Cumilla Correspondent

After six months of separation, Adnan Ruhul Shamim (11), a child from Badar Bazar Chandina, Mazkhar, Comilla, has been reunited with his family.

The non-governmental voluntary organization, Local Education and Economic Development Organization (LEEDO), facilitated the child's return to his family on Sunday (January 12).

LEEDO representative Md. Masud Mahatab handed over Shamim to his family through GD No. 608 at the Dhaka Railway Police Station at 10 am.

Shamim had been living in challenging conditions at Kamalapur Railway Station for some time.

After a video of Shamim sharing his story went viral on social media, LEEDO immediately responded it.

On December 25, 2024, LEEDO, in collaboration with the Dhaka Railway Police Station, rescued Shamim and placed him in a safe shelter provided by LEEDO’s Transitional Shelter Setubandhan Kamalapur branch.

Md. Masud Mahatab, social mobilizer for LEEDO, shared that the child was initially found living alone at the station, expressing his desire for shelter. He revealed that he had no father, and his mother, Sumi Akhter, worked abroad in Saudi Arabia. After gaining the child's trust, LEEDO’s social workers worked diligently to locate Shamim’s family.

Through collaboration with local institutions, public representatives, and the media, they successfully traced the child's mother in Saudi Arabia.

Sumi Akhter, Shamim's mother, expressed her immense relief upon hearing the news.

"I had been searching for my son for six months, even searching to various places. I work in Saudi Arabia to secure a better future for him, but when I learned that he was missing, I returned home to search for him. Today, I am overjoyed to finally hold my lost child, thanks to LEEDO."

Shamim was officially handed over to his parents, Musammad Sumi Akhter and Ruhul Amin, at their residence in Sang Bashat Ali, Thana: Chandina, District: Comilla, on Sunday.

LEEDO is a non-profit organization working since 2000, dedicated to child development, protection, and rights. The organization’s initiatives include rescuing street children, finding their families, providing rehabilitation, operating street schools, offering mobile education, and supporting families in need.