My name is Rony and this is my story.

I am from Bangladesh where I currently live with my wife and son, and shoulder  the responsibility of caring for my parents.  As the family needs to meet both ends of life with my minimal earnings from the daily wages, I wished to have a better opportunity for a good pay. The opportunity crept into my life one day, not knowing the realities of it ahead, but having a wish to have better living from the present state of life.I decided to venture to emigrate, even though I was far away from my family and my homeland in Saudi Arabia.

After my arrival, I realized that the work place,hours of work, wages were not as I was informed. I had to work for 18 to 19 hours a day. The working conditions were unhealthy and harmful. In labor, there were no intervals or break time to rest nor to sit for a while, instead I kept standing for 19 hours a day.

Day by day, my health deteriorated because of the lack of poor working and living conditions, proper food and access to health facilities. In the workplace, standing longer has led to nerve compression that is painful and weak, mostly felt the leg giving out while walking, and could no longer walk or stand for a longer time. I became unproductive as a laborer after ten long years in a workplace away from home. I never had a minimum annual vacation to visit my family, until I was finally sent home with very little money.

Back in Bangladesh with my family, I was in a sad health situation, unable to do any kind of hard work to cover basic needs. I consulted a doctor, who told me that, because of the excessive stress on the legs,I would no longer be able to walk normally as before. Hence, advised me to choose a work, which will not further put strain on the spine, and will obviously affect the movement of my legs completely. I felt helpless.

In those times, the intervention of the Talitha Kum network of religious in Bangladesh heed to my given situation and responded, helped me in designing an income generation program and to start and expand micro-business, a grocery store.

Now I am very delighted to be able to make a livelihood and support my family. My wife and I are expecting a second child. I am very grateful to Talita Kum Network for the intervention, support of the business plan to take care of my family being in a healthy and safe place.

“Labour migration is predominant throughout the Arab region, totalling 23.8 million migrant workers in 2017 who represented 14.5 percent of all migrant workers globally (...). Labour migration is regulated through the kafala (sponsorship) system, meaning that migrant workers need to have a sponsor to enter, stay, work and/or in some cases exit the country. The kafeels, or sponsors, are responsible for the working and residency conditions of migrants, which restricts the mobility of migrants and often leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse”.

Situation Report on International Migration 2019. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in the Context of the Arab Region. 2020

October 15th, 2023