Location: Koroitala Village, Laxmipur Sadar Upazilla, Lakshmipur District, Bangladesh,
Date: September 11th, 2025
Organization: ALO (Animation Liberate for Organize)
Report By: Kazi Altaf Mahmood
Video Link: https://youtu.be/vdfAFk5Kxkk
Executive Summary
This report documents the case of Alia Begum, a 50-year-old woman from Koroitala village, Laxmipur Sadar Upazila, Chandraganj Thana. She suffers from a severe tumor, diabetes, and vision problems, yet lacks the financial means to obtain medical care. Her family of seven has no land, no house of their own, and depends on irregular day labor for survival. Living on her brother’s land, she faces constant insecurity. Doctors have recommended surgery, but without resources, her condition worsens. This report situates her personal hardship within the broader regional and national context of poverty, health care shortages, and rural vulnerability, and outlines urgent material and financial needs
1. Individual and Family Needs
1.1 Key Findings at the Family Level
Alia Begum resides in a household of seven members, including her elderly father and her unmarried son. The family has no land of its own and no stable home. They currently occupy her brother’s property, which creates ongoing tension, particularly with her sister-in-law. This lack of secure housing means that they are perpetually at risk of displacement.
Her son, though willing to work, is unable to secure stable income and remains unmarried due to financial constraints. The family’s livelihood depends on occasional, irregular jobs that do not cover even their most basic expenses. Alia herself once contributed through domestic labor and agricultural work, but her health conditions now prevent her from earning an income. Her daily life is dominated by illness: she suffers from uncontrolled diabetes, vision loss, chronic pain, and a visible tumor that doctors have confirmed requires surgical intervention. Without resources for treatment, her condition worsens, leaving her entirely dependent on others.
1.2 Methodology for Family-Level Data
The information presented here is based on a direct interview conducted for the People’s Voice series. Testimonies from Alia provide the primary narrative, supplemented by observations of her living situation and the medical documentation she possesses. The account is cross-referenced with regional data on poverty and health access to place her experience within a wider structural frame.
2. Regional and National History of the Issue and Need
2.1 Regional Context
Laxmipur, located in coastal Bangladesh, is an area long marked by socioeconomic vulnerability. Landlessness is widespread, and many families rely on marginal farming or daily wage labor. Environmental challenges such as flooding and cyclones exacerbate hardship, frequently damaging homes and disrupting livelihoods. In this setting, health care facilities are scarce, and most residents must rely on distant urban centers or costly private clinics for specialized treatment.
2.2 National Context
At the national level, Bangladesh has made significant strides in reducing poverty, with the proportion of people living below the poverty line declining steadily over the last three decades. Yet, according to the World Bank (2023), approximately 18.7 percent of the population still lives in poverty, and regional disparities remain acute. Rural households, such as Alia’s, continue to bear the heaviest burdens. Health care is particularly inequitable: the World Health Organization (2022) reports that 67 percent of Bangladesh’s health spending comes directly from household pockets. For families living at the margins, even modest medical costs are unaffordable. Meanwhile, the incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes has risen sharply, further straining already limited household resources.
2.3 Alignment of Needs
Alia Begum’s personal crisis reflects these systemic gaps. Her lack of housing security, inability to access affordable health care, and dependence on irregular work mirror the structural disadvantages of millions of rural Bangladeshis. Her plea for basic support is therefore not only a personal cry for help but also emblematic of broader national challenges in poverty alleviation and rural health equity.
3. Methodology
The findings presented in this report derive from qualitative methods, primarily an in-depth interview with Alia Begum conducted in August 2025. Observational notes were taken on her physical condition and living arrangements. Her medical situation was reconstructed through her testimony and doctor’s recommendations. Secondary data from national and international reports were used to contextualize her experience within the wider socioeconomic and health environment. This combination of personal testimony and structural data provides both a human face to the crisis and a framework for understanding its broader significance.
4. Needs Assessment Findings
4.1 Family Needs
Alia requires urgent medical care. Doctors have explicitly stated that her tumor must be surgically removed, yet she cannot pay for the procedure. Managing her diabetes and vision problems also requires consistent medical attention, which is currently unavailable to her. Beyond medical needs, her family urgently requires a secure and dignified place to live. At present, their dependence on her brother’s property leaves them vulnerable to eviction and familial conflict. Finally, income generation is critical: her son needs a sustainable source of livelihood, which would allow him to support his mother and provide for the household.
4.2 Existing Resources and Gaps
The family’s only existing resource is their ability to occupy her brother’s land, but this arrangement is insecure. Alia possesses medical reports that document her condition, yet these have not translated into any form of treatment. No government or NGO support has reached them. The gaps are stark: they lack access to financial assistance, health services, social protection schemes, and the stability that comes from land or home ownership.
5. Resource Requirements
A modest yet transformative set of interventions could drastically improve Alia Begum’s circumstances. Building a basic tin-roof house with brick walls, a toilet, and a tube well on her current location would provide durable housing and access to sanitation and safe water. The cost of such a construction is estimated between 200,000 and 300,000 Bangladeshi Taka, equivalent to approximately 1,700 to 2,540 US dollars (at an exchange rate of 118 BDT per USD, September 2025). This estimate includes building materials, labor provided by local masons, and installations such as a sanitation pit and hand pump.
For her son, acquiring a battery-driven three-wheeler rickshaw would create a reliable livelihood. The cost of such a vehicle is around 140,000 Taka, which converts to roughly 1,185 US dollars. This investment would provide the family with a stable income source, reducing dependence on occasional labor and enabling them to cover basic living expenses, including food and medicine.
6. Conclusion
The plight of Alia Begum illustrates the interlocking crises of health, poverty, and social exclusion in rural Bangladesh. Her case is urgent, but it is not unique. Without targeted intervention, her illness will progress, her housing situation will remain insecure, and her family will continue to be trapped in destitution. Yet with comparatively modest resources—less than 4,000 US dollars in total—her living conditions could be fundamentally transformed. The construction of a safe home, access to medical treatment, and a viable livelihood for her son would not only restore dignity to her life but also provide a path toward resilience and self-sufficiency.
7. Appendices
- Transcript excerpts from the People’s Voice interview with Alia Begum.
- Doctor’s recommendation for surgical intervention.
- Cost conversion table (Bangladeshi Taka to US Dollars).
8. References
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022. Dhaka: BBS, 2023.
Rahman, Hossain Zillur, et al. Chronic Poverty in Rural Bangladesh: Context and Challenges. Dhaka: Power and Participation Research Centre, 2021.
United Nations Development Programme. Human Development Report 2023/24: Breaking the Gridlock. New York: UNDP, 2024.
World Bank. Bangladesh Poverty Assessment 2023: Poverty Has Declined, but Regional Inequality Persists. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023.
World Health Organization. Global Health Expenditure Database. Geneva: WHO, 2022.
