Satani Devi Sada Kanchanroop 5, Saptari
“Not long after my son was born, my husband got sick. We went to many doctors. They prescribed us bags full of medicines but their promises never came true. Alone, I struggled to feed my children. Hungry, sick and poor we were never happy. The floods would wash away our homes and what little grains we had saved. Every morning I would leave to the fields to work for the landlord who out of pity gave us this little piece of land so that I could shelter my family. It was after many years and many thousands of rupees we found out that he had Anemia. This ordeal stayed with us for not less than 5 years. When he got better, I fell ill. I had tuberculosis and then I had to go into surgery to fix my uterus. When I lay in bed for a few years, my daughter took on my responsibility of cooking, cleaning and feeding her father and brother. She would not leave me alone and eventually, she dropped out of school. My husband started going to work and my son to school. While I am a proud mother that my son became the first in the village to pass the SEE examinations, I am equally sad for my daughter. That is my biggest regret and I express that to her. And every time I cry for her she comes close to me and puts her arms around me. Every time I cry, she tells me she understands.”