Ali says:
Your children are also with thousands of children in the field at the day of Victory and get prize
Friday, December 17, 2010
Victory Day 16th December 2010
Ali says:
Monday, December 6, 2010
Dinah's report on her recent visit to Bhola
I went to Bhola on 15th November. I had made the mistake of arriving just before Eid, which meant chaotic travel arrangements – I will cast a veil over my journey from Dhaka to Bhola – and rather a lot of dead cow. But much more disappointing was the fact that there was no school my first week and many children chose to go home after Eid. Although this meant I had time for all the necessary meetings with staff and fellow Bangladeshi trustees, I did miss the children until most of them returned before I left.
Bottled gas ran out on the island, so I suggested to Ali we take the remaining children and some staff to the district town of Barisal, 37km away on the mainland as the crow flies. Few of them had ever been there, so it was an exciting excursion which turned into a long day for some. All went well on the outward journey – around 2 hours with the car on a ferry, then a short drive over to the next ferry which takes 20 minutes to Barisal. We bought bottles of gas, had lunch with Ali’s relations and then went to the children’s park. Unfortunately we then missed the first ferry, arriving at 5.30 to see the next one disappearing towards Bhola Island and to get the news that it would not be back until 10 p.m. I had a slight sense of humour failure, but luckily Ali agreed that I and the smaller children plus a couple of staff would take a speedboat to the island. We were home by 7.30 but poor Ali and the others didn’t get arrive until 3.45 a.m! The water levels were so low in the river, the ferry didn’t return until after midnight.
We had our usual wonderful picnic at Valumia last Friday. This involves taking sacks of rice, all food and cooking utensils in the tractor trailer – quite a production. During the day the boys cut down a large tree and the wood was piled onto the trailer, along with children and cooking utensils, for the return journey. We girls of course did our ladylike gardening, weeding the newly planted vegetables which, we hope, will survive any weather now.
On Saturday we had a sports day which was huge fun. Ali really is a star at organizing all the competitions. Many of them took place on the sand laid where the tailoring building will go. This gave us the idea of putting sand on the land behind the boundary, where we have already filled in a pond, so that the children can use it as a playground while builders are at work.
The children are all well and happy. A couple of teachers have left and we are looking for replacements, but the number of small children hasn’t increased since last time I was there, so they seem to be able to cope. We have now promoted the teenage children to the role of ‘helper’: each will receive a small amount of money each month and each has been given an area of responsibility. They continue, of course, with their further education of tailoring for the girls, woodwork and metal work for the boys. Once we have built the tailoring building, above which will be accommodation for married staff, we will be looking forward to building workshops on our beautiful new land. It is a ten minute walk away and has been called Supari Bagan, which means Nut Garden. The nuts have already been harvested and will be sold when the price is high…
My bangla and sign language improve very slowly! We all have fun teaching me..
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Laily gets married!
Laily and Rofiq Marriage ceremony Laily is with one leg and Rafique don't have any disability. They meet each other in Dhaka when she was in training.
Please pray for them for there happy life.
All the children injoy the marriage it was in the boundary Bholas children
Alibhai
flood update from Ali, late October 2010
I thing you have seen the picture from Velumia and you have seen how much damage we have in Velumia:
1. Papaya tree the good fruit it was about 167 papaya tree in Velumia and in the boundary, about half of it fall down when it was heavy rain. The rest of the plant die now a days, in every tree it was so much papaya
2. Plantation, Vegetable are totally damage the field look like playground in the boundary and also in Velumia.
3. Other fruit trees some die witch can’t except the water others are still alive.
4. Paddy field is not damage totally some part of it is not so bad.
5. Damage, in the boundary Bhola garden are the wood, some Iron, some machine partly damage some should be repair may be some will damage the electric Motors
6. Fish in the pond first and second night we worked heard but after it was not possible to stop the fish to go out. so some fish was gone too.
7. The construction of the new building was not start fully but the sand was washed out a lot. and it will be late to start again.
8. Boundary wall and the wall for the tin shad building is not fall down but the water was coming threw so partly damage down part. Main problem that we don’t have time to go back and replant all the vegetable and the fruits tree as well as the paddy. We are trying to plant the vegetable we will buy the plant for plantation, we don’t have time to make the seedling and start again. The price is very high Directly we have lose of GBP 7000, for the crops and for the other damage is costly more than GBP 10,000. That was a rough idea.
Thank you so much we have start for the emergency work, all the staffs and children are working very heard.
Lots of love from your children"
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Diary and Experiences of
Mohoram's Bhola Island trip to a charity
Orphans with disABILITY:
what a struggle going on in Bhola Island (Bangladesh)
As I am a wheelchair user and young one, it was my own decision that I will go to Bhola Island, largest island of the country Bangladesh, to visit a welfare organization named “Bhola’s Children” (www.bholaschildren.org). Normally the people go to Bhola by launch from Sadarghat (Dhaka) to Bhola launch ghat via Chandpur district. It was very tough to make this trip alone with a wheelchair and bags. Finally I had done it and I hope this travel reports (informal) will interest to you all.
