Dhaka, Nov. 4 -- In the BRAC Bank conference room, young Nabil sat with his face buried in his mother Nazmun Nahar's shoulder. Barely four, the child, currently recovering from a low-grade fever, occasionally looked up at his mother, seemingly unaware of the significance of the meeting.

Having lost her husband, Ariful Islam, just a month earlier, Nazmun Nahar came to the bank to receive his life insurance claim cheque. She recalled that five years ago, she married Ariful through an arranged match, when he was working as a graphic designer at a private firm. Within a year, they welcomed their first child, Nabil. Over time, Ariful left his conventional job and shifted to a full-time freelance career.

At that time, Ariful and Nazmun Nahar ...