She Is Not My Biological Child, But She Is My Child

She Is Not My Biological Child, But She Is My Child

Being a social entrepreneur means carrying thousands of stories inside your heart. Some stories inspire you, some break you, and some change you forever.

Last month was one of the most difficult times of my life.

As we were trying to scale and strengthen Sombhabona’s work, enormous pressure surrounded us — project responsibilities, organizational challenges, financial concerns, and the endless demands of community work. In the middle of all of this, I received heartbreaking news about one of our students, Sorna.

Sorna is a student of Pushpokoli School. She studies in class six. At the age of one, she lost her mother. At only ten years old, she lost her father too. Life had already taken so much from her before she even understood what childhood truly meant.

Then suddenly, doctors suspected that she had a brain tumor and needed immediate surgery.

When I heard the news, I could not stay emotionally strong. It did not feel like I was hearing about a student. It felt like my own child was suffering.

That night, my husband and I talked for a long time. For years, we have been trying to become parents. We know the silent pain of waiting, hoping, and praying for a child. But while we were speaking, one truth became very clear to us:

Sorna may be orphaned by society’s definition, but no child should ever feel alone in this world.

We decided immediately that we would take responsibility for her treatment.

With the support of our colleagues, donors, well-wishers, and even students from our school, we arranged her emergency surgery and started her treatment process. Watching our students come forward to help another child reminded me that humanity still exists in the purest form.

Now Sorna is under treatment.

Every day, I pray for her recovery. Every day, I dream of seeing her return to school, smile again, and live the beautiful life she deserves.

Sorna is not my biological child.

She is not my legally adopted child.

But she is my child.

Love is not always created by blood.

Sometimes it is created by responsibility, humanity, pain, and unconditional care.

This journey reminded me once again why I started Sombhabona. Social work is not only about projects, reports, or numbers. Sometimes it means standing beside a child in her darkest moment and telling her:

“You are not alone anymore.”