The main aims of Bhola’s Children are to provide accommodation, education and medical treatment for orphaned children with disABILITY on the Island of Bhola (Bangladesh).
26th of July 2010.
I left my residence, the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), my employed organization around 1.30PM. I reached at Sadarghat (Dhaka) near 4.30PM by bus and the rickshaw journey. It was mutual understanding with bus service provider that they will help me to carry my wheelchair and bags by their staff. I paid for me and also for wheelchair but I am not happy to pay for wheelchair rent. This is my first launch journey, that’s why I did not have any experience about sitting or bedding. My friend who lives near the Sadarghat (Dhaka), he bought a new bed sheet for sleeping on the floor of launch. It is common way for cheapest journey, really interesting. My wheelchair was burden to the launch authority as it is took bit place. They were expressing this boringness by their face not by speech/talk, but finally they accepted it. Launch left the Dhaka just at 7.00PM. It was very simple journey but I enjoyed so much. No traffic jam, no horn, no any stoppage to take more passengers, no much noise, no visible fasting competition. It was moonlight night and I was enjoying till 12.00AM. It was my idea and commitment to me that I will not sleep tonight but after 12.00AM I found everybody gone to sleeping world and that’s why automatically I did feel that I have to go for sleep. I have gone to sleep with wearing blue coloured jeans, which was not so easy to continue till next morning, but I had to.
27th July 2010.
A voice entered to my ears that “please get up, we reached at Bhola, take preparation to leave the launch”. I rose up about 5.45AM. It was not expected to me because the launch authority yesterday told me they will reach at Bhola not before 7.00AM. Okay, it was terrible to leave the floored bed earlier but when I faced that a fresh air creating impression to my body, it was really peaceful moment. I made a call to Bhai Mr. Howlader M A Ali, founder of Bhola’s Children to receive me from the launch ghat.
They came to me by 10 minutes and took me to organization. It was bit unexpected that the people of the launch did take the rent for me even they did not ask about the rent. Some how it is positive and someway it is negative but I took it positively as it is Bangladesh, one of the poorest and politically unstable country of the 3rd world, because most of disABLED people don’t have any earning way to pay for all the cost. Launch business is not small business, if one/two disABLED passenger(s) do not pay or half for each trip, it will not create any hamper to the business.
I took a great bath at the centre by 30 minutes because I did take bath before 24 hours ago. 24 hours is big time for me because I take bath 2 times each day, even when I go to abroad. After bath and wearing official dress Bhai made a brief about the culture and behaviour of Bhola Island’s people, centre’s staffs, all the residents, irregular clients and it was near about 6.30AM. After a cup of black coffee I took a visit to all places of the centre excluding ladies hostel.
The centre is about 97 decimals lands and secured by a medium high wall, 10 minutes way from Bhola Island’s launch ghat, 15 minutes away from the Bhola city, attached with Bhola intercity road. Very easy and good communication between Bhola’s Children and Bhola city and other places of Bhola Island. You will be happy if you pay a visit to this organization for a single time. I am sure many of politicians and big businessman, they don’t have any info about this organization forever. You will say first, “Orphans with disABILITY? What a struggle going on in Bhola Island (Bangladesh) by Bhai.
The life with disABILITY is a recognized battlefield for forever, if s/he is an orphan, is it not more than battle field? I think yes and I hope everybody should support my voice and thinking. Bhola’s Children are the brain child of Mr. Howlader M A Ali, around 55 years old men who is attached with disABILITY field for last 30 years. He is one of the pioneer leaders of Bangladesh for the disABILITY movement for last 3 decades. In addition, he did invest most of the time of these 3 decades to create and modify the assistive devices and its technology for all kind of disABLED people. If you look the profile or index of the disABILITY movement of Bangladesh, his name will come to you all automatically. In 2004, he thought I need to do something for Island based disABLED people and he started this project in Bangladesh’s largest island based district Bhola by giving all the stuffs of his life & family, even a single tea cup. Now he lives inside the centre at a very small single accommodation which is not minimum well decorated, he does not want it too. There are about 61 residents and about 90% are orphans with disABILITY. Near 5% disABLED and other 5% orphans only. Most of them are speech and hearing disABLED and near 20% other including blind, physical and mental. It was a different world to me. The children talk by using Bengali sign language even who is not a speech and hearing disABLED. Some times break the sign language rules because everybody don’t much training/education on the Bengali sign language.
There have no professional hired cook at all. The residents are cooking for all clients even for the residence based staffs. They select who will cook for this week and for next weeks, even a blind one also.
All the residents are allowed for all the necessity, even for personal things. They live there in the centre like the home and Bhai takes care as like parents. Current basic activities are as follows:
1. Residence based education for all disABLED resident.
2. Vocational training on Tailoring, making Assistive Device for disABLED people, Crop Farming.
3. Informal training to the disABLEDs on capacity building and life leading attitude to the common society.
4. Etc.
Work with orphans with disABILITY is not common in the world, even not so easy to do it. The attitudes of the workers, behavior of the staffs, costs of operating are not common in our country as well as in the south-east Asia. The current monthly operating cost is BDT 2,00,000.00 / USD 2,898.00.
