Report from Melanie Price
Thank you to British Airways whose incredible support allows us to dedicate so much of our time and finances to assisting our projects worldwide.
I had wanted to go to Bangladesh for many years, so having the opportunity to go this year was a dream come true. The many orphans that are there left every year after the annual floods, just keep growing in number.
Bangladesh may be one of the poorest countries in the world, but it is rich in history, and culture. The Bangladeshi people are a very kind and hospitable people. I was received by The Sacrifice Trust Dhaka, very warmly. I went to assess the situation with the street children, and the orphans of the cyclone.
On the second day I was there, I had opportunity to take 3 classes in a village school in the village of Riapora. The head teacher, let me take English classes, and the children were so receptive, as I sung, head shoulders, knees, and toes, over again, until, they all knew it off by heart. The teachers, and the children, had never seen a European before. Life is very basic out in the villages, and I was able once again to give out educational supplies, to the school. I rode on a motorbike, to reach these villagers, and all the women and children came out to meet me. They were all happy to give me rice, and mango. There were many children, who were undernourished, and they looked very thin, so did the women. The sun beats down very hard, as the women go gleaning in the fields, for a handful of corn.
The number of street children , in Dhaka, was quite over whelming, but I was so happy to see the young men and women of Dhaka, eagerly ready to help them. There were so many poor and disabled children begging on the streets, it was heart wrenching. I didn t know where to start, but Philip Sakar and his team, showed me around Dhaka ,with every care and consideration for my welfare. Dhaka is a city with so many people, and like so many other Asian Cities it is bursting at the seams, as villagers flock to the city to look for ways to earn money. There is a shortage of rice, and people were queuing all day, just for a small kilo of rice.
In the two weeks I was there I covered a lot of the country. I was able to travel by local bus, and auto rickshaw, the 7 hours, up to the NE of Bangladesh, to the borders of Assam. Here it is India, and very famous for the tea plantations. The region was very rural, and paddy fields, dominated the horizon. I was able to see the flooded areas, and see the land still covered with blankets of water. This spoils the rice fields, and some times the rice shoots have to be uprooted, and replanted, a very backbreaking job, and time consuming. Roads were being resurfaced, with women carrying heavy loads of broken bricks on their heads, I cried for them. I saw children working in the fields, and in the factories.
There is 70% illiteracy in the whole country, as people can not afford education. The average life expectancy is 57, and people age very quickly, because of the harsh conditions.
We left money for food, and some medical supplies. The education packs were given out to two schools .
We are buying a little house for a lady, who is hosting 5 children. It’s in the village near Narsingdi, and will cost 3000 pounds. This is the start of our project, where we will set up a women’s care surgery, and house 5 orphans, and we intend to work along with the local elders, to improve the sanitation, and get the clinic going. It’s a start, and where there’s a start, there has to be a middle and a finish, but we will continue to do very effort, to make a difference in the lives of these beautiful people.
We respect their cultures, and customs, as most of them are Muslims, but we want to cross these boundaries by showing our love, and compassion.
Thanks again to British Airways.
Melanie Price.
