Bangladesh: Wrap-up
Dhaka: The Last DayUp at 5 AM today to get the 24 hour check-in and seat selection for our 5 AM flight early Saturday morning. Looking forward to a flight of 18+ hours is a good motivator to try to get good seats! Unfortunately, the Internet in Dhaka ground to a halt and it took two hours to get our boarding passes.
Then an early morning walk in the "park," breakfast, packing, reports, picture organization, and a wrap-up meeting with Mr Hadi before a culinary delight this evening at the Hadi's home.
We dressed for the occasion in our new finery with the ladies in saris and the men in white Punjabi suits. Very spiffy. Check out the photo. We think an appropriate team name is Sari Sisters and the Men in White. What do you think?
Our job is done and this was a very successful distribution thanks to the exemplary leadership of Richard and Joan Hryniw and a cohesive and enthusiastic team.
Thank you donors and volunteers for your ongoing support of Sleeping Children. Eight thousand kids have big smiles thanks to you.
Photo (Left to right) Back row: Doug Jamieson, Marg Garrett, Richard Hryniw. Front row: Doug MacDougald, Maxene Henry, Joan Hryniw.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangaldesh: Mission (8,000 Bedkits) Accomplished
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
We are finished — making it 8,000 bedkits, with today's six hundred at the village of Tongibari.
This village is now home for two hundred displaced families that lost everything during monsoon season when the river washed their homes away. After the distribution we visited some of the homes in the village that had received bedkits the previous year. It is hard to describe the sense of sadness that enveloped us as we tried to comprehend how little these people have and what joy and comfort such a simple gift as a bedkit brings.
We saw cow dung drying on sticks that is the source of fire, simple huts with one or two small spaces to live in, and men working at an ad hoc cement block manufacturing site hauling gravel to the cement mixer and carrying the mixed wet cement by hand to the block forms. These men work incredibly long and hard for about $1 per day.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Tomorrow we get organized to head home: tired, fulfilled and numb from the sensory and emotional overload.
Good night and we will talk tomorrow.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Another day in Shibpur
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| Blowing bubbles. More pix in Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Fabulous day in the Shibpur area again although a different locale than yesterday. Seven hundred happy kids later we bumped our way home over the road from hell for the last time. Tomorrow is our last distribution and is in the opposite direction out of Dhaka with I am sure completely smooth roads. ;)
Marg brought bubble blowing supplies today and it was great fun playing with the kids. You know, rich or poor, kids just want — beyond basic needs — to be loved and have fun. It just warms your heart to see the laughter and joy that Marg brought to the kids today.
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| Doug learns a new trade. More pix in Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Interviewing parents
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| The Canadian travelling team, the kids, and the community. From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
For the past three days we travelled in and out of Dhaka on a short-cut that took about and hour out of the trip but it is, as Richard describes it, a "noggin' knocking road."
We drove up to the distribution site at a small school and yard flanked by little huts all roped-off. There were 700 kids inside and two or three times that number of family and community surrounding the area. Spontaneous clapping, along with the Bangladesh national anthem sung by the kids, greeted us as we walked in. We reciprocated with a rather good rendition of "O Canada" (I am biased, but this is a singing team) and got down to work.
For the donors receiving pictures from this site the background is the family and community members with the odd dog and chicken thrown in. There were not many other options today for the photo background but, in fact, it is nice because it gives you a real perspective of what we were in the middle of.
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| Singing "O Canada." From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Marg did a series of interviews today on the specifics of the bedkit as well as the stories of some of the families. Here is her summary of these stories:
"Of the ten families interviewed today, the number of children ranged between 4 – 9. When asked about the value of the 2 most valuable items, most answered the blanket and mattress, second most valuable item was the school back pack. Without exception the one item they wished added was school supplies. They all were very appreciative for the entire kit contents as there are no finances available to buy any of it."
"The annual income for the families interviewed ranged from 12 000 taka to 20 000 taka (170 – 285 Canadian dollars). The family wage earner was always the male, although one woman sometimes worked in the fields with him. Many were farmers of rice or vegetables, few owning any land."
"Many men were day labourers working at anything available. Idleness is not wanted. All of the women delivered their babies at home with a midwife who was often a relative. One said 'close to her heart.' The monthly pension for 60 years old is 200 takas. All their children were currently in school. They started at ages 4, 5, or 6 years old. When asked how old they would be when they left school ... the answer: 'when he has a moustache.'"
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
I wandered off to a little hut before we left and communicate with a young couple with two little boys. They were thrilled to have their first family photo taken. I wish I could have printed it off and given it to them.
Doug MacDougald & Marg Garrett
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Faces of Bangladesh
Happiness, sadness, grief, joy, concern, anxiety, relief all show themselves to us in the faces and eyes of children and adults.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Lions Club distributions
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
We are, with today's 700 bedkits in Balaboo, half way through the Lions Club portion of this Bangladesh trip. Mr Hadi and his wife have done an exceptional job of choosing bedkit materials and organizing the distributions.
Again today we were in a school and we set up inside since it has continued to rain with very high winds. The school and yard was a great spot for our distribution. The family and community were cordoned-off but close enough to see what was going on.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
All it took was one photo and we were surrounded by kids jostling for position for the next.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Today was happy families and kids, happy OVO, and a happy Sleeping Children team.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Sree Nagar Distribution
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
A second day of rain and cool temperatures!
The team had an early start this morning at 7:00 AM for the distribution of 500 Bedkits in Sree Nagar. The journey took us along some extremely narrow roads with steep slopes and water on both sides. There were some challenging times when our minivan had to share the single-lane road with big buses. The temperature was 22 degrees Celsius and we were not prepared to have a morning swim. Thankfully, we arrived safely in Sree Nagar at 8:30 AM.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
The rain was not a show-stopper for the children. They all looked very spiffy in their new outfit, (part of the content of their bedkit), as they waited patiently to have their pictures taken and to receive their bedkit. Their smiles were like rainbows. Thanks to the donors.
