<i>Rescued Habiba now wants to be a doctor</i>

Habiba Sultana

Saved from child marriage, Habiba is now the 'first girl' of class nine in Abdul Karim Girl's High School in the town. She cherishes the dream to be a doctor.
The Daily Star on July 13 last year ran a story how the bright girl's schoolmates persuaded police officials to save her from being married off.
Dr Angel Burrell Parna, a physician living in Barcelona in Spain, who came to know the girl's plight reading The Daily Star report and a report in Madrid-based daily EL MUNDO a few days later, took the responsibility of her educational expenses.
Habiba Sultana is the youngest of four sisters and a brother of a poor family living in Puratan Satkhira in the town.
Her father Abu Bakar Siddique arranged her marriage with a 25-year-old youth of a neighbouring village in July last year.
Determined to continue her education, Habiba, then a student of class eight, informed her schoolmates who persuaded Satkhira police officials to make her father Abu Bakkar Siddique refrain from marrying off his minor daughter.
Seeing Habiba's story in The Daily Star on July 13, the authorities of the El Mundo, a Madrid-based daily, and a few news agencies requested the Satkhira correspondent of The Daily Star to sent them photos of Habiba, her parents, house and the school she reads in.
The photos were sent to them on July 20 and the El Mundo published the story headlined “LA NINA SALVADA DEL MATRIMONIO” on July 22.
Reading Habiba's story, Dr Angel Burrell Parna, 82, who had received severe injuries in bombings during the Spanish civil war in 1936 and later became a physician fighting with extreme poverty, decided to help Habiba complete her academic study.
Consequently, his son José Burrell came to Habiba's school in Satkhira on September 29 and took the responsibility of Habiba's educational expenses.
"I am grateful to my classmates, police officials, The Daily Star, and of course the Burrell family," Habiba told this correspondent.