After breakfast, I went to the new project which is just bought from a villager for a technical training centre in the future and it is about 52 decimals. The theme technical training centre is one of the most important future projects of this Bhola’s Children. Technical training is one demand sector in the world, that’s why the board of trustee decided to take this project. Personally I also believe this reality.
After half past 10.00AM, we were going to another new project namely Bhelu Mia, named from the place, which is about 11KM far from the centre. Normally we used bike to go anywhere in Bhola except any invitation and launch ghat. Bhelu Mia project is mainly to build the residence for the orphans with disABILITIES who have no any place to go in the future. They will live there forever and will crop the foods, cultivate the animals, etc. The centre will do marketing the items be done by themselves. It is about 230 decimals lands newly bought from a rich man who is personally a professor. I invested there about 3 hours time and got the idea from Bhai what is going to happen there in this project Bhelu Mia. Also I listened the personal life history of Bhai, which is carrying maximum similarities with Tony Blair’s or Barack Obama’s childhood.
Currently there in the Bhelu Mia project have only a tin shed small 2 bedded accommodations for 2 juveniles. Maximum of the land is like a pond and seasonal fish cultivating is going on. Another reality performance is going on to continue in this project which is really rare in the world. The responsive 2 juveniles for the security of the project are disABLED. They buy necessary commodities, cook the foods, clean the wears, takes bath at a same place, all other things. Wonderful thing is: one is blind and another one is speech and hearing disABLED. It is a common theory in the world that the resident based activities can not go/run for blind and speech and hearing disABLED at the same time at same centre. But what you will say when you will see this different thing and at a grassroots level in a poor country Bangladesh, even a small residence based centre Bhola’s Children? It can be a model and we can learn from Bhai how he is doing it. We can not forget it, every length starts by a step. The day was busy to me and totally successful.
28th – 30th of July 2010
These 3 days I passed with Bhai by project understanding, because I am one of the possible drivers to drive this project in the future.
I backed to Dhaka by same way journey and enjoy, started on evening July 30th and I reached at Sadarghat (Dhaka) at 7.00AM next day July 31st. Unfortunately it was rainy day and it was bit tough to get a vehicle to come to Savar (Dhaka), my employed organization CRP because my duty is to be started from 10.00AM. Thanks.
What can not be forgotten from my memory/knowledge–
* The acceptance of resident children. They had taken me as a long time friend. They have honoured me as an accompanier.
* Mutual understanding between Bhai and all other staffs and residents.
* Fresh fried hilsa with chicken soup made by Laily Akter, a resident.
* Bhai’s safety in driving the bike and vehicle (micro bus for the outside based student with disABILITY).
* The Bhai, a man with full humanity with good administrative & managerial performances.
Md. Mohoram Ali
A young with disABILITY (Bangladesh)\
E-mail: MMA.1986@gmail.com
Offices:
Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) Dhaka (Bangladesh), www.crp-bangladesh.org
WWW.BEZGRANIZ.COM - portal for the disABLED
Moscow (Russia), www.bezgraniz.ru
Glossary –
Bhai – It is a Bengali word same as brother and we use it to most honour to Mr. Howlader M A Ali).
Sadarghat – Main / principal station where the launches arrive and begin journey in Dhaka city only.
Ghat – Station where the launches arrive and begin journey.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Bruna and Dinah walk for Bhola’s Children: 112 kms
to Santiago de Compostela
Last October, Bruna and Dinah decided to walk the
last stretch of the Camino de Santiago, to raise money
for our new workshop and tailoring room.
Unfortunately Bruna slipped on the ice before Christmas
and broke her ankle. The following day, Dinah did the
same but only broke her wrist. We hoped that Bruna’s
ankle, by some miracle and much help from Swiss doctors,
would recover and enable her to walk the whole way,
rather than resort to taxis. As you will see from her account,
she made it – as did Dinah, for whom it was the second time
but whose legs, even though four years older, behaved
impeccably.
We knew we had the good wishes of Ali and the children
every step of the way.
to Santiago de Compostela
Last October, Bruna and Dinah decided to walk the
last stretch of the Camino de Santiago, to raise money
for our new workshop and tailoring room.
Unfortunately Bruna slipped on the ice before Christmas
and broke her ankle. The following day, Dinah did the
same but only broke her wrist. We hoped that Bruna’s
ankle, by some miracle and much help from Swiss doctors,
would recover and enable her to walk the whole way,
rather than resort to taxis. As you will see from her account,
she made it – as did Dinah, for whom it was the second time
but whose legs, even though four years older, behaved
impeccably.
We knew we had the good wishes of Ali and the children
every step of the way.
Bruna and Dinah walk for Bhola’s Children: 112 kms
to Santiago de Compostela
Last October, Bruna and Dinah decided to walk the
last stretch of the Camino de Santiago, to raise money
for our new workshop and tailoring room.
