Struggle Against Fate

On the night of March 13, 2018, a fire broke out in the Elias Mollah Slum, situated next to Mirpur, one of Dhaka’s largest residential areas. The entire area, housing nearly 100 families, was razed to the ground. The Elias Mollah residents lost almost everything. 

However, their human spirit remained and they began to rebuild from the very next day. Over the following five weeks, I observed as they began to resume their lives. The children adapted quickly — their fun and games continued as the construction went on around them. Despite their homes and toys having been incinerated, the neighborhood still remained their playground. Still their futures are uncertain, still they have little access to healthcare and education, still they will struggle against the fate imposed on them simply because of where they were born. The entire community slowly was getting back to life with all the destruction all around. Yet it is perhaps in these children that the strength of human spirit is most clear.