Nilima Jahan

Pregnancy is a stressful and overwhelming experience in itself. Add to that a global pandemic and the whole ordeal can become even more difficult and frightening.

The dark clouds of April’s nor’westers loom large over Lara’s tomorrow.

A group of people have come forward to provide funeral services and bury the bodies of those who died of Covid-19, while many graveyard committees have been reluctant to do so.

When Sumaiya Akter got a divorce around four years ago, she had nowhere to go with her baby boy. Her own parents had died when she was a child.

SM Mominul Islam Mukut, who works at a bank, went to a private hospital in Uttara on March 21 after suffering from fever and low blood pressure.

On March 26, 19-year-old Iqbal Hossain (not his real name), a volunteer of a blood donation organisation, was out to donate blood to an anemia patient at Ibn Sina Hospital of Sylhet.

Some members of a garment factory alliance have been producing biodegradable general-use masks from surplus fabrics to distribute among the poor for free.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, a large number of people have opted for ordering groceries online from the safety of their homes.

For children on the streets, exploitation, abuse, and neglect is just an everyday affair. And overlooking them, is a part of our everyday affair.

Although Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi yesterday urged the public to avoid panic buying amid the looming coronavirus threat, the news of the first death from Covid-19 in Bangladesh aggravated the buying spree among consumers for rice, potatoes, lentils, onions, garlic and ginger.

With calls ringing louder for raising awareness on cleanliness and “social distancing” in wake of coronavirus infections being reported in the country every day, a large population group of the capital -- who live in cramped slums with poor hygiene standards -- appears to be largely clueless about the virus and precautions needed.

Still bearing the trauma of her last dialysis, Marjia Rabbani Shoshi was speaking with a smile until the subject of the Organ Transplantation Act 1999 (amended in 2018) came up.

“I am building a new path for your child. Sowing seeds of courage. Your daughter will make those bloom into radiant flowers and your son will think it is absolutely normal.”

It was not too long ago that this correspondent reported an incident of violence against her 16-year-old college-going cousin, who was beaten up with sandals by some stalkers in a village market, where hundreds of bystanders watched without protesting.

Nine out of 10 children experience some form of violent disciplining by their caregivers, according to a recent survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and Unicef, released yesterday.

As bodies after bodies were wheeled into Dhaka Medical College’s morgue on February 21 last year, there was no dearth of offers of help.

Children huddled in a corner huffing plastic bags is a common sight in Dhaka. Though rehabilitation efforts are needed urgently, the authorities that should be concerned only seem to be shifting the responsibility from one to other, while the children continue to suffer on the streets.

There is a major concern over the disposal of tonnes of laminated campaign posters without causing further damage to the environment and public health.

Combating the mosquito menace was a key promise in the manifesto of Mohammad Hanif, who became the first elected mayor of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation in 1994.

Sharifa Begum of Kapasia in Gazipur is the sole caretaker of her one-bigha homestead garden. In addition to doing all the household chores alone, 55-year-old Sharifa grows more than 20 species of pesticide-free fruits and vegetables -- mango, lychee, banana, palm, jackfruit, gourd, green chilis, garlic, pumpkin, cucumber and more -- every year.