A ray of light

Raveena is an adolescent girl living with her parents, brothers and sisters in a slum of Dhaka. Her father is a roaming street peddler and her mother is a housewife.

In 2016 ARBAN began working on “Jukta hoe Mukta – United We Stand”. The project motivates adolescent girls to join virtual adolescent network. At first in the project Raveena was selected as a Normal Phone Holder (NPH) under her Team Leader (TL). Being since the beginning, organized and dedicated to the project, ARBAN believed she had the capacity to take over the position of a (TL). So when her TL resigned, she undertook an oral exam which successfully passed and she has been appointed as TL. She got different training as how how to use Jukta Hoe Mukta APP, to get and disseminate information to other girls in the area, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), etc. Now Raveena has more responsibilities, such as organizing meetings and communicating with 10 members assigned to her team, awareness raising and disseminating information, as well as working with other 19 team leaders. Recently through the use of the Jukta Hoe Mukta app, she has connected with and referred adolescents and young women to BLAST (Bangladesh Legal Aid Services & Trust) with the intention that they receive properly legal aid.

Raveena has become vocal and aware about her rights and she can recognize and do something about gender discrimination and violence against women. Raveena’s mother said: “I am really happy that she is developing herself and working in our area as an advocacy officer”.

Now she is in her final year as BBA student and her goal and dream is to be a journalist.