Princh Mondal Olif, Bagerhat Correspondent:

A woman in RampaI of Bagerhat has been forced to sell her own hair to pay a Tk 500 house rent after losing her rented shelter due to extreme poverty. She is now living beside the Khulna-Mongla railway line with her two children, struggling to build a makeshift home.

Rehana Khatun, a resident of Santoshpur village in Rampal upazila, previously lived with her two children in a rented makeshift house. Unable to pay the rent for a long period, she eventually had to leave the house and take shelter on government land beside the railway line.

With help from local residents, Rehana has erected a bamboo frame for a small house near a railway bridge. However, the structure remains incomplete because she cannot afford to buy tin sheets and fencing materials.

As a result, Rehana and her two children are spending their days exposed to rain and scorching heat.

Local resident Ferdousi Begum said she once noticed that Rehana had no hair on her head. When asked about it, Rehana reportedly broke down in tears and said she had sold her hair to arrange Tk 500 for the rent of the house where she had been staying.

Elderly resident Abu Taleb Sheikh said Rehana's condition was extremely distressing and urged the authorities to arrange a permanent shelter for the family under a government housing programme.

Another local resident, Mahidul Islam, said the bamboo structure was already in place and could be turned into a livable home if tin sheets and fencing materials were provided.

Speaking through tears, Rehana said she was struggling to feed and shelter her two children and appealed to the government for assistance.

Local residents have called for immediate government intervention to provide the family with safe housing. They have also urged financially capable individuals and social organisations to come forward with assistance.

For Rehana, the dream is modest: a small roof over her children's heads where they can stay dry during rain and sleep safely at night.