Mymensingh with the fire service people, they told me to stay away but I couldn't. I had to try to rescue people whether they were dead or alive. During this type of incident, my only intention is to rescue people and give them back to their family whether they are dead or alive. So when the fire service tried to scare me off, I did not listen to them and helped them anyway.

After Rana Plaza operation ended, I received training from the fire service and also participated in a first aid training from an organization named 'SAFE'. From my work at Rana Plaza, I received a certificate for volunteering after the incident from Prime Bank."

Mohammad Saiful reflects on his work at Rana Plaza and his dreams for the future, "When I meet victims whom we rescued from Rana Plaza, the love and respect they shower me with cannot be compared to anything else. They care for me more than their own family. I feel really good that I was able to rescue so many people, both alive and dead. Sometimes to explain my motivation for volunteering to hesitant family members, I tell them that if they were in the place of Rana Plaza victims, could I have been able to sit at home and watch them die on television? They then become speechless.

For the future, I will teach my daughter, Raisa Manik, to help people no matter how far she has to go for her work. I want her to rescue people during any crisis. When she grows up, I will advise her to help people and if she needs my assistance, I will always provide it to her.

My dreams are huge and making these dreams come true is difficult. But I want to continue helping people in the future. I am thinking about running an organization which will provide proper funding so that during any global crisis or disaster, I can go to help others without facing any troubles regarding money."

Written by: Thahitun Marium

Mohammad Mobarak Hossain, 26, and a resident of Savar, was a witness to the collapse immediately after it occurred. At the time, he was at the madrasa (religious school) where he worked when his boss informed him of the news. Mobarak was aghast, because he knew the collapse had been inevitable. Everyone in Savar had heard about or seen the cracks on the building prior to it coming down. 

Mobarak recalls the incident, "I was performing the call to prayer at a market besides Rana Plaza when I heard that cracks were found on the building. Some of us went there to investigate, thinking the situation would not be so harmful. This was on the 23rd of April, a day before the collapse. We went in the afternoon and saw many cracks on the building. People were concerned but no one knew what to do, so after a while, I went back to the place where I worked. Then on the 24th of April morning, near 9:30 am, I heard the whole Rana Plaza building had collapsed. I was shocked. I heard about the news from the principal of the madrasa where I worked. He lived near Rana Plaza so while he was coming from his house to the madrasa, he saw the building had completely crumbled."

Upon hearing the news, Mobarak rushed with some colleagues from work to confirm the validity of the shocking news and see for themselves what actually had transpired. As soon as they arrived on the site, Mobarak heard screams of victims before he could process the sight which laid before him. He began to work right away, as he saw people who needed to get out immediately. Since there was a crowd in the front side of the building, he went to the back side and found other people already starting to come together to help rescue folks.

Mobarak describes one of his most difficult rescue tasks, "On the 12th day of Rana Plaza incident, we rescued a mentally unstable girl who was suffering from psychological trauma. She was stuck on the third floor and while we were working on another rescue mission, the army had asked if our team of volunteers could rescue her. The poor girl was terribly shocked about the whole incident that when anyone went to rescue her, she would hit them or bite them. It was really tough to go inside to where she was because we had to climb three dead bodies to reach her. When we went near her, we saw her crazy condition and she did not want to come out. She became erratic and she even beat a volunteer profusely on his chest. Her condition was out of control, so we were really confused about how to rescue her. No one could suggest a way for us to help her. We were stumped.

Suddenly a thought came to my mind that we should call a doctor. When we talked to a doctor at first he could not find any way. Then I asked him if he could find a way to give her medication or an injection which would calm her mind since she was not allowing anyone to touch her. We requested the doctor to give us an injection which could make the girl temporarily senseless so that we can drag her out normally. The doctor wanted 10 minutes so that he can bring the injection for her. In the mean time, some people came to us and started shouting that we are wasting too much time on a single person. But we did not listen to them. She matters too.

After asking the doctor about how to properly use the injection I gave the girl the injection but we saw it had no effect on her. Our plan had failed. But I had another idea. Through a hand microphone, I shouted to the people outside to give us some rope so that we can tie her hands and legs and then bring her outside. Unfortunately we had to resort to this way. It was tough because she was screaming but gradually we brought her outside safely. When we moved her out, lots of people were down there. They had heard about her condition. We took her in the stretcher and then she was finally taken to Central Military Hospital in Savar."

Saving this woman is an attestation of the vow Mobarak made to himself when deciding to work as a rescuer at Rana Plaza. He knew he could not leave anyone behind. Him and his rescue team had to fight to save her when she had given up herself. Luckily, today she lives because volunteers such as Mobarak were able to bring her back to life.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Walking through the rubble, volunteers found corpses or pieces of people's flesh laying about, unimaginable smells of bodies decomposing, victims clinging onto life and pleading for help—all which takes a huge toll on a person's consciousness. Many of those who were rescuing people could not fathom the reality of the sights they were witnessing. After the rescue operation officially ended, they have had to deal with all they had endured in those weeks. 

Mohammad Saiful Islam speaks about his trauma today, "After working for some days as a volunteer, people recognized me. On the day when Reshma was rescued by a volunteer named Tushar, I was at my garage in Savar completing some personal work. The volunteer people contacted me and I went to Rana Plaza again. Since I had left temporarily, people did not know who I was once again so I had to lie and enter the premise of the collapsed Rana Plaza, although I had worked there from day one. 

Another issue was that I had trouble breathing due to the smell coming from the dead bodies. I sprayed either perfume or air freshener on the masks prior to wearing them and then rescued people. Now, whenever I smell perfume or air freshener, I remember the traumatic smell of those dead bodies. 

Another image I cannot erase from my mind is the image of the lady who had to cut her own hand to get out of the rubble. I can still visualize the moment when she was amputating her hand with a saw. When thinking about this moment, I become breathless. My brain stops functioning. Then there was another incident when I was trying to drag a corpse out of the ruins and his arm completely tore apart from his body. 

Whenever I hear about any accidents happening around me I recall those screams of stuck people at Rana Plaza. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping too because I see things and I wake up suddenly, screaming on the top of my lungs. Whenever I hear people are in trouble around me, I try to help them to the best of my efforts. My family members asked me what is my gain in doing volunteer work. Then I ask them to put themselves in those victim's family's shoes and think about if they can just sit around without helping them. My mother stopped questioning me and now she prays that I can help as many people as possible.

I always think about helping people no matter how big or small the problem may be. When people try to discourage me from helping people going through a crisis, I do not listen to them because I believe during a crisis, people should always help one another.

One of my main problem now is whoever sleeps with me at night is frightened because in the middle of night, my whole body shakes with fear so I often jolt awake. When people ask me about my problem, I cannot explain it to them. I do not get scared easily but whenever those memories of the Rana Plaza incident comes back to haunt me, I can visualize it again and I become frightened. My body shakes tremendously during my sleep and I wake up. This sleeping problem has been happening since those few weeks after the Rana Plaza incident. One hour after I sleep, these nightmares begin.

I can visualize the corpses that were laying on the ground and people were screaming for help. When I wake up from these nightmares, I am unable to speak. I feel that I can sense the smell of air freshener and dead bodies are roaming around me. This problem is affecting me really badly. I have not been able to consult any doctor regarding this issue. I feel bad when my own family members accuse me for doing this purposefully. How can a person create sleeping problem intentionally?

The most difficult part of the experience is that I cannot explain my problems to the people around me. After the Rana Plaza incident, I can tell if I smell dead bodies around me. A few months ago, while I was traveling in Mymensingh in a small ferry boat, I smelled the same familiar stench of dead people. After investigating, I realized that in the storage compartment of the ground floor of the ferry, there were two dead bodies that were being transported to their villages."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

After working like hell for 24/25 days at a stretch without having proper meal and

rest he got sick when he came back home.  His Mother got concerned about his 

health but she told him that she would be proud if he had died while he was 

rescuing other people. It would be like dying for our country.

Whatsoever, after the declaration of closing rescue process he came back home. 

Next morning he went to his workplace but the owner refused to take him back at 

work. He fired him for absence without taking permission. It was a huge blow for 

Shobuj. He was the only income source of his family. His father had died long ago. 

He pleaded the owner for giving back his job but the owner did not hear to his 

appeal. He kept asking Shobuj what were the benefits of going into the rescue 

operation. Shobuj said: “I tried to make him understand that I went there without 

thinking about benefits. If we thought about benefit we could have taken the 3 lakh 

taka that we got there. We went there to help the people. When battle starts no one 

thinks about himself. My employer still fired me.”

He tried every way to get back his job but all attempts fails. He ran to a local ward 

commissioner for help. Later he managed to get back his job but with a deduction 

of three days earnings. His salary was 7000 taka. However, he could not continue 

the job because of his boss’s taunting attitude. Now, he is unemployed.

Shobuj does not have any regret. He is proud of himself. He is proud about what he 

had done. Shobuj and his friends went to Bangladesh Fire service and Civil 

Defence to participate in a training program. He later passed the official training of 

rescue management test and scored 88 out 100 with certificate and ID. In this 

journey he gets along with one of his friends, Mobarak. Together they participated 

in Mawa lunch sank, Jhutpotti, Karwan bazaar, and BBC bangle fire incident. They 

worked day and night without taking food in Ashulia after the incident of fire at 

Otobi.

After two years of the Rana Plaza incident, Shobuj walked down the memory lane 

of that time. He was trembling when this interviewer asked him about the 

achievement or realization of that journey. Shobuj said, “We heard many stories of 

war, stories about many dead people, But didn’t ever see something like that with 

our own eyes. When Rana Plaza collapsed, we felt like we came into a war. We 

took blessings from our mothers before going into that war. I myself feel proud for 

joining that war at Rana plaza. I pray to Allah for giving Jannah to the people who 

died in Rana Plaza and demand punishment for the criminals who were responsible 

for this.”

Shobuj did not get any recognition as a volunteer, because he had no evidence. He 

did not have a photograph of himself working there. He though it was way more 

important to save life of those who were in hazard rather than documenting his or 

his friends’ contributions.

Though Shobuj is still jobless, he is not frustrated. He is full of spirit and eager to 

help people. His mother is the one who inspired him to take part in such 

humanitarian works. She has no repentance for the current state of reality of their 

family. She thinks for any human being it is important to stand for the cause. She 

was shattered by the Rana plaza incident. She could not cook for 14/15 days. Plait 

of the relatives of lost people depressed her soul. She said, “I was there with my 

grandson without giving him any food whole day. Somehow I got out from there. 

People were telling me to give my grandson some food. But every time we went 

there to see the incident, we cried.” 

Shobuj’s mother also said that many people asked her about how much money 

Shobuj earned from this kind of activities. She replied, “That time we were not 

thinking about money. We don’t need money. I let my son go. Yes, I got tensed. I 

let him go to help people. I wish that every mother had a son like my son. I have 

only one son, so I prayed to the God to save him from all sort of dangers.”

Rana Plaza took away a lot of people’s life, but in another way it added a new 

meaning to many people’s life. Like Md. Shobuj Hosain Ridoy, a large number of 

people devoted their lives and labor to recover trapped workers. 

Till now, Md. Shobuj Hosain Ridoy is unemployed but neither he nor his family 

members have given up their faith in humanity.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

"All I wish for is support for funding for our volunteer activities. We want to go to places to rescue people but we need support that will give us money for food, transportation and make the necessary arrangements if we have to stay there overnight. If they also provide us a salary, then we would not have to do any other outside work and it will be ideal. If we have permanent jobs elsewhere, then we will not be able to take a vacation sporadically when we are needed on volunteer rescue missions. Currently I am unemployed but I want to work as a volunteer during different types of crisis. I made my passport to go as a volunteer in Nepal after the earthquake but unfortunately I could not go," shares Mobarak Hossain. 

Sadly, despite his own desire to continue doing good for the world, Mobarak struggles to find an opportunity to do so. He has a desire to create a network of volunteers who will work together to alleviate the hardships of volunteers who face disastrous situations. He seeks the necessary support to make these dreams a reality. 

In retrospect, Mobarak reflects on his time working as a volunteer at Rana Plaza, "Whenever I see the t-shirt and the helmet I wore during the Rana plaza incident, I go back to the time when I worked there as a volunteer. Those memories come back to me. I kept those things as memoirs because I do not have any other things. After the Bangladeshi Liberation War, people received certificates so that was their memoir. We do not have any certificates so I kept those things for me. Through them, I can always remember what a excruciating fight it had been. I got a certificate only from a Bangladeshi bank but it does not contain any picture or name of Rana Plaza on it. Lots of journalists took pictures of us while we were working but we have not received any."

Despite all these hardships, Mobarak is happy to have been able to provide aid to victims stuck inside of Rana Plaza. He shares, "I still feel proud that Allah has given me the ability to rescue so many people who were alive and dead. I feel that I am similar to a freedom fighter. They fought for the nation and we fought to rescue people. I feel really proud that I was in a position to help so many people’s lives. 

Now for the future, all we want is someone who can give us support so that we can work for people without any stress and tension about money."

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

It was like any other morning for 23 years old Md. Shobuj Hosain Ridoy, resident of Imandipur, Savar. He had a part time job. He worked for a local cable TV connection company. He woke up in bed a bit late that day by some distant noise. But he did not know what was going on around the place. He stepped out of his residence and saw people were running with trauma, some were crying. Shobuj then asked some passersby about what happened. They replied that Rana Plaza had collapsed. Rana Palza was just ten minutes away from his place. The news shook up Shobuj.

On that day he did not go to his work and went to the place of accident hurriedly, but with preparation to take part in rescue activities. Without having any prior knowledge about rescuing people, he joined in the work force. He started his work from backyard or eastern side of Rana Plaza. It was a pathetic experience. He would take any measures to save a life. The rescue workers cut off hands or feet of the trapped victims to save their lives. After working there for several hours, he went to the western side of Rana Plaza. That zone also crumbled with rubbles and the air was thickened by the lament of the victims. He also worked with some Jahangirnagar University students at RS plaza to rescue garments workers alive. He worked in the Rana Plaza area for three days at a stretch. During these three days he never left the place. While excavating the floor to recover lives, Shobuj and his fellow rescue workers found a bag full of 3 lakh taka. Without thinking a second they handed over the bag to the army officials who were supervising the rescue program.

In the meantime he also got injured, but at that time he was not thinking about himself; rather he was more concerned about saving other people’s lives. The army officials and other volunteer/humanitarian organizations tried to send him to hospital for rest and cure, but Shobuj ignored that. With scars on his skin he cherished the moment when he took out a victim from the trapped position without causing any fatal injury and handed over to his relatives.

