From nothing to her own business: Mahmuda's story
Three years ago, Mahmuda buried her husband. She was 39 years old, alone, with a child to feed and nowhere to turn. In her village, there was no safety net for a widow. No family to help. No income. Just fear, and the knowledge that she had to find a way out.
So she did the only thing she could. She gathered her child and walked towards the one place she had heard might help her: Sreepur Village.
When she arrived, she was exhausted and frightened. She did not know if anyone would take her in. We did.
We gave her a safe place to sleep, food, medical care, and a school place for her child. For the first time in years, she felt safe. And when she was ready, she chose to join our bicycle repair training programme.
Learning a skill, building a future
Bicycle repair is one of several livelihood training programmes we offer at Sreepur Village. Alongside agriculture, garment making, and tailoring, it gives mothers a practical, in-demand skill they can use to earn their own income when they return to their communities.
Mahmuda took to it with determination. She learned every technique, completed the full course, and graduated with a fully equipped toolkit — her own tools, ready for her own business.
“I learned bicycle repair with my own hands and a determined heart. Today I stand confident — not just as a woman with a skill, but as a mother with a dream. I know I can open a shop in my village, earn with dignity, and keep my children in school.”
This year, Mahmuda is going home. Not as the frightened widow who arrived three years ago, but as a trained bicycle mechanic ready to build a future on her own terms.
This International Women’s Day, you can help the next Mahmuda
This International Women’s Day 2026, we are raising £5,000 to keep our bicycle repair training programme running. Without this funding, we will have to cut back training and turn mothers away — mothers who are waiting right now for the same chance Mahmuda had.
This year’s theme is Give to Gain. When you give to women like Mahmuda, everyone gains. She gains independence. Her child gains a future. Her community gains a skilled worker.
If you would like to support our appeal, please donate HERE.
Every gift, whatever the size, helps us keep this programme running for the mothers who need it most.