Story Imran Molla

Meet Imran Molla, a young man (21), who has been living at Afroza’s Place for several years now. Anyone meeting him for the first time notices immediately: Imran has an unusual way of moving. He is spastic in all his limbs — a significant physical disability that has been with him his entire life.

In the Netherlands, Imran would likely be using an electric wheelchair. He would live in a specially adapted home, with threshold ramps, support bars, and care on call. You definitely wouldn’t see him simply walking down the street. Not because he wouldn’t want to, but because the system would soon advise against it — “too dangerous,” “too demanding,” “too impractical.”

In Bangladesh, his life looks completely different.

At Afroza’s Place, Imran moves around independently, in his own way and at his own pace. He walks. He works every day in the wood workshop. He takes the small boat across the river without hesitation to visit his mother, who lives on the other side. A few times a month he goes to see her. Not because someone helps him or reminds him — but because he wants to, and because he can.

What stands out about Imran is his incredible strength. He is all muscle, not an ounce of fat. His body doesn’t always cooperate, but he works with his body. He uses every possibility available to him and keeps discovering new ones. Where others see obstacles, he sees paths. Where others see limitations, he sees challenges.

Perhaps it’s the absence of overprotection that brings him this far. No one tells him to be more careful. No one tells him he’d be better off in a wheelchair, that he needs braces or shoes that “correct” him. There is no wall of well-meant advice shrinking his world.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that living with a disability is easier in Bangladesh. On the contrary: facilities are scarce, and daily life is physically demanding. But with every step he takes, Imran shows that assistive devices do not always determine the boundary between dependence and a full life. Sometimes trust is the greatest support. And space. And the chance to show what you can do yourself.

Imran Molla reminds us that strength comes in many forms — not just the strength of the body, but also the strength of will, perseverance, and freedom. He inspires everyone at Afroza’s Place, and hopefully also you, to look differently at disability and at possibilities.