In course of the rescue process he lost one of his best fellows named Kaykobad. Shobuj and his other friends still kept searching for that person, even after the official closing of the rescue mission. They kept searching for two more days.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

In a situation of utter frenzy and disbelief, volunteers were driven by their passion for mankind

and thus, they stepped up to the plate and rushed to Rana Plaza. Many did not inform their 

families at first and instead, left their lives to go live in the rubble and save victims at all hours of 

the day. It was an altruistic addiction to save as many people as possible. Mamun was amongst 

these volunteers.

He recalls the first few days of the rescue mission, “When I went to the rooftop, I met another 

volunteer named Zia. I started helping him and become involved. I noticed he was making holes 

in the rooftop so that people can get inside to rescue the victims. I tried to help him as much as 

possible. I told him if he becomes tired then he can pass the machine to me and we can divide the 

work. I kept working with him from the 24th of April noon until the morning of the 25th of April. 

After making a hole big enough, we went inside and we rescued three victims from there. I was 

really surprised that how desperate people can be to save their lives. I became courageous when I 

saw Zia, and saw that he was going inside through the hole in the roof. I went there with him too. 

After we went inside, we rescued people in whatever condition they were in.

After we were inside we found three other people, two women and a man under a machine. The 

roof was intact but the polls that supported the roof were smashed. There were machines on 

every floor that had once been kept in an assembly line. When the building was collapsing, some 

people took shelter under the machines so those people were alive. The people who were rushing 

towards outside or had tried to take the stairs could not save their lives. I could see lots of bodies 

near the stairs. I was once received a training that taught me during these kinds of building 

collapses, people should not rush or scatter randomly. Rather, they should find a corner and sit 

there. If they run randomly they cannot save themselves.”

Mamun and Zia worked together to help victims reach safety. They took on many missions 

together, as a two-men unit. Mamun speaks more about their work, “Zia had to amputate the leg 

of a girl in order to save her. The girl had requested that she needed to be saved no matter what. I 

was with Zia during the rescue operation. The girl was stuck under a poll and we could not move 

that poll to rescue her so we had to resort to cutting off her leg. This was the 2nd night after Rana 

Plaza had collapsed. We had to save the girl anyway we could, so I suggested that we must bind 

her leg with a cloth first. I hugged her tightly while Zia cut her leg off with a blade. Both of us 

were not nervous because we were just focusing on saving her.  We focused on saving as many 

people as we could. 

It took 20 minutes to cut her leg. After cutting her leg we bandaged her leg with a cloth. Then we 

took her out by the hole on the third floor’s roof. As we bandaged her leg, less blood was coming 

out. After rescuing the girl, both Zia and I went outside and had some saline water and some 

biscuits. We went downstairs to get some food because we were feeling really tired after working 

all day. Other volunteers were working on shifts but we were working nonstop continuously— 

we did not have any shifts. After eating we felt really tired so Zia had a nap. Both of us were 

fighting with sleep the whole time. After a while, we were alerted that the tower over Rana Plaza 

can collapse any time so we needed to move out.”

Mamun worked nonstop without worrying about his family. He lives in Keraniganj with his 

mother, brother, his wife, and two children – a son and a daughter. His family was very 

supportive of his work at Rana Plaza. After the collapse, his immediate family has remained by 

his side as he suffers from psychological repulses. They are helping him to recover and regain 

his sense of self. They know the experience he endured must have been unbelievably difficult.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mamun, who worked as a volunteer at Rana Plaza, is originally from the city of Bikrampur, on

the outskirts of Dhaka but lives in Keraniganj. He has been a tailor for the past 11 years. On the 

day of the collapse, he was at his shop when his mother arrived around noon to deliver his lunch 

and inform him of the devastating news. Mamun instantly felt panic, and after turning on the 

television, he saw what was happening. He said once he saw the live telecast, he could not 

believe it, and knew he had to go and see for himself. He asked his staff to take care of the 

tailoring shop and left immediately for Savar.

Once he arrived at the site at 1:30PM, he saw crowds of people were swarming the front of the 

building, so he went towards the RS Tower at the back of Rana Plaza. There he met a volunteer 

named Zia who was working to hand water to the victims and the volunteers working inside. He 

helped Zia with this task, and then Zia and him paired together to dig holes into the roof and 

rescue people stuck within.

One of the most memorable incidents of Mamun’s volunteering work at Rana Plaza happened on 

the second day of the rescue mission at 3:30AM. He describes the incident in great detail, “There 

was a mosque near underground of the Rana Plaza building and police were forbidding us from 

going there. I went there anyway to find out if someone was there or not. I went inside the 

mosque by breaking the glass and carrying a torch light in my hand. People tried to chase me but 

they could not catch me. Immediately, as soon as I entered, I found a dead body that had been 

smashed by a poll.

Then I heard screaming sounds coming from other side of the wall. The army people were 

constantly telling me to come out from there because the building was still at risk of collapsing 

but I informed them there are victims stuck in the mosque and we need to save them. I told them 

I need a machine to break the wall. They were telling me it is possible that while I would be 

working to break walls of the building, the tower can collapse on me at any time. A major named 

Imran came to talk to me and asked what I found inside. I told him a person was dead inside 

because a poll smashed him and other people were screaming on the other side of the wall.

I insisted that if they gave me a machine to create a hole in the wall, then I could save those 

people. But nevertheless, they continued to warn me that I could die there if the walls fall on me. 

I told them if I died then they can send my dead body to my home—my address was inside my 

shirt pocket. 

When they saw I was adamant, they gave me a machine to break the walls and the Army major 

Imran also went inside with me. I warned the major not to come near me and told him to stand 

near the beam so that he does not get hurt. I myself was standing in a risk prone place. He held 

the light and I started breaking the wall. It took me 2 hours and 30 minutes to make a hole inside, 

and then I rescued 3 victims from there.

After rescuing the people alive, I asked the major what would happen to the corpse inside. He 

said considering the circumstances, we could not do anything about it now but we will have to 

reenter the mosque later and figure out a way to bring it outside.” 

Reflecting now on the incident, Mamun says, “I feel really proud that because of me three people 

were saved. I took a huge risk because everyone was telling me that the building would collapse 

on me. At the end of the day, I was able to save three people so I felt really happy. In total I 

rescued 17 people within the first 6 days.”

It took great courage to work as a volunteer in such a volatile incident. The building could have 

collapsed while the volunteers were working, but they did not think about their own survival as 

much as saving as many people as possible. Rana Plaza was a demonstration of the true altruism 

that lies within people who left it all behind, to go and work endlessly nonstop, because they felt 

the shock of the collapse within their own selves.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

“On the last day of the rescue which was the 21st day after the Rana Plaza incident had occurred, 

I went home but I could not sleep. I was hearing screams of those victims in my head again and 

again.  I heard them screaming, “Save me! Save me!” and pleading for my help. I still remember 

those dead bodies we rescued. Lots of corpses did not have their heads attached anymore and 

their fleshes were deteriorating away from their body. It was a traumatic experience. I still 

cannot eat properly, especially meat. I cannot eat chicken in particular, because it is easy to see 

the thighs and pieces of the meat that resemble human body parts. When we were dragging a 

victim out of the rubble, their flesh was coming apart in front of us as we were trying to rescue 

them,” says Mamun, who volunteered from the first till the last day of the official rescue 

operation at Rana Plaza.

He continues, “After this incident I kept going to visit Savar 2 to 3 days per week. I felt at peace 

when I went there, although I do not know the reason. I would meet with other volunteers and 

victims we rescued and see how they are doing. Then, one day while I was traveling back home 

by bus from Savar, I was having flashbacks of those incidents at Rana Plaza. I became senseless. 

People took me to the hospital, which was near Shaymoli. They gave me water and called my 

friends to retrieve me. From there, Mobarak and Shopon, two other Rana Plaza volunteers who I 

had met with earlier in the day, came and enrolled me into the hospital nearby. I was in the 

hospital for an entire week. They informed my family members as well.  The doctors gave me 

sleeping pills that affected me really well. I had proper sleep and the memories were not 

frequently coming back. 

The doctors advised me not to over think anything. They told me to watch television and to keep 

myself busy with entertainment. They told me to watch Hindi and English movies in order to 

keep myself busy. They wanted me to forget all the images engrained in my brain, so gradually 

all those memories of Rana Plaza will fade. They also had a rehabilitation center at the hospital. 

They told me to go there once a month so that they can check my condition.”

The psychosocial trauma of volunteers who worked at Rana Plaza remains unaddressed. Often, 

many volunteers have had to deal with these images and emotions they faced internally, and have 

not had any places to release the anxiety they felt during their work. Mamun went through a 

traumatic scare due to the situations he had to face, and yet, he still has not received the 

psychological therapy he deserves. How will he heal if the services are not provided? How will 

the situation improve for those who risked their lives to save others?

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

“When we found corpses, we took them to the ambulance in order to get them ready for burial. I realized from the Rana Plaza incident that humanity speaks in volumes when nothing else can. I came to help those people out of my own emotions as a human being. I had to help them. My family was in trouble those days since I am the only breadwinner in the family, but I could not think about these matters. My father once said to me that if there is a possibility that you need to die in order to save other people’s lives then you should definitely help them,” shares Riaz Sheikh.

I try to help people as much as I can with all my resources. No one told me to go there and help the victims. I did it for my own pleasure. I am really proud to haven taken part in the rescue process. Thousands of people watched this incident on television but they could not do anything from their part but I was fortunate enough to directly participate in the rescue process. It is my greatest achievement,” shares Riaz Sheikh.

Mohammaed Riaz Sheikh, 30 years old, is originally from the small town of Magura - far from Dhaka. On the 24th of April 2013, he was casually standing at a tea stall near Rana Plaza drinking tea when all of a sudden, he noticed a man holding his hand and screaming. When he inquired what happened, the man told him that Rana Plaza had collapsed. In utter shock, Riaz inched towards the site and there, he saw the entire area was covered in dust and debris.

He shares his memory of the initial incident, “We thought someone had thrown a grenade or bomb. I told a friend that we should go there but he told me there might be problems so he did not want to go. I went to the backside of Rana Plaza and tried to climb onto the building. There were already 10-12 people there, such as Sumon, Bappy, Rasel and Shohan. They had also come to see what actually happened. I called my who lives near Rana Plaza and he told that his home is also full of dust from the building collapse. Then he came to meet us with a camera and started doing video. People were forming a crowd and police were watching. Someone threw a stone towards the police so they tried to drive us away and spray tear gas on us. This happened on the first day of the collapse around midday.

Our work started from downstairs where we saw some people stuck behind bars. We had to cut those steel polls and rescue 10 people from there. On another floor, we saw lots of people were stuck but they could not move out because the door was locked. We cut the steel polls again and rescued 59 people from there. Gradually I met other volunteers as well while working. On 7th floor we found two dead bodies as well as survivors. We had to rescue a guy by cutting his leg and hand. This was on the fifth day of the incident. After this operation we became really tired so we rested at RS Tower besides Rana Plaza. There was a guy from fire service. He helped us a lot. He gave us food when needed. He tried to help us as much as he could. The team, which we build on the first day, was intact till the last day. We rescued people as a team and from our work, gained lots of people’s respect. That is a big achievement for me.

I have three memorable memories of the first days of rescuing victims. At first we rescued 6 people and then the 59 people one after another from the backside of rana plaza. The last memorable event was the day when Reshma was rescued.”

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Md. Islam Sheikh is a chauffeur. He is from Madaripur district. Now he lives in

Bank Colony area in Savar. Mr Sheikh lives there with his two kids and wife. He 

used to park his car in front of Rana Plaza as that area was used as a temporary 

parking space during day time. 24 April, 2014 started as an uncertain day for him, 

because of a shutdown/hartal program called upon by the opposition parties. When 

Md. Islam Sheikh started the day it was a sunny bright day of summer. In 2014, he 

lived in a house at Madrasa Road, Rajelaka which is within 200 yards of Rana 

Plaza. Around 9am Mr. Sheikh was taking breakfast. Then, he did not know it will 

be his last breakfast for next 24/25 days. Suddenly, a harrowing sound shattered 

the silence of the morning. He ran out fast from his house, wondering what was 

happening. Horrified people were running towards every direction. Mr. Sheikh 

walked towards Rana Plaza. It was only a five minutes walk. When he reached 

there, he was bewildered by what he saw. The whole scenario was like a movie 

scene. A huge amount of dust creating smog hang over the place. There was a tin-

shed right beside the collapsed building and people were jumping on that shed to 

escape however they could.

For many it was the doomsday. Mr. Sheikh was stoned for a moment. “I saw that 

many people were running around blood on their body. I saw three people were 

stuck at the place where the signboard of Rana Plaza (Rana is the son of the owner 

of the collapsed building) was hung on a beam. They were screaming for help. 

Around 4-5 persons gathered there by that time.” Mr. Sheikh and the others reacted 

promptly when he realized what had happened just a moment earlier. They rushed 

to the trapped people to take them out from the debris. They took measures to help 

the victims out. Without having any prior knowledge/experience they took actions 

to save victims just for the humanity’s sake. That was how Md. Islam Sheikh 

joined the volunteer rescue team of Rana Plaza incident. 

They walked down towards the wrecked beam very cautiously and found a cable. 

They threw that cable towards the trapped people and asked them to tie a knot on 

the other end. They started to come out from the place one by one. Meanwhile, a 

girl was also shouting for help. Mr. Sheikh and others told her to come slowly out 

with the help of the cable and not to worry. Finally the volunteers managed to take 

her out. In course of time some other people were gathering around the place. So, 

with the local people’s help, the rescue was started all around the collapsed 

building. People participated in the rescue operation with whatever they had, from 

bare hands to hammer, shovel and so on. After two or three days, Bangladesh Fire 

Service and Civil Defense team came to the zone and local volunteers worked 

together with them.

They worked under frightful circumstances and put their lives at risk while saving 

the victims. Mr. Sheikh recalled those days from his memory book…he said, in 

those days they got a lot of people’s sympathy. Many people offered them food but 

they didn’t eat anything, thinking that the time wasted for eating may cost 

someone’s life. They used to keep themselves busy in the rescue work from 9am to 

11pm daily. They were in some sort of limbo. They become aloof about taking rest 

or break from work. They wanted to work for twenty-four hours a day. But for 

some certain reasons they couldn’t make it possible. When he and his fellow 

rescuers got exhausted they went home for food and got back to the zone as soon 

as possible. As a family guy, Md. Islam Sheikh had to keep his own safety in mind 

and had to think about his family too. He is the only earning person in his family. 

His wife was tensed and scared about his life and always cautioned him not go 

deep inside in the ruins. Mr. Sheikh said, “We wanted to go deep inside, but 

couldn’t do that after thinking about our family. We rescued many people by 

passing them food, water, and rope inside. Then we rescued many people by 

breaking the wall of RS tower (the building adjacent Rana Plaza).” 

