“There’s often not enough food,” Gul says, tugging her headscarf. “Prices have gone up since the Rohingya came because the population is higher.”
Gul’s husband Nural, who is 50, works as a labourer but work isn’t consistently available. The couple, both uneducated, hope their children can stay in school. But to survive, they need to eat, so earning money to feed their family is a daily struggle.
“I know it is bad that my son isn’t at school anymore, but what can I do? I am already in need,” Nural says. “I know school is good for them, but what can I do?”
As Gul’s daughters grow up, she may have to consider marrying them off so they have fewer mouths to feed – a position no mother or father wants to be in. “I hope my children can get a good education,” says Gul, “I want there to be dignity in a good marriage for them, not for them to marry because of this”. Unfortunately, Gul’s story isn’t unique in her community.