Infant now at Chhottomoni Nibas

Baby Fatema, who lost her parents and sister in a road crash has been handed over to the children’s home Chhottomoni Nibas in the capital’s Azimpur on Friday.

She was born miraculously on the road during a road accident when a truck ran over her father Jahangir Alam, 42, her mother Ratma Begum, 32, and her sister, Sanjida, 6, on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Trishal in Mymensingh On 16 July.

She was first admitted to a private hospital before being shifted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. A five-member board was formed for her treatment. Physicians said the baby has been doing fine but she will take several more days to recover the wrist of her right hand that was broken during the accident.

On Friday, grandfather Mutafizur Rahman brought 15-day-old Fatema to Chhottomoni Nibas around 2:30pm. Fatema’s 10-year-old elder sister and seven others accompanied them. They left for Dhaka to Mymensingh by a microbus around 11:30pm at the initiative of the upazila social welfare office.

Chhottomoni Nibas is home to children under 7 who were left abandon or rescued from smuggling, but the Mymensingh district administration decided to send Fatema to the children’s home considering her accommodation and treatment despite having a known identity. At first, Mustafizur Rahman was reluctant to send her granddaughter to children’s home but later he agreed to the authorities’ decision considering the financial hardship.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, social services department director (organisation) Kamrul Islam Chowdhury said, “The baby was handed over to us around 2:30pm. Now she will grow in a family environment.”

Trishal upazila social services officer Mahmudul Hasan said they have handed over the baby to the officials concerned and Chhottomoni Nibas will be now taking care of her.

When little Fatema was being taken to her bed at Chhottomoni Nibas, other children gathered to see her, giving her grandfather Mustafizur Rhaman a little relief.

Mustafizur Rhaman told Prothom Alo, “The government has assured him of taking all responsibilities of her granddaughter. When she will learn to eat by herself, I will take her home. Currently, I am having some troubles. So I kept her here at the promise of the administration.”

Asked whether he will give her granddaughter for adoption, Mustafizur Rhaman said he lost almost everything and will not leave her granddaughter.

Earlier on Thursday, Mustafizur Rhaman said there is no working people at his family since the death of Jahangir Alam, who, too, left behind two children, and he himself is a person with disability.

Chhottomoni Nibas officials said there will be all arrangement for Fatema’s treatment and Mustafizur Rhaman can visit her granddaughter anytime. Officials were seen convincing the grandfather that Fatema will well be taken care of and he does not need to worry anymore.

There are 29 children including Fatema at this children’s home and four to five people take care of them in various shift. Authorities of the children’s home said they work round the clock for foods, games, sleep and overall care of these children.