For the following fifteen-sixteen days, Mr. Sheikh worked there with Bangladesh 

fire service and civil defense team. Later he moved to Ordhochandra School 

premises where all the dead bodies were gathered for 4-5 days since the very first 

day. Many people came there for their relative’s body. It was a heart wrenching 

sight there. For day and night people were crying and looking for their relative’s 

dead body. It was hard to be strong among those people.  Mr. Sheikh also said he 

broke into tears while experiencing others’ sorrow. “When they requested us to 

find their desired dead body, we took the piece of cloth from a dead body and 

asked them to identify. The memories of those days make us cry even today. Many 

people were seeking their loved one’s bodies, and we had to console them saying 

that they should not give up the hope.” When reminiscing of those days, his eyes 

became watery again.

On those days an incident made him hopeful about life and strengthened his trust 

in humanity. One day a guy took away a body, which was supposed to be his 

relatives, to home. But right after reaching home, he was informed that his relative 

who was still alive; then he again come back to Savar and returned that dead body 

to Md. Islam Sheikh and other volunteers. Later that guy was rewarded twenty 

thousand taka by the administration. They both were happy from that incident. The 

most memorable incident happened on the third day of rescuing. They were shouting around the prayer area of Rana Plaza to find out if anyone was still alive under the debris. Suddenly they heard the voice of two girls. There was only six to eight inches gap between two beams. The volunteers called some more people for assistance. Then all of them worked together to make a gap to send them water and biscuit.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

His wife used to worry about his life while he was working as a volunteer. He is the only earning person of the family, so his wife always feared about Md. Islam Sheikh’s safety. She was not willing to let him go to Rana Plaza, but Md. Islam Sheikh put some courage in her wife’s heart by telling that he was not going to get into any danger and blessings of the rescued people were with him, so God will protect him. He could not stay there at night for long due to some restriction from his landlord, who used to lock the main entrance of the building they lived in at 11pm. So, he had to come back home on time. But he could not have a sound sleep. Even in his dream he often saw someone was yelling for help to get rescued. It was some kind paranoia he experienced. Sometimes in his sleep he saw himself stuck into a beam and couldn’t enter inside. Those feelings remained with him long after Rana Plaza rescue mission was over. After the place was officially closed down, Mr. Sheikh went back to his regular job, but he faced a psycho-somatic trauma. When this interviewer asked him to share those feelings Md. Islam Sheikh said, “I was in mental shock and it took 4-5 months to recover. I saw people yelling for help to come out of the ruins in my sleep. Since I’m a professional driver, I got disoriented for imagining such things. Sometimes I lost directions and started driving along the wrong way. During that period I lost my way many times and got dragged into wrong way. I also could not look out for the speed breaker. Sometimes I halted the car suddenly while driving, but I had no idea what I was doing. Very often I couldn’t notice a speed breaker ahead. Till today, when I go there (Rana Plaza) I get disoriented.”

Whenever Mr. Sheikh goes to Rana Plaza it feels like someone is calling him…it is void that haunts him. But he finds peace too when he goes there. He continued his search for bodies after the rescue operation was officially closed. He found bones of human body four to five times during the last six months. The first time he and some other volunteers found human body, the news was featured on the front page of a leading national daily with his photo. He and his friends also found a skull with spinal cord.

After eight to nine months of the incident he and his friends found another skeleton and took a photograph. Since he was a familiar face in that area, police knew him, but this time police scolded him for doing such things and imposed an unofficial embargo to prevent him from entering the area, despite the fact that they always handed over the bones, skull or skeleton to police.

Now Md. Islam Sheikh is a certified rescue volunteer. He received training from Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense Department. After the Rana Plaza incident he took part in the rescue operation after the Mawa Launch sunk. Now his purpose of life is saving other peoples’ lives, as he said, “If any disaster takes place anywhere, I want to join there.”

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Md. Shumon grew up in the southern part of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. He

is nineteen years old and currently holding a part time job in a multinational 

company.  He resides with his parents and four siblings in Khilgaon, Taltola. He 

loves playing cricket. He takes cricket very seriously. Some of his dreams are 

rooted in the cricket pitch.

In 2014, when Rana Plaza collapsed he was unaware of that incident during the 

day. At night when he was surfing channels, he came to know about that mishap. 

After watching the media coverage on Rana Plaza for couple of hours, something 

happened in mind. He thought he could lend help to the victims there. Instantly he 

decided to go to Rana Plaza and to be a part of the rescue activities. As Md. 

Shumon said, “I could not sleep the whole night thinking about this. At 6am the 

next day I started my journey towards Rana Plaza and reached there around 

7:30am.”

It was not a pleasant journey for him from Khilgaon to Savar, where the incident 

took place. But somehow he managed to reach the site. But after reaching there he 

saw that a group of law enforcers restricted the entry to the place of accident. They 

blocked him. He was desperate enough to go there. Shumon saw some people 

wearing white head band could enter that zone easily as the bandana was the mark 

of volunteers. So, he managed a piece of white cloths and tied that. Finally, he 

managed to enter. But, as he was a teenager, the field authority tried to discourage 

him to be a part of rescue mission. Finally they gave him a chance to get inside the 

zone.

Shumon went to RS Plaza (the building adjacent to Rana Plaza) and went to the 

eighth floor. The first thing he saw there were people trying to pull out a bulky guy 

through a narrow opening. Some people gave up trying after they failed to enter. 

Tall guys could not enter there too. Someone short or small in appearance was 

needed there. “Then I requested an army officer to let me get into there and let me 

enter. I entered inside after a huge effort and I got hurt while I was going in there. 

There was a railing and I had a hammer with me. I needed to break a pillar. I cut 

that beam, too”- that moment was still vivid in Shumon’s mind. In that rescue 

operation Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense team also helped him. He 

managed to bring that man outside without causing any harm to the victim. While 

Shumon was busy rescuing people, the day light was gone but Shumon did not care 

about time. The next morning, he joined another rescue operation on the third and 

fourth floor. He could hear that many people including women and men were 

crying out for help. It seemed that someone got hurt and some people were yelling 

out for some help. There was a traumatic situation inside there. Shumon saw a 

woman whose leg was stuck under the rubbles. A doctor came in and cut her leg to 

bring her out.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

What is left after demise and destruction that ruins innocent people’s lives? Nothing but rubble and broken spirits. It is the indirectly impacted people who then come together during these hard times to place broken pieces together and recreate an image of hope.

Riaz Sheikh is grateful for the opportunity to have worked as a volunteer at Rana Plaza. In his eyes, he believes the degree of rescue work volunteers completed is similar to rescue efforts after the ending of the Bangladeshi Liberation War of 1971. He shares, “I haven’t seen the liberation war as I was not born during that time. But working during the Rana Plaza incident, I felt pride because I was part of such an large-scale rescue process to help victims stay alive.”

His pride roots from his own strong self-will and motivation. Riaz explains, “I am thankful to Allah that I took part in such a great rescue process and helped many people through it. I tried to rescue people alive as much as I could because their lives were more precious. The people who died could not be saved but those who were alive still had possibilities. I focused on saving those who were living and breathing first. I know their lives were as precious as mine. After the rescue process was over, the army people told us that we received a lifelong lesson about what should be done during these types of critical condition cases.

I felt really bad finding out many people tried to help but due to various barriers they could not help. I hope we did our parts for them as well.”

The words of the Army people still ring in Riaz’s ears today. The impact of working at Rana Plaza resonates in his daily life and existence. He could not forget the images, people, rush and confusion even if he so tried. Although at times he faces a constant psychological weight, he holds onto the good memories of the work that was completed dearly.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

“What I personally learned from Rana Plaza is that during these types of critical conditions, we need to help people and we should not only do this work alone. We need to take care of our friends, family, and community members so they can be a part of the recovery procedure as well. I will raise my child with this teaching that he must try to always save people without hoping for any profit,” shares Riaz Sheikh.

Riaz Sheikh has one a son who he loves dearly. When the collapse happened, he left his wife, his son, and other members of his family to dedicate himself to the rescue efforts. Although he had obligations at home as the prime breadwinner in his family, he knew if he did not do his part in helping the victims, he would not betraying his own beliefs. He hopes to pass on these altruistic notions of service work and giving back to others to his next generations to come, starting from his son.

He shares more details about his life and motivations, “I drive trucks as a profession. I wish to stay in this profession because during my work, if I see any accidents I will try to help people as much as I can. If my work hampers from delays because of my service work, I do not care. After the Rana Plaza incident, I took part in another incident as a volunteer with the fire service. A fire had started at a garments factory and I provided water to distinguish the fire. After this mission, I did not take part in any other rescue work. I found out about some incidents happening and I would have gone there but time did not allow me.

I did not get any money or certificate as a volunteer of Rana Plaza. I did not work on rescuing victims for such recognitions so it is fine. I thought about the afterlife and if I had any other intentions such as for myself, then I would have never given pain to my family and stayed away from them for 22 days. My parents understood and told me that I could have been in the victims’ places as well so I should help them to the best of my ability. My wife reassured me that I should not worry about our family – she would manage everything at home.”

Due to the uttermost support from his family, Riaz was able to complete his rescue work at Rana Plaza without a shadow of worry in his mind. His family was his pillar when he needed support to work as a volunteer after the collapse. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Back in 2013 Bashir Ahmed used to work in a garment situated in Gazipur. He is from Pirojpur district, which is in the southern part of Bangladesh. He worked there as an office assistant in the administration section. Due to Rana Plaza incident happened there were strikes in several garment factories for the demand of justice for victims. So, Bashir’s factory was closed to avoid any unrest. He came back home early that day. Bashir lives with his wife and their five year old child. Like any other day he turned on the television and watched the heart-rending updates of the event. Through news updates he came to know there were huge casualties due to the accident. He knew that supply of oxygen, water and rescuer needed there too. So, he decided to go there. Before going to the spot he went to his office to discuss about his intention with his colleagues and raise some money for the victims. He did not know also how to go to Savar, where the accident occurred. His colleagues explained him the route and mean to reach Savar. Till that time his intentions were to be there to donate some necessary things for the rescuers and victims. He bought drinkable mineral water, oral saline and biscuits. He also went to the local shop of his area from where he bought household commodities in monthly post-paid system. That Shopkeeper was also pleased to know his intention. The shopkeeper offered him some water bottle and biscuits too. Bashir’s wife was weeping when he left home for Rana Plaza. She did not try to stop him, but asked him to take care of himself. He managed a bandana head with the word “volunteer” written on it. He also brought a flashlight, in case he needed to use that. He went there with his own money. After reaching the place he was shocked and felt numb. He saw huge casualties and heard the victims’ and their relatives’ lament.  He handed over his relief to the authority and asked them to distribute those things among the people. He also gave away his torch light to the rescuers. Then he thought what to do, now… his intuition dictated him to do something more or else. “Then I thought to join the rescue work. I saw many injured people there. So, I joined the rescue operation. I had no training or preparation for that type of work. I was just thinking about helping other rescuers there, though I didn’t know most of them.” 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Next, Shumon went into the most challenging operation. It was his third day in the collapsed zone. He entered the second floor and found two men alive under the ruins. There was little space for two persons to move around their body.  Shumon and fellow rescuers supplied them with saline water and juice. They brought out those two guys from there safely. Right after that rescuers entered the hole and found a man who was stuck under a beam; the victim said, he was there in the same position for three days and nobody could manage to reach him. After seeing the rescuers he got some hope. Then Shumon called two other rescuers to save this guy’s life. But, other rescuers said it is not possible to get him out from there. If they moved him any way, the building would tilt down dangerously, so, they told Shumon not to think about that guy and abandon him there. Shumon felt sad and depressed for that trapped person. “If we had to reach there we needed to cut the half of a beam. If we cut the beam the building would have collapse more. So no one wanted to take risk. I requested fire service to give me their equipments to cut the beam and they told me I’m not able to use their equipments but I insisted.” Shumon’s insistence made the authority allow him to go more inside of the collapsed building. He and another rescuer named Mobarak cut the beam and entered deeper in the ruins. At one point they got scared. The place was so narrow that a man can’t go inside straightly. So, he asked Mobarak to stay behind and he crawled forward to the victim. He saw that the victim’s legs and hands were trapped by the wall and cardboard packets. He tried to move those packets but those remained where they were. The place was congested. Shumon poured juice one on the cardboard packets to soften and torn them and made little space for the victim. The victim’s fingers were smashed. But Shumon did not lose hope.  “I told Mobarok to give me a rope. Then I held that man’s leg and Mobarok was pulling me with the rope. There was neither space for two men’s entrance nor any scope to pull him. I held that man tightly and I was being pulled backwards.” Finally Shumon and Mobarak realized it was not possible to move him out. The victim also realized that, this is the end. So, he asked Shumon to stay for a bit with him. “I can’t describe how emotional his request was. He was asking me to do something for him. We called a doctor.  Doctor went there to make him faint with injection.”

The victim got insane and asked for a knife to kill himself instead of dying slowly under the ruins. These incidents saddened Shumon. He cannot forget that memory, the feelings of not being able to save a man’s life. After getting injected, the victim started losing his sense slowly. Shumon sat there for a while. It is indescribable how a person feels when he is on his way to death. When the victim was totally senseless, Shumon left the place. He had no option left. He went on looking for other survivors.

Shumon entered the second floor of RS tower. He found two more injured people there. He rolled into the narrow space, but this time Shumon himself got stuck there because the two walls were getting closer. He was stuck there for around ninety minutes. That was first time his mother’s face popped up on his mind. He felt disoriented. This reminded him that he left his home without telling anyone where he is going.  Finally he managed to crawl up to the eighth floor and found a tunnel, through which he came out. At 6am he brought a news to the rescue team- 12 men are still alive somewhere inside. “Then I told an officer of the Fire Service to cut a way in there. They cut a tunnel from the eighth floor to the second floor. Then 12-13 people were rescued, but some of them were hurt.  This was the third day’s incident. This is how we joined other operations.” Later, along with Mobarok and other people Shumon joined another rescue operation of a pregnant lady. After that they went for other operations in first floor, second floor and so on.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Shumon was there for eighteen days. His family got the news on sixth day. On the fifth day they were evicted by the police as they wanted to break the building. They told police that there were two souls alive. But the police was not in a position to listen to them. “Police said that they would be taking a huge risk if they allowed us to rescue them and drove us away” said Shumon.

Shumon was also in the team which was responsible for the rescue mission of Shahjahan and Shahnaz. Shumon mapped the way out and the mission. He entered the collapsed area to bring out Shahjahan. “I entered my head in there and my leg was hanging from upside. There was a rod and if they let the rope go, I would’ve been dead. I told them to rotate me. After several rotations I saw that Shahjahan was faint and naked there. Then I instructed them how to rescue him. This is how Shahjahan was rescued”- it was an overwhelming experience for Shumon. It was the last rescue mission he took part in there. Later he used to bring out the bodies, to do so he had to cut someone’s hand or leg. It scarred his mind badly.