Unfortunately Bruna slipped on the ice before Christmas
and broke her ankle. The following day, Dinah did the
same but only broke her wrist. We hoped that Bruna’s
ankle, by some miracle and much help from Swiss doctors,
would recover and enable her to walk the whole way,
rather than resort to taxis. As you will see from her account,
she made it – as did Dinah, for whom it was the second time
but whose legs, even though four years older, behaved
impeccably.
We knew we had the good wishes of Ali and the children
every step of the way.
to Santiago de Compostela
Last October, Bruna and Dinah decided to walk the
last stretch of the Camino de Santiago, to raise money
for our new workshop and tailoring room.
Unfortunately Bruna slipped on the ice before Christmas
and broke her ankle. The following day, Dinah did the
same but only broke her wrist. We hoped that Bruna’s
ankle, by some miracle and much help from Swiss doctors,
would recover and enable her to walk the whole way,
rather than resort to taxis. As you will see from her account,
she made it – as did Dinah, for whom it was the second time
but whose legs, even though four years older, behaved
impeccably.
We knew we had the good wishes of Ali and the children
every step of the way.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Feb/March 2010 Photos from Bhola
Outside the Circus
The Big Farewell
Luckily Dinah remembered her gardening gloves! 
Dinah driving the tractor!
First Sale of Valumia Vegetables!
New Children with their new clothesDinah's Trip to Bhola
Dear all,
I got back last weekend from my seventh and most enjoyable visit to our children. Bhola Garden really has become a second home for me, and I enjoyed every moment of my time there – even when we had power cuts and there was no water on the third floor!
The weather could not have been better – hot sunny days and relatively cool nights. All the children were happy and healthy, apart from a couple who had been sent home to nurse chicken pox. The last thing Ali needs is an epidemic!
I was delighted to see seven children new since my last visit. Four of them are very young, which fits in with Ali’s plans to keep the age level down. Three are deaf, one has downs syndrome, one suffers from cerebral palsy, one is a slow learner; and dear little Hasnur is partially sighted. Ali hopes to take her to a specialist in Dhaka, in the hope of getting treatment. The new children had new clothes, material chosen by yours truly on an entertaining, three-to-a-rickshaw shopping expedition with Asma and Rozina, and made in her usual quick time by Asma and her helpers. My photograph shows them just after presentation, plus Rozina who was given a new dress to replace one destroyed by poor little Khadija…
Work at Valumia continues to keep us all occupied. Several of the men and boys worked there most days alongside Ali’s nephew Rabi and a team of daily labour, digging out the moat round the lower field so that it can be filled with water for fish. We, the gentler sex, were put in charge of clearing vegetation from the bank and I was pleased to have remembered my gardening gloves. Plenty of our own fruit and vegetables were on the menu, and we had the great excitement of taking our first crop of tomatoes, cabbages and eggplants to the wholesaler who sold them all without taking commission. Ali has so many loyal friends and supporters in the town.
A happy time was had by all last Sunday morning, when we caught fish in our pond by the simple means of taking out all the water and picking the fish out of the mud. Needless to say, I continued to be a vegetarian!
The other great excitement was delivery of the trailer. It is now painted, yellow and red so as to be truly visible. I had my doubts about Ali’s driving skills, especially reversing in our small space, but was delighted to hear on Monday that he had successfully driven it, and all the children, to Valumia to collect firewood. So now Ali can add tractor-and-trailer driving to his many other skills.
We now have five blind or partially sighted children. Ali and I visited Razia’s father, our erstwhile nightwatchman who always slept on the job, and persuaded him to let her come home to us, which made us all happy. We all worry about lack of any teaching for the blind. We can’t afford a qualified teacher, I tried very hard to inspire our present teachers to involve them in classes. The two sets of dominos were a great success, all the blind children used them to add up numbers and it was good for my Bangla number skills too. I can now go past baro, twelve! I will be searching for more simple games for our blind children before my next visit. They all love using my iPod, and I wonder if anybody can spare us an old one no longer in use after an update? Ali could record books on them.
Ali’s birthday, the second he has celebrated in his 57 years, was an occasion for a great party with wonderful singing and dancing, icecream eaten in the fingers (!) and a three-tiered birthday cake. The following evening, my last, we took everyone to the circus – a first for the children. Ali was worried about old Mammi sitting on a hard, narrow plank for several hours but in fact I thoroughly enjoyed it, loved seeing the children’s joy, and was twice visited from beneath the tiered seating by the clowns – one very short and one tall – asking if I was enjoying their antics.
This Friday 12th March is the third anniversary of Bhola’s Children registration as a charity. It is hard to believe how much we have achieved in these three years and it is all due to you. Ali asks me to send messages of love and thanks from him and from our staff and children. I of course add my own heartfelt thanks to you all,
Dinah
I got back last weekend from my seventh and most enjoyable visit to our children. Bhola Garden really has become a second home for me, and I enjoyed every moment of my time there – even when we had power cuts and there was no water on the third floor!
