Charity worker Helen gets Bangladeshi citizenship

The long wait of British woman Lucy Helen Frances Holt ended yesterday as the government honoured her with Bangladesh citizenship for her lifelong humanitarian services to the people of Bangladesh by living in the country for the last 57 years.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over the citizenship certificate to 87-year-old Lucy Helen at a function at her official residence Ganobhaban.Helen also contributed a lot to Bangladesh’s Liberation War by creating public opinions in favour it in 1971.After the ceremony, PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters saying that Helen was given Bangladesh’s citizenship following her application in this regard.The prime minister thanked Helen for her charity services.In reply, Helen said she had the desire to meet Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib but could not, and expressed her happiness as the dream was fulfilled today after meeting Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangamata.Sheikh Rehana, the youngest daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Prime Minister’s daughter Saima Wazed Hossain, principal secretary Nojibur Rahman and secretary of the security services division under the ministry of home Farid Uddin Ahmed were present.Helen, daughter of John Holt and Francese Holt, was born in the British town of St Helens on December 16, 1930. On completion of her 12th grade, she first visited Bangladesh in 1960.In that year, Helen joined Barisal Oxford Mission and taught primary schoolchildren. Since then, she has been staying in Bangladesh.Helen had worked in Jessore, Khulna, Naogaon, Dhaka and Gopalganj for 57 years. She went on retirement in 2004 and came back to Barisal Oxford Mission.In her retired life, she is providing English education to distressed children.Helen also made outstanding contributions to Bangladesh’s Liberation War by taking care of the war-wounded civilians at Fatema Hospital in Jessore during the war.During the war, she wrote a number of letters to her friends in Bangladesh to create public opinion during the war as well as a letter to her parent in the United Kingdom describing the situation during that time.After the war, Helen sent a letter along with some gifts to Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib in 1973. On behalf of Bangamata, the then school student Sheikh Rehana also replied expressing gratitude to Helen at that time.During her visit to Barisal on February 8 last, the prime minister handed over Helen’s passport with a 15-year multiple Bangladeshi visa ending her long ordeal for visa renewal every year.