Shumon entered into a gloomy state of mind while he was working there. He could not think about anything. He did not get scared when he needed to cut off any persons hand or leg to pull out the dead body. They found maximum number of dead bodies on the stairs. He was also presented at the place where two bodies embraced each other whose photograph went viral.

On the sixth day Shumon for the first time called his mother on the phone. His mother got very angry at that moment for not hearing anything from him for days. Then he told her about his volunteering at Rana Plaza. Initially she got angry, but eventually she blessed her child and told him to take care of himself. In reply, Shumon told her mother that whatever he is doing now is only for humanity’s sake; he cannot resists himself if anyone asks help from him.

Shumon left Rana Plaza after the administration shut down the rescue operations officially.  He thinks a lot of dead bodies were still inside when administration ran bulldozer over the collapsed buildings. Shumon faced a lot of people who were looking for their relative’s body. Whenever those face float on his mind Shumon cannot control himself.

“After coming from there, I sometime see people screaming in my dreams. Once I saw a dead body in my dream. Though, I console myself in this situation, I still feel guilty for the bodies I left there. Actually I couldn’t forget the way how the dying man talked. No kind hearted person who saw him could control himself”- this is how Shumon feels still after twenty four months of the incident.

Shumon belives he did not participate in the rescue activities for any kind of benefit, nor he expects any recognition. Though, some of the television channels followed his story after the incident, no one from the authority has tried to contact him so far.

Shumon now has a part time job and in his free time he plays cricket. He thinks through cricket he might give something to the country. He already joined under fifteen national camps. He also played for a second division club for a year. He had a big dream about cricket. He likes Mominul Islam and Mohammad Ashraful from Bangladesh national cricket team. He still keeps contact with his fellow rescuers of Rana Plaza. They are always ready to join any kind of volunteer rescue mission, because they believe human being is created for human being.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Nowadays, Bashir is not working in any garment factory. He works for an international showroom in Dhaka as a salesman; nevertheless he has his own view of garments industry in Bangladesh. He said, “I think that the garment industry is the core rate of earning in Bangladesh. On Bangladesh garments workers work really hard. I wish this industry to be more developed and the workers as well- not only the development of the industries and their owners, but also the development of the workers. If the workers live then the owner will live. Equally, if the owners live then workers will live. I want workers to get their desired wages. They earn money but since they live with a big family, they suffer a lot for it. Many workers have their aging parents in their family and they live on their income. These people suffer a lot.”

Bashir has been always very sympathetic about vulnerable people like the street children and the aged poor people. For the last ten years he did not want to buy new clothes for him on any festival occasion. He has an oath of not buying clothes for himself until he can buy clothes for ten street children. Though, he cannot stand firm in his resolution, because if he does not buy clothes, his family members feel sorrow and sadness. So, he always buys cheap clothes for himself.

He does not have any big dream about his life. To do humanitarian works he finds inspiration from his child. His dream is to ensure a proper education for his only child and to see him doing something good for the country. As he has to maintain a family with his paltry salary, sometimes financial crisis puts him in distress. But he is trying his very best pull through the hardships. Bother wishes that every child of Bangladesh gets food, dress and education, and when they grow up they serve their country loyally.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Back in 2013 Bashir Ahmed used to work in a garment situated in Gazipur. He is from Pirojpur district, which is in the southern part of Bangladesh. He worked there as an office assistant in the administration section. Due to Rana Plaza incident happened there were strikes in several garment factories for the demand of justice for victims. So, Bashir’s factory was closed to avoid any unrest. He came back home early that day. Bashir lives with his wife and their five year old child. Like any other day he turned on the television and watched the heart-rending updates of the event. Through news updates he came to know there were huge casualties due to the accident. He knew that supply of oxygen, water and rescuer needed there too. So, he decided to go there. Before going to the spot he went to his office to discuss about his intention with his colleagues and raise some money for the victims. He did not know also how to go to Savar, where the accident occurred. His colleagues explained him the route and mean to reach Savar. Till that time his intentions were to be there to donate some necessary things for the rescuers and victims. He bought drinkable mineral water, oral saline and biscuits. He also went to the local shop of his area from where he bought household commodities in monthly post-paid system. That Shopkeeper was also pleased to know his intention. The shopkeeper offered him some water bottle and biscuits too. Bashir’s wife was weeping when he left home for Rana Plaza. She did not try to stop him, but asked him to take care of himself. He managed a bandana head with the word “volunteer” written on it. He also brought a flashlight, in case he needed to use that. He went there with his own money. After reaching the place he was shocked and felt numb. He saw huge casualties and heard the victims’ and their relatives’ lament.  He handed over his relief to the authority and asked them to distribute those things among the people. He also gave away his torch light to the rescuers. Then he thought what to do, now… his intuition dictated him to do something more or else. “Then I thought to join the rescue work. I saw many injured people there. So, I joined the rescue operation. I had no training or preparation for that type of work. I was just thinking about helping other rescuers there, though I didn’t know most of them.” 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Back in 2013 Bashir Ahmed used to work in a garment situated in Gazipur. He is from Pirojpur district, which is in the southern part of Bangladesh. He worked there as an office assistant in the administration section. Due to Rana Plaza incident happened there were strikes in several garment factories for the demand of justice for victims. So, Bashir’s factory was closed to avoid any unrest. He came back home early that day. Bashir lives with his wife and their five year old child. Like any other day he turned on the television and watched the heart-rending updates of the event. Through news updates he came to know there were huge casualties due to the accident. He knew that supply of oxygen, water and rescuer needed there too. So, he decided to go there. Before going to the spot he went to his office to discuss about his intention with his colleagues and raise some money for the victims. He did not know also how to go to Savar, where the accident occurred. His colleagues explained him the route and mean to reach Savar. Till that time his intentions were to be there to donate some necessary things for the rescuers and victims. He bought drinkable mineral water, oral saline and biscuits. He also went to the local shop of his area from where he bought household commodities in monthly post-paid system. That Shopkeeper was also pleased to know his intention. The shopkeeper offered him some water bottle and biscuits too. Bashir’s wife was weeping when he left home for Rana Plaza. She did not try to stop him, but asked him to take care of himself. He managed a bandana head with the word “volunteer” written on it. He also brought a flashlight, in case he needed to use that. He went there with his own money. After reaching the place he was shocked and felt numb. He saw huge casualties and heard the victims’ and their relatives’ lament.  He handed over his relief to the authority and asked them to distribute those things among the people. He also gave away his torch light to the rescuers. Then he thought what to do, now… his intuition dictated him to do something more or else. “Then I thought to join the rescue work. I saw many injured people there. So, I joined the rescue operation. I had no training or preparation for that type of work. I was just thinking about helping other rescuers there, though I didn’t know most of them.” 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

“During the rescue operation, there were many dead bodies which were not moved out. On the backside of the Rana Plaza building, approximately 35 people had been smashed together and died. Later we found their bodies while excavating through the site. A girl from amongst these people wrote a message on the wall, ‘we are going to die anyway. I wish someone could rescue our dead bodies.’ Another person left his phone number in his shoes,” shares Afroza Akhter Eti. She cannot erase the sights that float before her eyes every time she attempts to move beyond what she experienced after the collapse.

She continues, “Whenever someone reminds me of that place, I become hysterical. My senses were not working. Now my husband does not allow me to go anywhere or do anything alone. At night I can hear people’s voices screaming for help. I cannot stay in bed. Many times I tried to walk away during my sleep. My husband forcefully made me sleep. I took some medicines to survive from my fear. Our family doctor gave me some medicines as well. Whenever someone speaks to me about the Rana Plaza incident, I have excruciating headaches. My husband has forbidden everyone from bringing up the topic in front of me.”

Afroza has vivid memories from her work at Rana Plaza. She helped to rescue many people during the time she was working. She discloses details about her involvement, “I still wonder how I helped so many people during that time. I rescued a girl. She held my hand so tightly that when we took her to the doctors we had to give her an injection so that I can free my hand. I still remember that scene.

One volunteer told me that some people are stuck under a floor. We made a hole in the place where the exhaust fan had once been. When I ducked my head inside, I saw that two dead bodies were inside. Still I shouted to see if someone was there. I heard a person coughing. We found a person’s leg was stuck there. First we gave him normal water and then saline water through a small funnel. But he was having trouble breathing so other volunteers told me to go down there to give him an oxygen mask. I told them there was two dead bodies so I could not go down there. They told me they would move away the dead bodies so that I could go downstairs and give the victim an oxygen mask. When I went there to give him the mask he held my hand and would not let go. After seeing this, people from my team told me they would give me directions to rescue him from there.

The poor man was really scared. He could easily go outside from the place where he was stuck on his own but he was scared so he did not know what to do. His leg was stuck but he could move it. Due to fear, he felt paralyzed and could not move. At first I thought he was my family member so I was excited but then I realized he was another helpless soul who was stuck. When I was going to the hospital, the TV channel showed people and us from home called me. They thought I found my brother-in-law. But I told them that I am still searching for him and this was another person.”

Constantly under mental pressure as she was unsure about the whereabouts of her brother-in-law, Afroza worked tirelessly. She knows she was making an impact, but she was also concerned with if she would ever recover from losing her senses during the tragedy. She speaks about her condition, “I lost my shoes during the rescue operations and one of the army members brought me a new pair. He noticed that amongst all the volunteers working there, only I did not have any footwear. Working as a volunteer at Rana plaza taught me many things. I did not know what an oxygen cylinder was but I learned how to give people oxygen who had breathing problems. Members from the medical team taught us these things but they were scared to go into the rubble and do it by themselves. So we had to go there to give victims oxygen masks when they had trouble breathing. Lots of people who were stuck alive died due to thirst for water. After the collapse, the place became a living hell; it was impossible to survive inside without light and oxygen. Some of our volunteers also got sick due to lack of oxygen. When they went inside, they tried to get far but their oxygen would be finished and they felt suffocated. After some time we noticed that if they did not return timely, we had to rescue them fast.

When I came back home after the 9th day, I was sick. I was unable to meet other volunteers who also worked with us. I could not work at all. I kept remembering those people who were screaming for help. I was really scared for them but I could not go out. Whenever someone reminds me of Rana Plaza, I became hysterical so the topic was not discussed in front of me at all. My husband distracted me all the time with other things so that I do not remember the incident at all. Our landlord advised me that if I still had my job, I should be sent to work as it could distract me properly.

Funnily enough, my supervisor from the office called me one day to tell me that I still have my job and if I want I can continue working there. They told me they would allow me a one-month medical leave as I went to Rana Plaza for a good cause. They advised me to start working so that I can gradually feel better.

Whenever I discuss the Rana Plaza incident, I have a headache. I remember my brother in law who died during the accident. His wife got some money from the government. So she went to stay at village with her kid. She is having problems with her kidney. Her husband owned a house but after his death his brothers took control of it. My sister in law is in trouble now. Relatives from her husband’s side have created problems for her so she left Savar and is living in Dinajpur now. She will come back when her kidney problem is solved. Her daughter has been admitted to a school there. She will have to work because they do not have any other earning member in their family.”

Afroza knows everyone is struggling in his or her own ways. She too has to deal with her own psychological trauma since she did not receive any proper treatment. She concludes, “I feel good that I was part of the rescue operations but I feel bad at the same time that I could not do anything for the people who died. Many people lost their body parts and are crippled now, but they lived somehow. I am grateful for this.”

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Afroza Akhter Eti, 23 years old, has been working in the garments sector since she was only 13. She never dreamt of such a life, but it was her destiny. Afroza had dreams of becoming a doctor, but due to her family’s financial hardships, she was not able to pursue this dream but instead had to give in to the reality of her harsh situation. She speaks about her experience growing up, “When I was in class eight I wanted money to pay my exam fees. On the first day of the exam my father said that he will give me money but later, on the second day of exams, he did not give me any money to pay my fees. That is when I saw all my friends were paying their fees but I could not afford it. After this incident I was not able to take the second round of exams either. I went to my aunt’s house and stayed there for some time. I told my uncle that I would like to get a job but he told me that I was not old enough. Our house was in Manikganj and my aunt lived in Savar. After trying at a couple of places, I got a job at a printing factory and started working there. My studies stopped completely and I could not start again. Then after 3 years of working, in 2008, I got married.

After marriage I took a break from work and stayed at my in-law’s house. I started working with my husband again after a while. I had a dream to become a doctor but my father could not pay my fees. That is why I had to quit studying and start working at garments. I thought since I could not continue my studies for the lack of money, I should start earning money. Then my parents got me married at an early age. If I were educated then I could apply for a better job. But for less educated people like myself, garments is the only work option.”

Due to her parents’ difficult conditions, they could not afford to educate Afroza. She took matters into her own hands and started from a small job until she worked her way up to a job in the garments industry. She discusses more about working in garments for ten years, “The people who have completed higher secondary level education cannot find jobs these days so how would a person like me who has studied up until class 8 find a good job? Several garments factories have major problems. Some factories do not give vacation days when people are sick, and instead they force people to lie down in their medical room. They do not give us enough money for overtime either. At the same time, some garments factories do provide us leave during sudden sickness. Working at garments can be irritating but we have no option except working here. We cannot work at any other place and survive. No matter how painful it is, we have to work here anyway.

The garments sector is good for girls because maximum workers at the factories are women. As girls cannot go outside to do other jobs, a job at the garments factory is good enough. There are many illiterate people who cannot even sign their names but they work at garments. Sometimes people have to pay money to find jobs but poor people do not have the ability to do so. So they work in the garments industry. Working at garments is good for some people. There are so many people who are young and do not have anyone to support them. There are some young girls whose husbands died and they do not have anyone to help them with their costs of living. These people all work at garments to support their family. From this point of view, garments is a good work option for girls.”

Afroza is not wholly against for the garments industry as she has seen the benefits many people have found in having a job in garments. Consequently, she also is a witness to the many human rights violations certain factories have maintained as they do not respect the workers or pay them properly. From her first-hand experience as a garments worker, she is aware of the loose regulations and safety hazards that many factories maintain.

She was at work at another garments factory in Savar when the Rana Plaza building collapsed.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Afroza Akhter Eti became a volunteer at Rana Plaza when she realized her family member is missing. Her brother-in-law was working in the building and she frantically ran to the site as soon as she heard, to search for his body. Amidst searching for her relative, she became involved as a volunteer and started rescuing other people who were trapped or dead.

She shares unbelievable details about the day of the collapse, “On the day of Rana Plaza incident, I started for my workplace at 7 am and arrived there at 8 am. Around 9am, I heard from a friend of mine that Rana Plaza had collapsed. Immediately I called my husband who works at Raj Garments, and asked if he has any friends or known people working at Rana Plaza. My husband and the son of my husband’s elder brother had worked at Rana Plaza for one month but the salary was low. So they quit the job and started working somewhere else. After I heard that we have no family there, I still wanted to leave work for that day since a massive accident has occurred and people needed our help. After some time my husband’s sister called me and told me that her husband is missing. I told her that I have talked to her brother few moments ago and he told me that everyone is okay.