The weather could not have been better – hot sunny days and relatively cool nights. All the children were happy and healthy, apart from a couple who had been sent home to nurse chicken pox. The last thing Ali needs is an epidemic!
I was delighted to see seven children new since my last visit. Four of them are very young, which fits in with Ali’s plans to keep the age level down. Three are deaf, one has downs syndrome, one suffers from cerebral palsy, one is a slow learner; and dear little Hasnur is partially sighted. Ali hopes to take her to a specialist in Dhaka, in the hope of getting treatment. The new children had new clothes, material chosen by yours truly on an entertaining, three-to-a-rickshaw shopping expedition with Asma and Rozina, and made in her usual quick time by Asma and her helpers. My photograph shows them just after presentation, plus Rozina who was given a new dress to replace one destroyed by poor little Khadija…
Work at Valumia continues to keep us all occupied. Several of the men and boys worked there most days alongside Ali’s nephew Rabi and a team of daily labour, digging out the moat round the lower field so that it can be filled with water for fish. We, the gentler sex, were put in charge of clearing vegetation from the bank and I was pleased to have remembered my gardening gloves. Plenty of our own fruit and vegetables were on the menu, and we had the great excitement of taking our first crop of tomatoes, cabbages and eggplants to the wholesaler who sold them all without taking commission. Ali has so many loyal friends and supporters in the town.
A happy time was had by all last Sunday morning, when we caught fish in our pond by the simple means of taking out all the water and picking the fish out of the mud. Needless to say, I continued to be a vegetarian!
The other great excitement was delivery of the trailer. It is now painted, yellow and red so as to be truly visible. I had my doubts about Ali’s driving skills, especially reversing in our small space, but was delighted to hear on Monday that he had successfully driven it, and all the children, to Valumia to collect firewood. So now Ali can add tractor-and-trailer driving to his many other skills.
We now have five blind or partially sighted children. Ali and I visited Razia’s father, our erstwhile nightwatchman who always slept on the job, and persuaded him to let her come home to us, which made us all happy. We all worry about lack of any teaching for the blind. We can’t afford a qualified teacher, I tried very hard to inspire our present teachers to involve them in classes. The two sets of dominos were a great success, all the blind children used them to add up numbers and it was good for my Bangla number skills too. I can now go past baro, twelve! I will be searching for more simple games for our blind children before my next visit. They all love using my iPod, and I wonder if anybody can spare us an old one no longer in use after an update? Ali could record books on them.
Ali’s birthday, the second he has celebrated in his 57 years, was an occasion for a great party with wonderful singing and dancing, icecream eaten in the fingers (!) and a three-tiered birthday cake. The following evening, my last, we took everyone to the circus – a first for the children. Ali was worried about old Mammi sitting on a hard, narrow plank for several hours but in fact I thoroughly enjoyed it, loved seeing the children’s joy, and was twice visited from beneath the tiered seating by the clowns – one very short and one tall – asking if I was enjoying their antics.
This Friday 12th March is the third anniversary of Bhola’s Children registration as a charity. It is hard to believe how much we have achieved in these three years and it is all due to you. Ali asks me to send messages of love and thanks from him and from our staff and children. I of course add my own heartfelt thanks to you all,
Dinah
Saturday, January 30, 2010
News from Bhola, January 2010
Dear all,
Winter has ended in Bangladesh, and spring
has arrived with some good news.
Our lovely Shathi has married Dipok.
Shathi is a deaf Hindu girl whom we all love.
Dipok is also Hindu and has worked in the
boundary for over a year, running the metal
workshop. Although he is a few years older
than Shathi, we are delighted with the marriage.
He will look after her very well and, of course,
is proficient in sign language. They are both
living in the boundary and I am longing to see
them when I arrive next month.
We have bought a tractor and you can see Montu
ploughing the lower field at Valumia ready for sowing.
The other photograph shows the upper field full of
delicious vegetables which I am looking forward to
sampling.
Arm out of plaster, all ready to go and help on Bhola!
Ali and the children send you their love and
thanks for making so many things possible,
And so do we all at Bhola’s Children
Dinah
Winter has ended in Bangladesh, and spring
has arrived with some good news.
Our lovely Shathi has married Dipok.
Shathi is a deaf Hindu girl whom we all love.
Dipok is also Hindu and has worked in the
boundary for over a year, running the metal
workshop. Although he is a few years older
than Shathi, we are delighted with the marriage.
He will look after her very well and, of course,
is proficient in sign language. They are both
living in the boundary and I am longing to see
them when I arrive next month.
We have bought a tractor and you can see Montu
ploughing the lower field at Valumia ready for sowing.
The other photograph shows the upper field full of
delicious vegetables which I am looking forward to
sampling.
Arm out of plaster, all ready to go and help on Bhola!
Ali and the children send you their love and
thanks for making so many things possible,
And so do we all at Bhola’s Children
Dinah
Anne's December 2009 visit to Bhola
Bhola, January 2010
We arrived en masse into Bhola Garden on the 2nd
January: Ali, myself and seven members of a Swedish
family who had lived and worked at the local training
centre, now sadly defunct, more than 15 years ago.
