Recently, the Bangladeshi journalist “GMB Akash” posted an unusual post on his Facebook page. It tells the story of a poor man who worked as a cleaner for many years so that his children could get a decent education — something he never had. This is the story of this father, raising four daughters, from the first person.

I never told my kids about my work, not wanting them to be ashamed of me. When my younger daughter asked me about my kind of occupation, I always answered that I was working a variety of jobs. Before I returned home, I was showering in public toilets every day, so my children didn’t even suspect of my real job. I dreamed of sending all my daughters to school so that they could learn and get a decent profession.

I did everything I could to make them live a decent life. I didn’t really want anyone to look at them the same way they looked at me... People have always humiliated me. I invested all my money in the education of my daughters. I could never buy a new shirt because I spent all I earned on school textbooks. I was a cleaner.

On the eve of my eldest daughter’s last admission date, I never managed to raise enough money for my admission fee. I could not work that day. I just sat next to a bunch of garbage trying to hide my tears. All my colleagues looked at me with sympathy, but none of them tried to talk to me. I tried very hard, but failed, so I felt killed by sorrow. I had no idea what I would say to my daughter when she asked me about the entrance fee. I was born in poverty, but always dreamed of a better life for my children. And now my dreams were not destined to come true...

After work, all the cleaners I worked with came to me. They sat next to me and asked if I considered them my brothers. Before I could answer anything, my colleagues gave me all their income in one day. When I tried to give up, they said, “If necessary, we’ll be starving today, but our daughter has to go to college!” That day, for the first time, I did not take a shower, but returned home as a cleaner.

My eldest daughter will soon graduate from college. She already has a part-time job, which allows her to pay for the education of the other three daughters. My kids no longer let me work. But several times a week, my older daughter comes with me to where I worked before and feeds all my former colleagues for lunch. They laugh and ask her why she feeds them so often. My daughter replies to them, “You were all hungry that day to make me what I am today. Now pray for me so that I can feed you all every day!”

I don’t feel like a poor person now. Those who have such children cannot be poor.