Well the incident was that her husband worked at a buying house and on the morning of the collapse, he had gone to Rana Plaza for some work. He heard that cracks were found on Rana Plaza building but he went there anyway driving his own car. Everyone at home told him not to go but he did not listen to anyone. I told my supervisor that I need leave as one of my family members is missing but he told me that I could not leave. I told him that I would quit the job. I can get a job later if I live but right now my family needs me. Another supervisor told me not to panic and I have permission to leave if necessary.

I started walking but I could not find any transport. A motorbike driver stopped nearby and asked me why I was crying. I told him that one of my family members was in Rana Plaza and now he is missing. He agreed to drop me to the site. He asked me if I would go to home first or to Rana Plaza site. I told him to drop me in front of Rana Plaza. I had already told people at home that I would not come back home until I find him. This person helped me a lot during my marriage. He was like a brother to me.”

Afroza was in a state of shock to know her brother-in-law was stuck somewhere within the crumbled building. She was determined to find her brother-in-law amidst the rubble no matter what. Unfortunately, what she found was not good news. She shares, “On the 16th day of the rescue operation, his dead body was moved out of the building. A fellow volunteer told me the dead body looked similar to the picture I had shown him of my brother-in-law. He told me to go the school opposite of Rana Plaza where all the dead bodies were taken to find out if the guy is my family member. That same day my office had called me to come and pick up my salary. I went to the garments factory where I work to pick up my check and told my other family members to go to the schoolyard to find his dead body. They went and later called me to confirm that it was indeed his dead body. At first the volunteers did not want to move his body but when they recognized him from the picture, they moved him out.”

Afroza was disheartened to know her brother-in-law had died in the collapse. His body had badly deteriorated over the 16 days it was buried under the rubble. She could not believe such an important person in her life was no more.

She reflects, “I still miss him. He always helped everyone. He earned a lot and he helped everyone with his money. I went to find him on the first day and came back on the 9th day. I started working as a volunteer at Rana Plaza and sometimes the army people would dig holes to rescue people from inside but those holes were so congested that they could not get inside. I went inside to rescue people. Sadly I could not save my brother-in-law.”

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Jewel’s wife’s name is Suraiya Begum. She is twenty four years old…When she came to Dhaka she met Jewel and they got married. She also worked at another garments but when Rana Plaza collapsed, she was pregnant so she didn’t work. On the day of the accident she was on her way back from their daughter’s school. She remembered, “I heard that Rana Plaza collapsed, so I rushed to that area. There I saw that the building was in ruins. I remembered that my husband is on the 4th floor of Rana plaza. If he was outside then I would have seen him. I went to search for him to everywhere. I even searched the faces of dead bodies to find him. I was new to Savar at that time. I didn’t know any places, so I took other people with me to search my husband.” The next day her mother-in-law came to support her. At 12pm that day, she got a call that her husband was taken to CMH. She walked to CMH from Savar despite her condition as she didn’t have any means of transportation. She reached the hospital but the guards did not let her go inside. She tenaciously kept requesting guards to let her enter and finally they let her go inside. She saw that her husband’s situation was really bad, “he didn’t have any clothes & his body was covered with dust. They told me to bring a bucket and a cloth to wash him. Then they took him for operation.”

Jewel feels grateful to his wife. After Jewel’s accident his wife gave him lots of support. His wife was pregnant while the accident occurred. She is also a garments factory worker. She found him two days after the accident. From the moment she found Jewel, she stayed with Jewel every moment though she was carrying a baby and that weakened her heavily. Jewel thinks her wife is a blessing in his life, “I think Allah saved my live because of her prayers. She took care of me even though she was pregnant.” Jewel heard from other people about his wife, how she managed to work that much hard. His wife thought that Jewel had no one except her, so who would do all these if she didn’t? Jewel’s mood also got cranky after his leg was amputated. He often behaved badly with her. Between last two years she and Jewel faced many hazardous situations but their bonding is still strong. They are going through a sad phase undoubtedly. But still she dreams. She dreams about their daughters. She wants to make her elder daughter a doctor, but she does not know yet how that dream could be realized.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

From working at Rana Plaza, Afroza Akhter Eti has strengthened her steadfast, staunch support for female empowerment in Bangladesh. She believes the taboos against women working outside of their home and completing the same work as men should be removed. As a female volunteer, she learned that anyone is capable as long as they are given an opportunity to prove themselves. She is a strong advocate for women to pave their own paths to happiness.

She shares, “I want women to have a chance to work equally with men without any hurdles thrown at them from their households or society. They should not be told that they cannot go to a certain place because they are women. Girls here can accomplish a lot but due to a myriad of societal pressures, they are unable to do so. Girls are not scared during these types of crisis and due to family pressure; they stay at home without participating. This kind of pressures should not be given to the girls for wanting to help and be involved. I probably would have received the same pressure from my community if my brother in law had not been a victim in the collapse. He was really close to me like my own brother. I respected him a lot.”

Afroza was rewarded for her work at Rana Plaza. She was amongst the few women who took part despite the dangers involved. She is glad she had a chance to engage directly in rescue work. She has received some tribute for her work, “I was part of two ceremonies where they respected the volunteers from Rana Plaza. I heard Prothom Alo will do something for us but I could not go there due to my circumstances at home. I have not gotten anything from the Bangladesh Bank. I helped people not to achieve fame or any monetary rewards. If I did something good then they will find me. I have a plaque at home to commemorate my work, but even if I did not have it, I would not feel bad.”

She reflects more on working at the site as a female volunteer, “I would like to say that this kind of accidents should not happen in our country. Another important matter is that women should not be discouraged to be involved during these types of tragedies. Usually they cower and stay at home due to family’s pressure but this kind of pressures should not be given to the girls. I would request everyone to not place pressure on women who would like to participate in certain activities. Girls are brave enough to do everything they place their minds on. They need equal chances as their male counterparts to show they are capable as well. 

Overall, I feel really proud to have been a part of the Rana Plaza volunteer team myself. If I could save all the people there, then I would have felt better.”

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Jewel Sheikh is one of the victims of the Rana Plaza incident. He lost a leg in that accident and the other one is not working properly. Jewel Sheikh came to Dhaka from the northern part of Bangladesh. He is from the Idlipur village in Gaibandha district. He used to earn his livelihood by farming. But being farmer he had to work hard on the open field and could not earn enough earning to run his family. He is thirty two years old. His family consists of four members other than himself - his two children, wife and mother. He was looking for a way out to earn money to run his family properly. He came to Dhaka in 1996. He tried different type of jobs such as pulling rickshaw and working in a garments factory. Before getting a job at Rana plaza he gathered a long experience in garments factory work. He joinedRana Plaza as an ironman. He worked at the fourth floor of Rana Plaza. He worked there for four months.

Jewell recalled that fatal day, “On the day before Rana Plaza accident I went there to work. At 10 am leave was given by the authority. They told us to go for work the next day. When I went to work on 24th April, I noticed all the workers were standing downstairs. No one was going inside. People from the authority came and told us that if we want to work we can go inside & there is no reason that the building will collapse.” The authority also threatened to stop paying their salary if they did not enter the building. So, they went inside the building. When he was entering the Rana Palaza he had no clue what was waiting for him and his fellow workers.  So they went inside and started working anyway. After a while he took a break for drinking some water; and suddenly there was a scratching sound & the whole building collapsed. He got hurt, but he did not faint. After a while he realized that a beam had fallen on his legs. Jewel’s hands were free and unharmed. So, he tried to pull himself out from under the beam, but that did not make any change. He was there under debris for twelve hours. He could not see anything there because of darkness. He heard people screaming and crying out loud for help from surrounding places. He was losing hope about his life. Suddenly a group of volunteers found him. Jewel said, “Some volunteers came & assured that they are trying to rescue us as soon as possible. They gave us some water to drink.”

They couldn’t find a way to rescue him instantly, because the situation was worse than anybody’s imagination. If they tried to move that beam, the roofs might have collapsed on them. Another man who was also stuck with Jewel under the beam pleaded to volunteers to cut their legs if needed. At dawn the volunteers came to them again and saying that they are going to get them out. Then they told them if they cut their legs at that point they can get them out. The rescuers were still hopeful about bringing them out without sacrificing their legs. They found another way out to save their lives. The volunteers did not take the risk of cutting the beam. They technically moved the beam to drag them out. They crawled through a hole to move them out from there. Volunteers moved them around 1.30 pm on the next day. Afterwards, Authority instantly sent them to the Central Military Hospital directly from there.was just thinking about helping other rescuers there, though I didn’t know most of them.” 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Rana Plaza has become the worst nightmare of his life. Sometimes he curses himself. He sometimes even thought why he asked people to save his life. It would be better if he died rather than living like this. He heard a lot of hurtful things from people around him. They told him blatantly that all this things happened to him because he is an evil and that is why he lost his leg. Sometimes he wishes to die out of frustration. With an aching heart Jewel shared his state of mind, “I was not a handicapped person when I was born. But I became like this. As I do not have legs am I am unable to walk. I cannot say anything to anyone. I feel bad when I hear these things but I tolerate it.” He also said that if all the people of this country extend their hand to improve the lives of Rana Plaza victims, then that could make some difference. As Jewel’s wife said, “from the ten thousands taka interest we receive from bank, we have to give three thousands taka as house rent, two thousands taka to my in laws and we can spend the rest for ourselves. From his (Jewel) shop we don’t get more than two thousand taka. We don’t have money to buy goods for our shop. In future if we receive any help then we can do something with our shop & make some progress. We didn’t get any money from the prime minister’s fund. I got a letter from the prime minister’s office saying that we would not get any money.” Jewel Sheik’s life after Rana Plaza incident become a train of sorrow and struggle. Lack of proper rehabilitation scheme from authority made Jewel and his family defenseless. He always feels danger about future. He does not know there is a proverb like survival of the fittest but without knowing that he is still keeping fighting for a new day and joy of life. 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Jewel’s struggle started when he was admitted into Birdem. His leg wound was worsening day by day. He also had problem with his kidneys. They gave him dialysis 10 times. Sometimes he tries to stand up as he feigns that his legs are still there and he falls down. Then he remembers that he doesn’t have two legs. Sometimes he feels itch at his toe and in different other places where his leg used t be. “Why do I even have this feeling? The people who lose their hands & legs are the most helpless ones in the world” said Jewel. He feels helpless and hopeless now a day. He complained that “When I seek for someone’s help to move heavy things, they help me if they are free, if they don’t want to help me, they don’t. But when I had legs I even carried sacs weighing 85kg on my own.” He thought if he can improve his shop, then he can take care of his two daughters properly. But his business is not going well. Now he does not have any fixed income. His daughters and wife wants him to take them out, but he cannot. Whenever this happens, that makes him feel really bad, “I cannot fulfill my responsibility as a father and husband.” He thought if he can improve his shop, then he can take care of his two daughters properly. But his business is not going well. Now he does not have any fixed income. 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Rana Plaza has become the worst nightmare of his life. Sometimes he curses himself. He sometimes even thought why he asked people to save his life. It would be better if he died rather than living like this. He heard a lot of hurtful things from people around him. They told him blatantly that all this things happened to him because he is an evil and that is why he lost his leg. Sometimes he wishes to die out of frustration. With an aching heart Jewel shared his state of mind, “I was not a handicapped person when I was born. But I became like this. As I do not have legs am I am unable to walk. I cannot say anything to anyone. I feel bad when I hear these things but I tolerate it.” He also said that if all the people of this country extend their hand to improve the lives of Rana Plaza victims, then that could make some difference. As Jewel’s wife said, “from the ten thousands taka interest we receive from bank, we have to give three thousands taka as house rent, two thousands taka to my in laws and we can spend the rest for ourselves. From his (Jewel) shop we don’t get more than two thousand taka. We don’t have money to buy goods for our shop. In future if we receive any help then we can do something with our shop & make some progress. We didn’t get any money from the prime minister’s fund. I got a letter from the prime minister’s office saying that we would not get any money.” Jewel Sheik’s life after Rana Plaza incident become a train of sorrow and struggle. Lack of proper rehabilitation scheme from authority made Jewel and his family defenseless. He always feels danger about future. He does not know there is a proverb like survival of the fittest but without knowing that he is still keeping fighting for a new day and joy of life. 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Mosammat Rehana Akhtar became legless after the Rana Plaza collapse. Everyday menial tasks are difficult to complete without someone by her side. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky when it comes to one’s life partner. Her husband, Monir Hossen, has not been the most supportive in her recovery process. Thus, she feels more ostracized for her condition after the collapse.

Mosammat discloses, “We are passing days full of extreme sorrow. Who can understand our pain? My husband would have stayed besides me if he had understood. Even he does not understand my pain. If I had money, then I could afford to have someone besides me for my assistance. But since I do not, I must endure all the pain alone. He would have stayed beside me if he understood but he does not stay with me. I told him to work in Dhaka but reversely, he asked me from where would he conjure all the money for expenses? Instead he wanted money from me. But in my condition when I cannot work - how can I give him any money?”

After the collapse and seeing her condition, Mosammat’s husband did not stay in Dhaka. He left back to their village in Jessore to work. Mosammat had to stay in the capital for her treatment. She feels abandoned in her moments of need. She reveals, “He earns 100-150 taka per day in the village. His mother is alive and he has to take care of her. His brother died and left two children behind. He has to take care of the children as well as his brother’s wife. Everyone has pain. My biggest pain in life is that I am his wife and he does not understand me.”

Mosammat understands her husband’s duties towards his own family but she also needs him alongside her. She feels if he had stayed in Dhaka and started working, perhaps as a rickshaw puller, they would be able to make enough money to send back to the village as well as live in Dhaka. Now she is wholly dependent on her sisters to support her in his absence.

She is separated from both her husband and her son. It places deep strains on her mentally. She shares, “I would stay in my village if I could. I am not living the village because I cannot walk and move properly. In my village, our home is made of clay and it is elevated above the land. It is painful to enter and exit the house. I cannot use the washroom properly as there is no high toilet. I do not have enough money to fix these things, in order to accommodate my condition.

I have my parents in my village. My father-n-law is dead but my mother-in-law is alive. My husband is doing a small business in the village. He left the garments job he was doing in fear of such a disastrous situation happening to him. He is afraid. If both of us are in the same condition, then who will take care of our family?”

Although Mosammat understands her husband’s underlining fears of continuing to work in a garments factory, she knows there are other jobs he can do. She feels unfortunate and lonely living in Dhaka and relying on her sisters to survive.

Mosammat Rehana Akhtar, originally from Jessore, migrated to Savar in hopes of bringing about change to her difficult life. She worked at New Wave Textile Limited on the 7th floor of Rana Plaza. In the horrific accident, her leg was buried and had to be amputated in order for her to survive.