In touch with Ali ever since, for the adults at least it
was a homecoming and they were delighted to meet
Bhola’s Children, and the children to meet all of them.
This, followed by two Japanese guests, friends of the
local chair of Trustees, meant the celebrations lasted
several days.
In the midst of one of the coldest winters recorded in
Bangladesh, the children shivering in hats and
cardigans at 14 degrees Celsius, coughs and colds
not enough to dampen their enthusiasm, the
welcome for all of us was as warm as ever, and the
grounds, including the new house, looked pristine.
Early on in the week saw the switching on of a solar
panel, fixed neatly to the roof of the new building, that
ensures one room on each floor now has light during
the many, many electricity blackouts. In addition, with
the material available now, there has been a huge effort
in the workshop to make beds for all the children.
Within a couple of weeks, nobody should be sleeping
on mats on the floor any more.
Even in the few months since August, there are
significant changes as new children have moved
in and others have graduated to the next step in
their life experiences and training. Monira, the deaf
and dumb carpenter, has left to live with family
and to work in Dhaka, and Rabia, another deaf
girl, has gone to be married. Coming up behind
them, Shati and Fatima, again both deaf, have
finished school and are going into Bhola town to
learn more advanced tailoring. For Shati too,
there are tentative plans of marriage. Eyaruddin
and Sahid, the two very talented deaf boys
who graduated from the classroom in the
summer and have been working in the fields
and in the boundary since, have just started
a 3 month programme at agricultural college
20km away. This will enable them both to take
more responsibility for our land in Valumia,
to help train others how to make the most
of the many land resources in the Bhola area.
As Ali says, nobody with a little land and a
little knowledge should ever go hungry.
Sunday was picnic day in Valumia, where
there is an abundance of vegetables, grown
in careful rotation to ensure constant variety,
from cauliflower to green beans, broccoli to
sweetcorn, to the staples of lal shack, a red
leafy local vegetable, and lentils for dhal.
The pond is teeming with fish too, best caught
by hand whilst wallowing knee-deep in the mud,
avoiding the bite of the sting-ray that causes a
nasty, if temporary paralysis! Ali hopes to purchase
a labour-saving tractor and trailor, funds permitting,
before the end of this dry season to aid the
cultivation further.
Sofia and Rosina, both fully blind, continue to
entertain with their considerable musical skills
singing with the harmonium and keyboard, and
dancing classes remain enthusiastically attended.
Hafsa, Sonia, and Hassan, so long the little ones,
are now seniors in the classroom, doing very well
in their studies. Their places have been taken by
Farhana and Sharmin, two small deaf girls and
Rakib, with cerebral palsy, all of whom are still
settling in. There is a constant stream of enquiries
too; at least half a dozen parents arrived over
the course of the week, their children suffering
conditions from rickets to cleft palates, from
deafness to autism, not to mention the various
adults brought in horizontal and often in plaster,
looking for crutches and other assistive devices to
ease various breaks and strains!
Outside the boundary, the big news is the arrival,
this week of the gas pipes which will supply the area.
The recently built gas plant has been dormant whilst
the government got itself together, and suddenly
the work has started: not only are the main roads
being dug up for tunnels, the pipes are actually
being fitted at an enormous speed. For Bhola Garden,
this will mean that the new kitchen can be put fully
into commission and reduce the need for dangerous
of open fires or the very expensive bottled gas
sometimes employed.
Ali, of course, continues to work far too hard,
but his dedication and encouragement are invaluable.
With the young adults manning the workshop, the
tailoring section and the cooking, and with Ronazid
as administrator, one of the constant anxieties
remains over Ali’s succession, and more immediately,
the need for an experienced and mature female
member of staff to work generally alongside him.
Ali is currently in negotiation with a woman he
thinks is right for the job, but it’s a long and difficult
process... watch this space! And also, for news of
the next huge project, the building of a new and
productive workshop that should generate income
once we raise the £100,000 to set it all up.
All fundraising ideas gratefully received!
As always, it was a wonderful visit, far too
short with the arrival of the seaplane, an outing
in itself for the children, taking me back to Dhaka.
Bhola’s Children send a ‘big hug and many, many
thanks’ to all the donors and supporters out there:
‘don’t forget your children’ Ali says, ‘come and visit us,
please.’ Er, just maybe not all at the same time!!
Anne Hamilton
We arrived en masse into Bhola Garden on the 2nd
January: Ali, myself and seven members of a Swedish
family who had lived and worked at the local training
centre, now sadly defunct, more than 15 years ago.
In touch with Ali ever since, for the adults at least it
was a homecoming and they were delighted to meet
Bhola’s Children, and the children to meet all of them.
This, followed by two Japanese guests, friends of the
local chair of Trustees, meant the celebrations lasted
several days.
In the midst of one of the coldest winters recorded in
Bangladesh, the children shivering in hats and
cardigans at 14 degrees Celsius, coughs and colds
not enough to dampen their enthusiasm, the
welcome for all of us was as warm as ever, and the
grounds, including the new house, looked pristine.
