A Little House with a Big Heart
Mary Lou Brownell
In 1971, Bangladesh fought for and won its independence from Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War. After the war, American workers at a hospital compound in Malumghat, outside of Chittagong, discovered more needs to care for than they could possibly handle. This story about the establishment of the Heart House, a place of hope for indigent women, was adapted from Singlehearted by Mary Lou Brownell, who spent over thirty years serving in Bangladesh.
My American coworkers and I at the hospital in Malumghat, with the help of Bengali staff members, gave out huge quantities of relief supplies during the 1971 war. After the war, we were left with a group of local women unable to support themselves. The hospital relief program fed them for months, but who would support them now that the war was over? Choices for an indigent woman were extremely limited. During rice harvest, she might hire herself out to help gather, dry, and winnow the rice crop in exchange for food and a place to sleep. But if this woman had a baby in her arms and toddlers clinging to her, no one would hire her. She was dependent on the dubious charity of those in her village. Prostitution might be her only option if she wanted to survive and feed her children.
The hospital planned to shutdown its relief program since most of the local people had returned to their villages and fields. But there was still a group of women who, because they had lost their homes and husbands in the war, continued to depend on us. How would they care for their children unless they worked? How would they live? How could we help them? The problem seemed endlessly complicated to me.
A Malumghat council discussed the possibility of starting a small, pilot work project. Could we teach these women a trade? With a gift of $1,000, we built a little brick house in the middle of the hospital compound. We painted the doors, window frames, and shutters bright red and hung a sign that read Heart House. Many people have asked me why I called it Heart House. It’s hard to explain, but I felt that this little house needed a very big heart for those in need.
Relief agencies were generous in donating treadle sewing machines, fabric, and other supplies. I taught basic sewing techniques and was aided by Bengali women skilled in cutting fabric without patterns. But sewing projects for indigent women were springing up all over Bangladesh. As large quantities of clothing hit the market, prices plummeted. How could all these women possibly make a living?
On one of my trips to the capital city of Dhaka, I visited the Design Center, developed by the government to teach Bengalis crafts and skills such as painting, leatherworking, ceramics, and doll-making. The doll-making intrigued me. Instructors showed a group of women how to make beautifully costumed dolls displaying Bengali culture and customs. When I asked the director about her program, she told me that it was free. The director would personally train someone from my workshop if she lived in Dhaka for two months. It would be my job to find her a place to live and pay her expenses while she learned the craft. I went back to Malumghat and talked to Prova, a young war widow who had come to the hospital compound for help. I explained the doll-making program and said that Heart House would pay all her expenses to go to Dhaka for training. Prova eagerly accepted this opportunity; she eventually became a very talented doll-maker and team leader. Under her direction, the team she selected quickly learned the intricate steps of crafting dolls. We made all kinds of dolls, from farmers and their wives to lavishly decorated Hindu brides and grooms. Prova painted each delicate doll face with her sensitive hands.
Heart House’s doll project took wings and flew! Dolls were made to order for missionaries all over Bangladesh. Later, Heart House shipped dolls to Chittagong and Dhaka, where they were in turn sold to overseas suppliers. The fans, handbags, and dolls were popular items that paid the bills and gave the Heart House employees—mostly women—a living wage. Heart House also proved itself an excellent outreach. Many women from Hindu and Buddhist homes found hope through this work of compassion.
Heart House has changed over the years. Diversification is still important to its vitality. A professional seamstress taught the ladies to make beautiful embroidered clothing. Bengali hand puppets and crocheted lace were added to the list of items for sale, and the seamstress’ husband helped her market Heart House products in new markets throughout the country.
Today, Heart House is still in business more than twenty years after it started. Indigent women still walk through its red doors, looking for training that will help them care for their families. A small, on-site shop at Malumghat, as well as many stores in Chittagong, Dhaka, and Cox’s Bazar, sell Heart House products. I have often said that God must greatly love these Bengali women, because He has been supplying their needs and giving them hope for a long time.
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