She recalls the incident of losing her leg, “I closed my eyes. For a long time, they were making a hole in the roof. I became anxious and screamed so they could save me. I told them that my leg was stuck. They were telling me to be patient and not to worry. After they made a hole in the roof, they climbed in and saw a wall had fallen on my hand. I told them that both my hand and leg were stuck. I had no sensation in these body parts. They could not nudge the wall. I told them to cut my leg to bring me out. I wanted to get out. They asked me about the location of my leg. I replied that my leg was stuck under something heavy. A guy was saying we must amputate the leg to bring me out. I was telling them that my leg was fine and requested them to try to save it. I was thirsty so they gave me water. I drank water and felt better. Then I fainted. I remember that I could not speak anymore. All I remember was asking a guy to save me and staring up at him. I cannot remember after that. I was lifted up while someone was trying to bring me out but he failed. So they slide me down on a long piece of cloth. After that I cannot remember, but my leg was properly amputated in the hospital.”

Her recollection of the day of the incident resonates with all the other workers’ tales. They were dismissed before lunch on April 23rd and threatened to come to work the following day despite the evident cracks everyone witnessed. Their monthly salary was at stake for missing that one-day of work, so they had to compel.

Mosammat reflects on why she came to work in the capital in the first place, “I came to Dhaka because of my family’s crisis. I had a dream to earn money for them but it was not fulfilled. Now I am suffering for my decision. Garments workers lead a terrible life. People come into garments to struggle. If I was happy then I would have never joined this line of work. We had financial problems so I had no option.

Our family has little land in the village. It is not enough space to build a house. I have five brothers. There was no space. I came to Dhaka in 2011 along with my husband. One of our neighbors from the village suggested that I join a garments factory since the salary is good. We stayed in his place for a week and then he rented a room for us.

I found a job in a garments factory named Nipun Garments in Chowrongi Market. Later a guy from the same factory named Babu offered me a job in Rana plaza. I joined work at Rana Plaza in 2012. I worked on the seventh floor for almost a year.  I joined Rana Plaza on the 11th of April in 2012 and the building collapsed on 24th April 2013. I was paid enough by the factory. I earned around 12000-13000 taka per month. I could save some money after all expenditures. But then the collapse happened. I felt I was cursed.” 

One of the greatest tragedies of Mosammat’s life is her separation from her son, Rayhan. Her son is in the fourth grade. He lives in Jessore with his grandparents. Due to the exorbitant expenses of education in a bigger city, Mosammat and her husband could not bring their son to live with them in Savar.

She explains, “Some people say we should be happy to make money. But is making money greater than our lives? I would not need money if I had some peace in my life. I feel that I will remain in my poor condition forever. When will my condition change? I have a child but I cannot bring him to live with me. I cannot afford to send him to school. I left him with his grandmother. When I call him he says, “Mom, you have left me.” It breaks my heart. He is growing up so fast. When I started working in the factory, I left him in our village so that he can study.”

She is upset to realize that her sacrifice was not worth it, as she is now disabled and cannot provide for her child or her family at all. Looking away, she says, “My dream is broken. I have a child and I will always educate him to not work as a garments worker like me. At least he will never say that his mother worked in garments and he is working in the same industry as well. If he studies, then he will get a good job. I have dreamt about it. Although I lost my days to build my child’s future, I still remain hopeful.”

Being physically separated from her son is a mental barrier on Mosammat. She spends days wondering what he is doing, and wishes he can accompany her and stand by her side in moments of weakness. She shares, “I saw my son briefly after months of being away. Few days ago, I travelled to my hometown and stayed there for around a month. Now I need someone besides me as I cannot do anything. I cannot fetch water when I am thirsty. It would be better if my son could live in Dhaka with me. He could bring water for me. I will do nothing but stay idle at home, and he can study. Unfortunately we do not have the money. I cannot take care of him now. I cannot go outside. I become so frustrated in my current condition. I am constantly in pain every time I move. I came back from the village and my sisters are taking care of me and my medical treatment.”

Mosammat Momota Khatun came to Dhaka from Rangpur, northern part of Bangladesh. She came to Dhaka for earning his livelihood and takes care of her daughters. She is thirty five years old now and lost her ability to work. It was not happen because of her (any kind of) illness. She was a normal working class person just befor Rana Palza incident happened. She got trapped there and that was a turning point of her life. Nothing has same after that. While interviewer asked her to tell the story of that day, she replied –“I can’t explain everything as I didn’t have sense on that time. I worked as a helper in Newstar New BD on seventh floor.” So, interviewer asked her again about those very earlier moments of the incident. In reaction she said- “That day we stopped working at 10 am according to PM Sir’s decision and he ordered us to vacant the floor. But he didn’t inform us what happed there. He told us that we would have been marked absent if we didn’t join the work.”  After lunch Momota with other colleagues went to work and saw the door was locked. Then she returned back to her home. She was afraid about being counted absent in the factory because authority said if they don’t come they will count them as an absent. Some of her well-wisher and closed relatives warned her no to go to work. By the way, one of her daughter also worked in Rana Plaza building as a garments worker. She decides to join the work if other co-workers will join. Momota went to her floor and saw everybody is on their duty except ten to twelve people were still in downstairs and arguing, denying to join to work due to the news of crack in the building. Meanwhile, one of the authoruity came to them and assured about safety. Authority took them to the floor though they were not starting working. Authority also said other workers on second floor working in full swing. But still some people remain idle with confusing state of mind. So the state mind of Momota was the same. She was leaving the floor and suddenly everything turned in to black out. Her daughter worked there too and she was as well slightly injured and volunteers found her after two days. Momota’s daughter didn’t get any financial assistance from authority or government; she only got some monetary support from Bkash. Now, Momta cannot work any tedious or heavy duty work. She is paralyzed and dependent upon other family members, this situation has become dreadful to her. 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Mosammat Rehana Akhtar is one amongst many who has not properly been compensated after the collapse in 2013. She is aware of her entitlement to government benefits yet unsure of how to go about claiming compensation. The procedures are not clear. Amidst many NGO’s, factories, and compensation funds organized by the Bangladeshi government—somehow the money is never funneled down to the people who need it the most.

She shares, “We have not received any compensation from the government. Many of us worked on the same floor. Workers of the second floor received their compensation but we did not. If we could receive fair compensation, we would not have to stay in Dhaka. We could find a sustainable solution for our families and ourselves. Honestly, we are suffering a lot and do not have any future to work and improve our situation. Many of us can never work again.”

The discrepancy in distribution of funds is a great problem for Mosammat’s life. Some of her friends and fellow workers from the factory have received small grants from the government while others have not received little to nothing at all.

Mosammat divulges about her own situation, “I was supposed to be compensated only 10 lakh 50 thousand taka from the government. I received 50,000 taka from bKash and 10 lakh in check. We never received the check. The check is in the government’s custody and we only receive the small bank interest. I have to go to Dhaka to withdraw the money but I cannot ride in the bus. It is a huge problem. The bus driver does not drive slowly for me. I have thought about renting a car but you will need at least 1,000 taka. When I pick up the installment monthly, I only receive 10,000 taka. I have to spend 2,000 taka monthly for my child’s education.”

Impediments due to health constrain Mosammat from travelling to Dhaka regularly. When she is feeling stable, she travels to Dhaka to pick up her check. She continues, “I have communicated with the people who were on the second floor of Rana Plaza. They asked how much compensation we received and I told them. They received more than double our compensation from 25 to 50 lakh taka. They told us to strike against the government so we can receive our fair compensation too. 20 or 30 lakh taka is not enough but they are satisfied it when they hear we only received 10 lakh taka. If I received how much they are receiving, it would be enough.

I can lead my life well with 20 or 30 lakh taka but we are not given that. Everyone was not fairly given his or her money. Why are we given different compensation? Is it ethical to give us only a small amount from the government even though we were all in the same building? We want help to fight our case. I always think, if someone asks you to amputate your leg for 50-lakh taka, would you do it? I had to do this because it was my fate. But you will never do it. So why are we not given proper compensation? If we want to report  this, then we must report the facts. Unfortunately we cannot run our life without money. My husband does not even care when I have only 10 lakh taka. If I received nothing at all, what would be our consequence? We would have to beg on the road. We have nothing in our village.”

Since Mosammat is currently living in Savar with her sisters, she is still in touch with her fellow workers. She speaks more about the inequality in their compensation or lack thereof, “I have frequent contact with the people who were injured. We are 36 persons altogether. Half of them were given compensation properly and half of them were not. We did not know before. After the incident when we lived in hospital together, we started getting to know each other. Before that we did not know each other since we worked on different floors. How could I know them then?  At the hospital, I was injured and they were injured as well. Now we know each other very well. We keep in touch regularly.”

Her fellow workers who were injured are her support system in Savar. She is regularly speaking with them to discuss how they can claim fair compensation for their situation. They need the money to restart their lives anew. They seek any legal help in order to make this dream a reality.

Mosammat Rehana Akhtar is one amongst many who has not properly been compensated after the collapse in 2013. She is aware of her entitlement to government benefits yet unsure of how to go about claiming compensation. The procedures are not clear. Amidst many NGO’s, factories, and compensation funds organized by the Bangladeshi government—somehow the money is never funneled down to the people who need it the most.

She shares, “We have not received any compensation from the government. Many of us worked on the same floor. Workers of the second floor received their compensation but we did not. If we could receive fair compensation, we would not have to stay in Dhaka. We could find a sustainable solution for our families and ourselves. Honestly, we are suffering a lot and do not have any future to work and improve our situation. Many of us can never work again.”

The discrepancy in distribution of funds is a great problem for Mosammat’s life. Some of her friends and fellow workers from the factory have received small grants from the government while others have not received little to nothing at all.

Mosammat divulges about her own situation, “I was supposed to be compensated only 10 lakh 50 thousand taka from the government. I received 50,000 taka from bKash and 10 lakh in check. We never received the check. The check is in the government’s custody and we only receive the small bank interest. I have to go to Dhaka to withdraw the money but I cannot ride in the bus. It is a huge problem. The bus driver does not drive slowly for me. I have thought about renting a car but you will need at least 1,000 taka. When I pick up the installment monthly, I only receive 10,000 taka. I have to spend 2,000 taka monthly for my child’s education.”

Impediments due to health constrain Mosammat from travelling to Dhaka regularly. When she is feeling stable, she travels to Dhaka to pick up her check. She continues, “I have communicated with the people who were on the second floor of Rana Plaza. They asked how much compensation we received and I told them. They received more than double our compensation from 25 to 50 lakh taka. They told us to strike against the government so we can receive our fair compensation too. 20 or 30 lakh taka is not enough but they are satisfied it when they hear we only received 10 lakh taka. If I received how much they are receiving, it would be enough.

I can lead my life well with 20 or 30 lakh taka but we are not given that. Everyone was not fairly given his or her money. Why are we given different compensation? Is it ethical to give us only a small amount from the government even though we were all in the same building? We want help to fight our case. I always think, if someone asks you to amputate your leg for 50-lakh taka, would you do it? I had to do this because it was my fate. But you will never do it. So why are we not given proper compensation? If we want to report  this, then we must report the facts. Unfortunately we cannot run our life without money. My husband does not even care when I have only 10 lakh taka. If I received nothing at all, what would be our consequence? We would have to beg on the road. We have nothing in our village.”

Since Mosammat is currently living in Savar with her sisters, she is still in touch with her fellow workers. She speaks more about the inequality in their compensation or lack thereof, “I have frequent contact with the people who were injured. We are 36 persons altogether. Half of them were given compensation properly and half of them were not. We did not know before. After the incident when we lived in hospital together, we started getting to know each other. Before that we did not know each other since we worked on different floors. How could I know them then?  At the hospital, I was injured and they were injured as well. Now we know each other very well. We keep in touch regularly.”

Her fellow workers who were injured are her support system in Savar. She is regularly speaking with them to discuss how they can claim fair compensation for their situation. They need the money to restart their lives anew. They seek any legal help in order to make this dream a reality.

Momota’s daughters love her a lot. They miss their mother. They support role with their mother with everything they have. Momta always thinks about her daughter’s study and marriage. The same question which always pops up in her mind is, “who will take these responsibilities?”  She wants to see her daughters in an established position in the society. Her daughters cannot take care themselves but they love their parents. They are not much older but Momota concerns about their future, she and her husband right now cannot do a strategy to secure their daughters prospect. When she had job the family’s total income was almost enough to raise their children. As a victim of Rana Plaza incident she lost her ability to work as a worker. She now accuses the leader and the policy makers for her of misery. Garments industries have a great impact in Bangladesh. She shared her understanding about garment sector, “I think garments industries are not good for Bangladesh. Is this really good being a paralyzed? Some lost their parents or children. So how garments industries are good for our country? Buildings are not well but people compelled to do their job there. If buildings are not safe then doing job there is not safe as well. Working in safe building is not hazardous. Would have we admit this mass killing would not be happened if the building was safe?” Momota’s question echoed many of people’s point about Rana Plaza incident…

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Her daughter suggests her to go back to the village. She is married and lives with her husband. Her husband is a shopkeeper. Sometime out of the frustration Momota thinks she is useless in the family, she can’t even rinse her clothes after she take shower, her husband washes her clothes. She said, “My life doesn’t have any value. I have got no one to talk about my dreams.” Her husband also wants to go back to village as he thinks it is becoming heavy on them to arrange three thousand taka every month for the house rent without any permanent income source. On the other hand, her shop is also not running well due to the lack of goods. 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Now she does not go anywhere. Her daughter is still doing a job in a garments factory in Hemayetpur, Savar. She is always worried about her daughter. She has three unmarried daughters and she has to look after their study and worry about marriage. No one can take these responsibilities. She said, “Once two of us earned money for our family, but now only one person earns the money. I can’t afford their education and there are six persons to be fed. I have to pay the house rent every month which I can’t afford, so I admitted my daughters in a school in my native village. Still I want them to be educated. I didn’t get any chance of education. I studied up to class 4 only.”     

She thinks she would never have to work in a garments factory if she studied well. That is why she is trying to educate all of her daughters. One of her daughters studied up to class five and the other one studied up to class six. Both of them got married. They are good-looking. Their father arranged their marriage. Now, her husband and two daughters are taking care of her.

Momota did not get proper financial help from the factory owner or the government. The only financial help she received was from BKash; BKash gave her 15,000 BDT three times and 30,000 BDT twice. A NGO named Torongo gave her the stuff worth 47,000 BDT for her shop.

Momota was saying with penance, “government gave me nothing in cash. They allotted around taka 5 lac for me, but I do not know why I have not received any of it so far. I was informed that I might get the money before Eid, but I’m not so sure about that.”