Early on in the week saw the switching on of a solar
panel, fixed neatly to the roof of the new building, that
ensures one room on each floor now has light during
the many, many electricity blackouts. In addition, with
the material available now, there has been a huge effort
in the workshop to make beds for all the children.
Within a couple of weeks, nobody should be sleeping
on mats on the floor any more.
Even in the few months since August, there are
significant changes as new children have moved
in and others have graduated to the next step in
their life experiences and training. Monira, the deaf
and dumb carpenter, has left to live with family
and to work in Dhaka, and Rabia, another deaf
girl, has gone to be married. Coming up behind
them, Shati and Fatima, again both deaf, have
finished school and are going into Bhola town to
learn more advanced tailoring. For Shati too,
there are tentative plans of marriage. Eyaruddin
and Sahid, the two very talented deaf boys
who graduated from the classroom in the
summer and have been working in the fields
and in the boundary since, have just started
a 3 month programme at agricultural college
20km away. This will enable them both to take
more responsibility for our land in Valumia,
to help train others how to make the most
of the many land resources in the Bhola area.
As Ali says, nobody with a little land and a
little knowledge should ever go hungry.
Sunday was picnic day in Valumia, where
there is an abundance of vegetables, grown
in careful rotation to ensure constant variety,
from cauliflower to green beans, broccoli to
sweetcorn, to the staples of lal shack, a red
leafy local vegetable, and lentils for dhal.
The pond is teeming with fish too, best caught
by hand whilst wallowing knee-deep in the mud,
avoiding the bite of the sting-ray that causes a
nasty, if temporary paralysis! Ali hopes to purchase
a labour-saving tractor and trailor, funds permitting,
before the end of this dry season to aid the
cultivation further.
Sofia and Rosina, both fully blind, continue to
entertain with their considerable musical skills
singing with the harmonium and keyboard, and
dancing classes remain enthusiastically attended.
Hafsa, Sonia, and Hassan, so long the little ones,
are now seniors in the classroom, doing very well
in their studies. Their places have been taken by
Farhana and Sharmin, two small deaf girls and
Rakib, with cerebral palsy, all of whom are still
settling in. There is a constant stream of enquiries
too; at least half a dozen parents arrived over
the course of the week, their children suffering
conditions from rickets to cleft palates, from
deafness to autism, not to mention the various
adults brought in horizontal and often in plaster,
looking for crutches and other assistive devices to
ease various breaks and strains!
Outside the boundary, the big news is the arrival,
this week of the gas pipes which will supply the area.
The recently built gas plant has been dormant whilst
the government got itself together, and suddenly
the work has started: not only are the main roads
being dug up for tunnels, the pipes are actually
being fitted at an enormous speed. For Bhola Garden,
this will mean that the new kitchen can be put fully
into commission and reduce the need for dangerous
of open fires or the very expensive bottled gas
sometimes employed.
Ali, of course, continues to work far too hard,
but his dedication and encouragement are invaluable.
With the young adults manning the workshop, the
tailoring section and the cooking, and with Ronazid
as administrator, one of the constant anxieties
remains over Ali’s succession, and more immediately,
the need for an experienced and mature female
member of staff to work generally alongside him.
Ali is currently in negotiation with a woman he
thinks is right for the job, but it’s a long and difficult
process... watch this space! And also, for news of
the next huge project, the building of a new and
productive workshop that should generate income
once we raise the £100,000 to set it all up.
All fundraising ideas gratefully received!
As always, it was a wonderful visit, far too
short with the arrival of the seaplane, an outing
in itself for the children, taking me back to Dhaka.
Bhola’s Children send a ‘big hug and many, many
thanks’ to all the donors and supporters out there:
‘don’t forget your children’ Ali says, ‘come and visit us,
please.’ Er, just maybe not all at the same time!!
Anne Hamilton
Bruna's November 2009 visit to Bhola with Holger, Jelena and Isabella
Dhaka was a cultural shock for my new companions:
the traffic and noise, impossible to believe and describe!;
the dirt and the heavy polluted atmosphere, incredible!;
the millions of men around the streets doing nothing,
shocking!; being always surrounded and stared at as
rare 'extraterrestials' disturbing and surprising!. But
with the help and guidance of very happy and smiling
Ali, Shamin (student/teacher in our home) and
Sumon (Ali's son) we all got involved in the 'Bangladeshy
way' and went around Dhaka to buy the special items
for the newly built kitchen in Bhola ('European' cooker,
extractor, water-heaters, etc) and the new computers,
printer, projector, etc. with money donated from
Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany.
We finally arrived at Bholas Children Protibondi
School where we were welcomed by all the
children and staff. I was worried my new
companions were not comfortable enough, I
was worried that they would find it difficult to
be surrounded by so many deaf-dumb children
eager to talk, waving their hands so fast, making
funny faces; being always followed and touched;
worried by the lack and confused verbal communication
because the level of English is still very poor in our
home; I was worried about the same type of food
everyday; about the continuous power cuts and
'no connection' that made it difficult to use the
computer to keep the 'web journal' of our adventure.