She got 10,000 BDT from the Prime minister’s fund when she were in hospital. After all deductions now she is supposed to get 3,42,000 BDT; the document she has is not a check, it’s a letter and it’s still in her home. They just gave her the paper, not the money. Government didn’t give her any Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR). She heard many people got FDR and they are still getting money from that account in monthly basis. Momota has to buy medicine everyday which costs 200-250 BDT. Now she can only spend around 100 taka after her medicine. People don’t trust that she didn’t get any help. They in fact think she got more help than the other victims. Momota was saying, “I was perfectly well before the disaster. Now I’ve become paralyzed forever. I don’t have any son who could take care of me. My daughters can’t look after me forever. My life has become a disaster. I feel sad when I remember my old life. I can’t sit on the floor. I can’t work properly. Three of my body parts are paralyzed and only one hand is useful but after a numerous injections I lost strength in this hand too. I can’t even lift a kid.”

Momota wants to go back to her village if she can secure some financial solvency. She does not want live in the city or in Savar. If she can get one million BDT, it will be possible to go back to her village and spend the rest of her with ease.

She appealed, “Now I can’t work, I need help to survive.”  

Written by: Imran Firdaus

“My elder sister was also in the Rana Plaza building when the collapse happened. She was near the window. I was in the middle so I was stuck and unable to move. My parents were near Rana Plaza so when they were taking me out, my father saw me and went to the hospital with me,” shares Rabeya Khanam.

She continues, “While I was stuck inside, I thought I would never see light and I would never go out from that place again. I could not believe my eyes that such a big building such as Rana Plaza could shatter so brutally. I thought that I would die. But I was praying for my sister’s safety.”

Rabeya survived and found her sister later.

Nowadays, Rabeya spends copious time with the children at home. Rabeya takes care of the younger siblings and loves them a lot. It is difficult for her to fathom what would have come of their lives if she had died during the collapse. Although it is difficult for her on a daily basis, she tries to keep a brave front for the children. She wants to help them grow and succeed in life. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

She was operated four times. Now they are facing numerous problems. She can’t even take her food properly. Mojibur added, “I have to give her medicine. I have to wash her body, and apply oil on her body. I’m really in big trouble with all of these. I always get worried thinking about the rent or about our daughters. I am really anxious about our survival. Now we don’t have any other option but to admit our luck.”

Mojibur and Momota are not greedy and they have strong sense of dignity so they will not go anywhere asking for help, rather they will continue their fight against fate.   

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Rabeya Khanam and her sister both worked at Rana Plaza. They are from the district of Borguna. Rabeya is now 18 years old but was only sixteen at the time of the tragic incident. The two sisters began to work in the garments industry due to their family’s difficult financial conditions. Rabeya had been working at Rana Plaza for a year and eight months before she took a break and then rejoined. She had been at work for 1.5 months when the terrible collapse happened in April 2013. Although she studied until class 8, their family’s unfortunate situation pushed both girls to quit studying and start earning money. Rabeya’s sister began working at Rana Plaza three months after she had first joined.

Parvin Begum, Rabeya’s mother shares, “My daughters were missing and like any other mother in the world, I felt terrible. When I found one daughter but I could not get another one back, I thought I will never find her again. I was continuously praying to Allah so that I can have both my daughters back.”

Half of Parvin’s prayers were fulfilled as Rabeya survived but they did not find her sister until much later. Rabeya cannot sleep at night and suffers from extreme emotional trauma when reliving the memories. Her mother worries for her. Rabeya spends her days constantly replaying how she could changed the situation. 

“My husband helps me in everything. He always takes care of me,” reflects Rabeya Khanam. When recovering from trauma, you need a strong person to be a rock by your side. Rabeya’s greatest ally is her husband who loves her dearly and encourages her in all ways. Their love story was sweet. He had always known her but never had the courage to approach her.

Eventually, their parents made the arrangements. He shares, “My elder brother married one of her cousins. Through this relation, I knew who she was. Then my parents approached her parents to ask for her hand in marriage. I really liked her a lot.”

When asked how he feels about having to take care of her constantly given her illnesses and trauma, he replies, “I like taking care of her because she has trauma due to what happened to her, so I have to help her. I know it is my duty to be there to uplift her.” He pauses to reflect briefly and continues, “Of course I love her and have compassion for her. She became sick after Rana Plaza but should she not be married? Should she not continue living her life? That is what I believe. She became sick but so what? I married her because I liked her. Everyone likes her, so I married her.”

Belayed is unbelievable supportive of his wife. She is his life. He never feels burdened by taking care of her while she is trying to heal. He wants to be an accomplice to her regaining her health and wellbeing. He discloses, “She cannot do any work at home so I do it for her. She cannot even fetch water so I get it for her. She will stay sick all her life and never be fully functional, but I will always take care of her. It is my duty.

It is my dream for us to stay alive together, for how many days I am alive, I want both of us to stay alive together.”

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Belayed Hossain is Rabeya Khanam’s husband. He is 22-years old – a few years older than Rabeya herself. They were married only five months ago. He has been her greatest support in regaining strength to continue living and recovering from her traumatic state after the collapse. He spends copious time providing her with whatever help she needs.

He shares, “I don’t care that my wife is sick. I like her so that is why I am married to her. Everyone in my family liked her as well. I am simply glad that she is alive. She is my everything.”

Although Rabeya is often ill and has trouble walking and doing household work, Belayed does not expect his wife to toil away after him. He is very independent and inversely, he would rather have her rest while he takes care of her. He is mature and understanding of his wife’s condition. He knows if she were able to move and complete the household work herself, she would. He stays with her because of his compassion for her. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

When a traumatic incident happens in one’s life, it is difficult to continue being functional. Rabeya suffers from many mental blocks that prevent her from restarting her life and actively living. She has copious physical pains, which contribute to her dismay and broken attitude. She explains, “I still have trouble moving and I cannot carry heavy things. I took medicine for over one year then I got fed up so I stopped taking medicines.”

Witnessing the maladroit effects of medicine, Rabeya stopped relying on them and instead started honing in on healing herself through creative measures. She spends all day at home, so she spends her time productively making art pieces that help her to deal with her moods. She is very innovative and through spending time making something tangible, she is able to focus her energy elsewhere. She has a sewing machine at home that she often uses.

Although healing is a lengthy, difficult process, honing in on creativity helps to uplift one’s spirits. Rabeya is healing day by day and erasing the terror of being stuck in the rubble by focusing her attention elsewhere. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Abdul Alim and Jaheda Khatun’s children are very fond of their mother. After couple of years of her death, they still burst out in tears whenever they miss her. She is always on their mind After Jaheda Khatun passed away, Abdul Alim sent their daughter to her maternal grandfather’s house. Her aunty is taking care of her like her own child there. But she misses her mother very much. She writes her mother’s name or sibling’s name on the wall whenever she misses them. 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Rana Plaza has become a connotation of a new age man-made disaster (or killing?). It has changed a lot of families’ fate by force. One of those victims is Abdul Alim. Abdul Alim, thirty years old, lost his wife in that incident. His wife died when the building collapsed. She worked there. Abdul Alim met her while he used to work in the same garments factory. His wife’s name was Jaheda Khatun.  They were married for eight years and two months. They have two children- a daughter and a son. Abdul Alim came to Dhaka from Rangpur for earning livelihood. He started his career in the garments sector but he left the place because of the behavior and unhealthy practice of the authority. Later, he started working as a cycle van driver.  His wife Jaheda continued to work in the garments factory. Now a day, he runs a grocery shop. The day Rana Plaza incident happened is like yesterday to Abdul Alim. He recalls that day, “She (his wife) told me the day before that Rana Plaza building got some cracks in the wall and ceiling; so, I told her to quit this job and to stay home with the children. She went to work in the morning on the day of the incident. I went out with my van and heard that Rana Plaza building collapsed. When I heard about it I rushed the spot immediately.”

When he went there, he saw what damage was done. He tried hard to find her wife but could not make that possible. After fifteen days of the incident, authority announced that who had not find their relatives body can find that through DNA test. So, he sent his son’s blood sample to laboratory. “After three months we heard that she was buried in Jurain grave yard. Our children could not even see her for the last time. We could not even put her to grave. It is horrible to describe that moment. Whenever it flashes back in my mind I feel numb. Whenever I think about my wife I look at her picture. I see the picture & remember her”- Abdul Alim shared his sufferings.

Jaheda Khatun, wife of Abdul Alim and a victim of Rana Plaza had a lovely family. She loved her children. Some thought she used to be a perfect mother. Their elder daughter is nine years old and younger son is five years old. Her children are always searching for their mother; they miss her a lot. Alim send their elder daughter to her maternal grandparents’ house in village, where his wife’s sister is taking care of her like own children Their daughter’s name is Tsarina Akhter and son’s name is Kurban Hossain. Tsarina is in class five now. She comes to visit them sometimes. His son Kurban lives with him. While narrating the feelings of their children Alim said, “Sometimes my children ask me to take them to the graveyard to see her mother’s grave. Last month when my daughter came to visit us I took her to the graveyard. They find peace there.”

Kurban Hossain, the younger son of Jaheda-Alim couple is in class one. He misses her mother badly. Whenever he realized their mother is no more he bursts out in tear.  Though he is only five years old, he has clear memories of his mother. He told, “She adored me a lot. Sometimes I went to Gabtoli to my father to take money to get some cooking oil for my mother. Then I gave it to my mother. She cooked for us. My mother cooked egg, fish and mashed potato for me”- he still remembers that. As his father said, Kurban’s face has a lot of similarities with his mother. Like Kurban and Tsarina a lot of children became orphan due to Rana Plaza incident.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Abdul Alim worked at Ziga garments when he first time came to Dhaka. She met his wife Jaheda Khatun there, who died when Rana Plaza collapsed. He fell in a distress when Jaheda Khatun was killed by that incident. With two kids he did not see any ray of hope. He married again a lady from his village, just because he needed someone to take care of the children. His new wife loves and takes care of their children affectionately. Still, whenever Alim thinks about his wife, he looks at her picture and remembers her. (Read more on website)

As he said, “She cares for my children as her own. She will never be able to become a mother, so she accepted my children as her own. She was a divorcee. We also live in the same community.”

Written by: Imran Firdaus

When the building collapsed the roof fell down on the machineries, thus Shoma’s life was saved. But, Shoma faced trouble in breathing. For instance it felt like her respiratory system stopped working. After a while she was able to breathe. She was rescued from the place after two hours of the collapse. Rescuers took her to the medical center and doctor gave her some instant treatment. For better care she was referred to a hospital. There is no visible mark of injury on her body, but she cannot do any heavy or intense work due to pain in her waist. Waist pain makes her tired very quickly. Her life is dependent on the doctor’s prescription and medicines. She gets frustrated now and then about her life and her inability to work. Neverthelss, Shoma hopes someday she will be able to work again just like before the days of Rana Plaza. 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Abdul Alim is raising his children within the limitations. He keeps his son with him. His Son’s name is Kurban Hossain. He is six years old and in class one. Abdul Alim has a dream about Kurban, he hopes someday he will do something amazing, which will satisfy his mother’s expectations. Abdul Alim runs a small grocery shop but he wants his son to be someone influential who can contribute to the humanitarian causes.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Rana Plaza incident left a scar on most of the victims’ psyche, and even this is true for those who got the chance to come out from the rubbles and debris. Twenty one years old Shoma is one of them. She was rescued from the place two hours after the accident happened. She worked at the seventh floor of Rana Plaza. She had some injuries but that two hours left an indelible mark on her mind. On the day of the accident, like any other day, she went to her workplace in the morning. They already knew about the crack on the building and were wondering that if something goes wrong what they would do. But their authority assured them nothing is going to happen terrible. So, they went upstairs and worked for an hour. After an hour the first tremble was felt. Let’s listen the story from Shoma’s experience, “at 9.15 am electricity there was power cut. Then after a while generator was started but again after five minute electricity was gone. Suddenly the building started shaking. Then it stopped. After two shakings that building suddenly collapsed. We were 7/8 people together. After the building collapse we couldn’t see anything properly, so, two of the guys who were stuck there opened their mobile phone’s torch.”

They were stuck there for almost two hours. There was a pregnant woman with them who got stuck under a machine. So she was crying a lot for help. Shoma was in an aisle where machines were on both sides and she was stuck in the middle. The roof fell apart on the machines so her life was saved. When she got out from that mess it felt like she was seeing the world for the first time. “I was really amazed by seeing the Sun. Everything seemed new to me”- it was like coming back to life to her. Those two hours experience is still haunting her. She was lucky enough to get out from the zone without having a major fracture. But one of her friends lost both of her legs.  When she was awakened and saw her legs were not in the place, she could not absorb the shock. She had a heart attack and died instantaneously. Another friend of Shoma had an iron rod stuck in her leg. A few days ago they operated on her and removed that rod. This traumatic experience has become a dreadful event in Shoma’s regular life. She cannot forget those moments.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Though she is living in denial but Shoma hopes bad time will end soon. She wants to get a good and fair job. Right now she is getting driving training from the CSID. If she finishes the training properly, she will get a good job there. This organization is working with the Rana Plaza victims. “In my team three girls and eight guys are learning to drive together”- Shoma is enjoying her new training session. She also added, “I know how to make clothes. So I am thinking about starting tailoring business at home. Because of Ramadan my training is stopped. After Ramadan they will call us again for training. In the mean time I can earn some money by sewing/tailoring people’s cloth in the festive season. Shoma wishes one day she will be able to move, run, laugh and enjoy life and that day is not far away.

Written by: Imran Firdous

Misses Shahnaz is Sohma’s mother. With Shoma and her family they live in Savar. The day Rana Plaza incident happened she was at home. Suddenly a neighbor came and told her that Rana Plaza had collapsed. She ran to the place. She got frantic when she saw the disaster. She searched for her all over the place but could not find Shoma’s body. Shahnaz thought she lost her adorable daughter.   Suddenly her son came to her and said that Shoma was back at home. So, she rushed to home. “A guy took her to our house after giving medicine. Then I saw her lying on the yard of our house. That day was really an uncertain one. I never thought I will see my daughter again”, Shahanza felt blessed when she saw Shoma.

Shahnaz is worried about Shoma’s health, “My daughter still feels pain in her waist. We gave her therapy, but still that pain makes her vulnerable.” As one of the victims Shoma only got a grocery shop worth 70 thousand BDT from CRP and 95 thousand BDT from Bkash account. Other than these, she did not receive any financial aid or support from the government of Bangladesh or authority.

After that hazardous event Shahnaz has no more wish to send her daughter to a garments factory. She does not want her to work there. On a different note Shahnaz was telling about Shoma’s age, Shoma’s actual age is 18 years but in paper she showed twenty years. Shahnaz thinks they need money for their livelihood but not by putting her daughter’s life in risk. 

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Shoma studied up to class 6. She has two siblings- a brother and a sister, both are studying at a school. In the family they have their parents as well. Due to her family’s financial problem, she had to take a job. Though she passed primary school, she still thinks mostly illiterate girls take jobs at garments factories. Because it is a vocational work so anybody can learn that within time. Shoma does not want to go back to a garments factory. She does not feel good about garments job after that incident. Being the eldest one she has some responsibility to help the family, but due to her weakness currently Shoma cannot earn. Nevertheless she hopes new days are on the way.

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Dhukhu Mia works hard as a rickshaw puller. Ever since his wife died during the collapse, he has had a difficult time balancing time for her children alongside earning an income so they can overcome their daily struggles. After receiving some help from the Bangladeshi government, he opened a small shop. As Dhukhu Mia is trying to tie back the loose ends of his children’s dismay after losing their mother, he is very supportive and showers them with constant love. Unfortunately due to his work, he needs help to take care of the children. His children have a stepmother who is there for them.

Dhukhu Mia shares more about the family’s dynamic, “My present wife takes care of my children and my children call her Maa. I told my wife to take care of my children as they lost their mother. I married a second time since my first wife had complications and could not have children. My first wife is still alive. My second wife died. After 5 years, my first wife suddenly gave birth to a boy and this son lives in our village. Still, I always remember my wife Jahanara. My daughter understands everything. Her mother died when she was 8 years old. My son often cries for his mother. I give them consolation. Sometimes my daughter cries for her mother when she sees her mother’s photo. I might forget for a while, but my daughter cannot forget her mother. When she remembers her mother, she cries a lot.”

The children have a difficult time believing their mother is no more. Dhukhu Mia continues, “I felt tremendously bad when I failed to find her right away. I wanted to find her dead body. I thought she had to be brought into any hospital. I had been confirmed about her death when I received the DNA report back. I thought she died and her dead body might be thrown away. Some skulls were also found throughout this time. Luckily when I got the call from that reporter, I had a confirmation about her grave. I did not see if half her body or her full body was buried.”

Dhukhu Mia’s first wife, who is his children’s stepmother, has graciously stepped forward to take on the responsibility of taking care of the children. To make ends meet, she too works in a garments factory. Dhukhu Mia shares his opinion about his wife’s work, “My wife works in Jiga garments now. I am constantly afraid. I have a fear of another accident occuring. If she is no more, then who will take care of my children? I always tell her to quit the job and go to the village. But inevitably, Allah controls everything. There is no correlation between human beings and accidents. Few days ago an earthquake happened and everyone panicked. Right now, my wife is in the factory and she will come back by 10 pm as she has overtime duty today. She fasts during Ramadan and is a good woman. I never worked in garments. I was a rickshaw puller.”

Dhukhu Mia is running his small shop, while his wife takes care of the children and works in a garments factory. It is difficult for their family to continue surviving with such limited funds and thus, both parents must work full-time. 

Written By: Thahitun Marium

Shagorika Akhter, 11 years old, lost the love of her life to Rana Plaza. Her mother, Jahanara Begum, left to work at the garments factory on the 23rd of April in 2013, and never returned home again. The strain of losing someone so dear has created mental strains and deep painful times in Shagorika’s youthful upbringing. She often cries for her mother. She remembers her always. After 6-7 months of searching for the corpse, finally a reporter helped her family to identify where her mother’s body had been buried. All that remains now of her mother are memories and the few possessions she had such a pair of her favorite bracelets. By holding onto the bracelets, Shagorika can always feel her mother’s presence.

Shagorika shares about the day her mother’s body was found, “Before the incident’s date there were some crack shown in the building. We told her not to go to the factory. But she went to the factory since they had promised to give her the salary for the month. We requested her not to go. She told me to take care of my younger brother. We cried a lot, but she went to the work anyway.

We got the news of the incident at around 9 am. After that, my brother Shagor and I ran to the factory premises. We could not enter the place due to the crowds that had gathered. We were stuck outside. Our aunt brought us from there. After that we searched for her a lot in many places, but failed to find her. I remember my mother a lot.”

Left motherless at such a young age, both Shagorika and her brother Shagor suffer tremendously on a daily basis. They currently live with their father and stepmother but the void their mother has left behind in their lives can be felt almost every day. 

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Dhukhu Mia, 38 years old, is originally from the village of South Murshidbigra in the Rangpur district. He is the husband of Jahanara Begum, who died during the Rana Plaza collapse. His wife was inside of the building working as a garments employee. She died during the horrific incident. Jahanara Begum and Dhukhu Mia have two children together.

He explains more about his wife, “My wife worked in Rana Plaza but she died when the building collapsed. I searched for her a lot but I could not find her. I have a son and a daughter with her. I was in severe mental stress. I searched for her dead body for 21 days straight. I went to the police station, the hospital and the morgue as well. I searched for her in every place but I could not find her dead body. Then a doctor said to give him a sample of my child’s blood for a DNA test. My daughter gave her blood sample in Dhaka Medical College Hospital and then we continued searching for her dead body. We searched everywhere but could not find her.”

Dhukhu Mia was disheartened to know his children had lost their mother and he lost his wife. He could not find her anywhere. He continues, “After 6-7 months we identified the dead body. A reporter informed us about the name and address. He asked me who is Shagorika Akhter and I replied that she is my daughter. Then he asked me who is Jahanara Begum, and I replied she is my wife. The reporter informed us that her dead body had been buried in the Jurain graveyard. He informed us of her grave number and offered us an opportunity to visit the cemetery. I went there along with my children. Still I go there with my children. Not all dead bodies could be identified, as most of them were rotten.”

After this, Dhukhu Mia realized his wife was no more. He discloses, “I cried and searched for her a lot. There were a huge number of dead bodies in Ordhochondro field. I unzipped the cover to see if any were my wife’s dead body. But I could not find her dead body as there was severe bad smells coming from the rotten dead bodies. We could not even eat. I failed to identify her dead body in the Ordhochondro field. On the 21st days of the rescue missions all the dead bodies were brought out. Then a prayer was held there. Some people suggested I take a DNA test to identify if I can use it to find her dead body. I was hoping for that but wary. I informed my children about their mother’s death and told them not to cry.”

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mr. Gerben De Jong has been the Ambassador to the Netherlands in Bangladesh between 2012 and 2015. When the Rana Plaza incident occurred in Savar, his office got the news immediately. At the primary stage they heard that the incident was not that much serious and very few people were wounded. Yet after a while when they realized that the collapse of the building had turned into a man-made disaster; after the collapse: NL and other EU countries offered emergency help. Netherlands was a frontrunner in the collaboration with GoB on how to get out of this crisis and picked up the coordination with other donors who wanted to work on the RMG sector. After news of the extend of the catastrophe, the Netherlands together with other European countries offered their emergency support. The Netherlands was a frontrunner in the collaboration with Government of Bangladesh on how to get out of these crises and coordinated with other donors working on the RMG sector.

Mr. Gerben De Jong said, “Now, most of the European governments have the resources to support people to help and find victims wherever there is a catastrophe. When the incident happened we came forward to help, though a huge rescue mission had already started there by the Government of Bangladesh, Non-Government organizations and volunteers. It was the first step we took to handle the critical scenario at the time. If Bangladesh wants to avoid this type of situations in future, relevant stakeholders, such as government and garment owners, have to cooperate to develop and maintain a sustainable and safe RMG sector. The Ambassador of The Netherlands in Dhaka opined that to help out victims, the Government of Bangladesh can develop a national insurance scheme for the workers. As we know from last six months that the number of accidents in factories has increased recently.  From his point of view a single time financial aid is not enough for the victims, because there are various kinds of victims; some are suffering from trauma, some lost their limb(s), while some others were crippled; so, it means that these people needs continuous support.

Mr. De Jong also informed that on behalf of the Dutch Government, the Netherlands Embassy in Dhaka raised the point of compensating the victims by the industrialists and the brands, especially the brands which were operating in Rana Plaza to assist people, to assist direct victims.

“We were working on this issue from the beginning and trying to make a front from where we can raise the fund as per the strategy prescribed by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Recently it became possible that the whole fund could be finalized and the victims are to be compensated by the funds,” his Excellency added.

So far, a number of local and international non-government organizations are working with the victims for the last two years; they are supporting them by giving money, setting up shops, medical assistance and so on.

Mr. Gerben De Jong is still very positive about the future of the RMG sector Bangladesh. He thinks that quite a few measures have already been taken for the safety of the workers here and these initiatives are recognized in Europe, United States and other countries around the world. But if Bangladesh want to maintain the second position in exporting RMG products globally and wants to reach the 50 billion export mark in 2021, which is supported by the Government of Bangladesh, then the industrialists and the owners of factories here have to invest and concentrate on improving the condition of working environment. If the local industries take this point on top of the priority list, international markets will also recognize them positively and they can be a handsome competitor in international market.

In this regard Mr. Gerben De Jong said, “All of us have to continue working together to get there where we want to be. The RMG industry is the number one industry in the Bangladesh and to become a leading producer of readymade garments, industrialists have to work with modern outlook and ensure excellent labor condition. Only then it could become an industry of which everybody can be proud.”

Honorable ambassador also pointed out another important issue like fair pricing. Along with safety, factory inspections, labor issues and healthy working environment, fair pricing has to be put on the priority list of buyers so Bangladesh can develop and maintain a safe and sustainable RMG sector.  The Dutch Government is willing to facilitate a platform to promote fair pricing in the RMG sector in Bangaldesh.

From 2014 a follow-up photojournalistic project entitled ‘After Rana Plaza’, which is supported by the Embassy of The Netherlands, is going on Instagram. It draws attention from all over the world and media. About the project Mr. Gerben De Jong said, “Raising awareness is a very important issue to change the prevailing scenario. This will require tremendous efforts.  By using new media and online social community, particularly among those people who buy the products but do not have access to the “behind the scenes” of the hazardous manufacturing process, the ‘After Rana Plaza’ project aims to sheds light on this matter. It will set a remarkable example in the new age of photojournalism.”

Written by: Imran Firdaus

Shagorika Akhtar, daughter of Jahanara Begum, is only 11 years old and yet she worries constantly about the fate of her future. Currently she is in the fourth grade. She lost her mother at such a crucial stage in her young life. She was only 8 years old when her mother was buried under the rubble of Rana Plaza.

She shares memories of her mother’s last day alive, “My mother called me Shagorika. She also called me Shagori lovingly. On that day, we were asleep and my mother awoke us. She cooked first and then woke us up from sleep. She told us to go to the mosque, but we did not go. She gave us breakfast and then she ate as well. The time was around 6AM. Usually mom went to her office at 7:30AM. Before the incident happened, there were some cracks shown in the building. We had heard about it. We told her not to go to the factory. But she went to the factory since she had to receive her monthly salary. We requested her repeatedly not to go. She told me to take care of my younger brother. We cried a lot, but she went to the work. We got the news of the collapse around 9 am. My brother Shagor and I went running to the site. We could not get through since there were crowds. Our aunt found us and brought us home. Then we searched for my mother’s body but we could not find her. I remember my mother a lot.”

After hearing about the cracks in the building, Shagorika and her brother were both worried for their mother. Everyone in their community who worked at Rana Plaza was speaking about the cracks. They tried warning her but to avail. She went to work anyway that day.

Shagorika suffers from deeply penetrated psychological and social issues. She finds it hard to concentrate and her life feels bleak. Those who have experienced it can only understand the pain of losing one’s parents. Shagorika is devastated to be living without her mother. She often cries and cannot control how difficult her life is without her mother’s shadow accompanying her side.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Shagor is Jahanara Begum’s son. He is a few years younger than her daughter Shagorika who is 11 years old. Losing his mother after the Rana Plaza collapse caused trepidations within his young self. He now wanders aimlessly as he is confused by her departure. His sister Shagorika discloses information about their loving mother, “My mother always said to study a lot. She said that she suffered a lot for not studying. We thought my mother was alive when my father informed us that he got the trace of her. We were seriously happy at the time. But when we heard it was her body they had found and she had died.”

Unfortunately, Shagor is lost in a daze all day. His father Dhukhu Mia, attempts to channel his son back towards a progressive and positive path. He encourages him to study so he can succeed in school and have a good job someday. Shagor has many psycho-social issues from which he suffers due to his young age and dealing with trauma of losing a parent.

His father is a core supporter for his wellness. Dhukhu Mia is there for his children. He wants them to not always live with the depression they feel now after losing their mother. He encourages them to do well in school and work towards a better future for themselves and their family.

Dhukhu Mia reflects on the incident which caused the horrific incident which changed the timeline of his son, his daughter and his life. He explains, “Garments business is good for the poor people in Bangladesh. Poor people can get job in garments factory. Working in the village in the crop fields is harder than working in garments so people prefer it. All workers will have to suffer a lot if the garments industry will be shut down. There should be garments factories in Bangladesh. My brother works in one and that is the only reason he is able to run his family with the money he makes. I know how to pull rickshaw but everyone does not know how to do this. I see what happens when the owners do not follow the rules, but the garments industry is still good for the country.”

Dhukhu Mia does not want his son or daughter to work in garments but he understands it is pivotal in the development of Bangladesh’s economy moving forward.

Written by: Thahitun Mariam

Mahreen Khan is working with Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh as senior economic adviser from two years. She thinks the garments sector in Bangladesh is unique and it is different from other countries. She also considers this sector has brought many positive things as well as some negative things too. Though, it is needless to say this sector helps out country’s women emancipation in a noteworthy way, which should be recognized. Mahreen feels positive when she sees herself working in RMG sector because it helps her to understand the various aspects and angels of the society. From her point of view in the garments sector things are not just simple or black/white. Everyone has their own motif and philosophy; from worker to owner to buyer everybody always looking for their options or chances or demands. So far it is a sustainable sector and every stakeholderhas the right to make profit from but not at somebody else’s cost.  So producers should make profit in this process but not hurting the labor. As well labor should be able to making income for this but while not hurting their families or health. Consumer should enjoy the product but not others but not at the cost of others. Buyers also get opportunity to make profit but again not at the cost of the country where their supplying from…These are the things Mahreen Khan got to learn by working in RMG sector in Bangladesh.

Mahreen was in Dhaka when the Rana plaza collapsed at Savar and the first news trickling and coming in was horrified her most the fact that there were some prior sign before the actual collapse, even though the collapse might not have been avoided but the numbers of victims could be avoided. She added, “The senselessness from the building and garments owner is impractical. The surprising part of that incident is still nobody has taken any responsibility. The similar scale incident happened in South Korea and people take responsibility but here nobody has taken responsibility”. Mahreen thinks buyers are not the only body to take responsibility but from local part we still could not locate the authorities who misuse the power and answerable for the negligence. Right now Mahreen with Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh is working on strengtheningthe regulatory system and inspection process. Apart from this a lot changes are going on but until we cannot develop the culture of taking responsibility we cannot minimize or stop Rana plaza like incident/accident.