But Bholas Children Protibondi School is a real
magic place. Within two days we all seemed to
be in such a natural harmony all together, Jelena
kept filming the everyday life and activities
surrounded by many fans and eager 'actors';
Holger became immediately very popular among
the girls. Isabella at the beginning found it hard to
relate to so many 'complicated' children, but very
soon she was playing with them, communicating
in sign language, laughing, teaching them games,
rowing the boat on the pond.
Our time in Bhola kept flowing like a smooth
river, full of activities, excitement and fun sharing
with the children school lessons, singing and
playing the keyboard with Rozina and Sofia;
swimming and playing water polo in the pond,
with Ali the referee blowing the whistle and
waving signs language. The last day Mammi
Bruna went in the water too to the delight of all!
One of the most beautiful days we had was
when we all went to Valimia, the land we bought
last year where we cultivate most of the
vegetables and fruits, teaching the children
agricultural skills for their future. In Valimia
we have also a big canal and pond where we
fish. It was really emotional to see our boys
and girls swimming together, fishing together,
throwing their nets and then slowly pulling it at
one time the girls catching the bigger fish! While
we were watching them being so happy together,
so excited, so free, I explained to Holger, Jelena
and Isabella about the uniqueness of our project.
In a Muslim country, where there is always a
division of gender and capabilities, in our beautiful
land and home, our children whatever is their
disability and gender are all together, they play
together, they work together, they learn together,
they fish together, they cook together, they enjoy
together, they really 'live' together, appreciating
anything we give them, any amount of time we
spend with them. They are genuinely and infectiously
happy.
Jelena has taken hours of film of our visit there. She
will obviously edit it preparing a version for the website,
planning also to make a DVD that we would like to give
to friends so that they can experience, at least virtually,
the wonderful atmosphere and achievements we have all
contributed to this special project, hoping to inspire some
of them to go to Bhola in the near future.
the traffic and noise, impossible to believe and describe!;
the dirt and the heavy polluted atmosphere, incredible!;
the millions of men around the streets doing nothing,
shocking!; being always surrounded and stared at as
rare 'extraterrestials' disturbing and surprising!. But
with the help and guidance of very happy and smiling
Ali, Shamin (student/teacher in our home) and
Sumon (Ali's son) we all got involved in the 'Bangladeshy
way' and went around Dhaka to buy the special items
for the newly built kitchen in Bhola ('European' cooker,
extractor, water-heaters, etc) and the new computers,
printer, projector, etc. with money donated from
Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany.
We finally arrived at Bholas Children Protibondi
School where we were welcomed by all the
children and staff. I was worried my new
companions were not comfortable enough, I
was worried that they would find it difficult to
be surrounded by so many deaf-dumb children
eager to talk, waving their hands so fast, making
funny faces; being always followed and touched;
worried by the lack and confused verbal communication
because the level of English is still very poor in our
home; I was worried about the same type of food
everyday; about the continuous power cuts and
'no connection' that made it difficult to use the
computer to keep the 'web journal' of our adventure.
But Bholas Children Protibondi School is a real
magic place. Within two days we all seemed to
be in such a natural harmony all together, Jelena
kept filming the everyday life and activities
surrounded by many fans and eager 'actors';
Holger became immediately very popular among
the girls. Isabella at the beginning found it hard to
relate to so many 'complicated' children, but very
soon she was playing with them, communicating
in sign language, laughing, teaching them games,
rowing the boat on the pond.
Our time in Bhola kept flowing like a smooth
river, full of activities, excitement and fun sharing
with the children school lessons, singing and
playing the keyboard with Rozina and Sofia;
swimming and playing water polo in the pond,
with Ali the referee blowing the whistle and
waving signs language. The last day Mammi
Bruna went in the water too to the delight of all!
One of the most beautiful days we had was
when we all went to Valimia, the land we bought
last year where we cultivate most of the
vegetables and fruits, teaching the children
agricultural skills for their future. In Valimia
we have also a big canal and pond where we
fish. It was really emotional to see our boys
and girls swimming together, fishing together,
throwing their nets and then slowly pulling it at
one time the girls catching the bigger fish! While
we were watching them being so happy together,
so excited, so free, I explained to Holger, Jelena
and Isabella about the uniqueness of our project.
In a Muslim country, where there is always a
division of gender and capabilities, in our beautiful
land and home, our children whatever is their
disability and gender are all together, they play
together, they work together, they learn together,
they fish together, they cook together, they enjoy
together, they really 'live' together, appreciating
anything we give them, any amount of time we
spend with them. They are genuinely and infectiously
happy.
Jelena has taken hours of film of our visit there. She
will obviously edit it preparing a version for the website,
planning also to make a DVD that we would like to give
to friends so that they can experience, at least virtually,
the wonderful atmosphere and achievements we have all
contributed to this special project, hoping to inspire some
of them to go to Bhola in the near future.
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