Lots of puddles on our way home, but we made it safely back to the hotel, after a lengthy detour for a bit of shopping. Kudos to the guys for their patience, and valuable comments.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Maxene Henry & Marg Garrett
for Team Bangladesh
Pictures from Douglas MacDougald
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Bangladesh: Southwest distribution
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
We travelled on a rainy day southwest to the Padma River and then by ferry to Noapara Island to distribute 800 bedkits to families that inhabit this island that has no electricity. They also have contaminated and silty river water for their drinking water. It was a very interesting day starting with a three-and-a-half-hour trip travelling through mostly a rural area with little villages along narrow roads. We were delayed with a truck snarling traffic as it had almost slipped off the road onto a sharp slippery embankment leading to a water channel.
There were many areas where there was water on one side and sometime two. On the approach to the ferry we travelled for perhaps a kilometer through a village that had only huts perched over the embankment and literally living on the road and over water. These villages continue to be fairly self-contained with services including barber shops, material stores, and a forge.
Docking the ferry dock simple: ram the boat into the muddy bank and let passengers like us slip down the slope with our equipment to clamber aboard — but not before singing "O Canada" to what seemed like the entire village. The ferry was a small beat-up, roughly-built tin can with a tin roof and we sat in the one and only compartment with a very loud engine until escaping to the top of the tin roof for the trip over.
The distribution was great, although we set up under a canopy — remember, it was raining a little — and got half-done before the real rain and wind came and blew the canopy away. We thought afterwards that we had perhaps waited a little too long before moving into a storage room. ;) This is a very optimistic team!
For those donors that get pictures from the storage room the backdrop looks like a low four poster bed with handles but is actually the village equivalent to a hearse. Did I mention earlier an interesting day?
Eight hundred kids didn't care about the rain, or what the backdrop was — they just went home happy.
Through a taste of monsoon season we made it back across the Padma river in our leaky boat and made it home by 7:30 PM.
A good day.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: A hot day in Dhaka
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
This was a sleep-in day since we weren't meeting the Rotary Club for our final review until 11 AM; however, the phone rang at 6 AM with Asad from our hotel wanting to know if he should bring tea. Hmmmmm. Asad is looking after us very well but there is a point of being too keen!! Oh well, I had planned to go for a run this morning but not quite this early. At 6:20 AM I stepped out of the hotel and it was 26ºC and 90% humidity.
Welcome to Dhaka on their second day of winter!!
This is the time of the day when people exercise and the walking path along the water, just down the street from where we are staying, and a park close by with another path has lots of people walking with a few jogging. This tall (for here) white guy with running shorts (everybody has track pants but, come on, it is already a humidex approaching 40 and I am sweating buckets) loping around the path weaving around the walkers brought lots of stares but you know what? A smile and "as-sa-lam wa-lai-kum" ("Hello.") or "shavo shakell" ("Good morning.") changes everything with big smiles and hellos and good mornings back. Very friendly people.
Everything was quite smooth with our discussion with Rotary and M & M (Maxene & Marg) went off shopping with Capt. Hossain. They came back later in the afternoon excited about their purchase of modern Bengali attire consisting of a Kamiz (a long tunic top), a Salwar (pants that come in various styles), and a Dopatta (a sash). They chose 'loose fit.' Don't worry, folks, I haven't gone fashion-forward but I am going somewhere with this.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Well the Salwar apparently comes in one-size-fits-all which led to howls of laughter as it was apparent that Richard (see picture) and the M's could all fit into this together.
Sorry folks, you sort of had to be there, but you get the jist. We are getting ready to rock 'n' roll tomorrow for 800 more kids.
Yippee!!
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Team Review
All photos are from the Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album
We arrived back in Dhaka at 5AM to a beehive of activity with dinghy's (small boats with a single-oarsman that ferry people and supplies) on the move as several steamers docked.
We had a great night back including a "serious" game of euchre that was loud enough with laughter that the rest of the ship must have heard it. For the record the M & M's will gloat over the Doug's until the re-match. Perhaps we should make it really serious this time and have a bet on the match? Bedkit donations from the losing team would be appropriate with the only question being how many. Perhaps our blog readers could weigh in on this dilemma?
The rest of the day was a needed day of rest, touring some of the city, a team review of the rest of the week, and another delightful evening and dinner with the Rotary Club group.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bandladesh: Barisal Distribution
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
We woke at 5 AM as the steamer docked in Barisal and we proceeded immediately through a rural, almost jungle area with many small villages that are rough, basic places connected by, at times, not much more than a cart path.
These villages, however, often have strong family connections and community spirit and are somewhat self-contained.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Today's distribution was, as mentioned in the previous blog, originally planned for two days; however, communication issues led to this being the best option. It was quite successful thanks the efforts of the village, family, Rotarians, and our team.
We ended the day with a walking tour with Captain Hossain through his village as he recounted some of his family and village history.
We are finally back on the steamer at 8:30 PM tired and ready to sleep on the overnight trip back to Dhaka.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Doug MacDougald and Doug Jamieson
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Heading to Barisal
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
This is a day of several parts starting with a very hot 400 bedkit distribution in Dhaka at a wonderful club that some members of Rotary belong to. Lots of happy kids heading off on bicycle rickshaws and pictures to follow in a couple of days and you will see why shortly. Lunch at the same club was a delight, with chili fish, chicken beryani, beef curry, and ice cream. We are well-fed and looked-after by the Rotary Club of Dhaka.
Then it was back to the hotel to pack up to leave most of our stuff at a Rotarian's home, take our overnight bag, head to the Rotary club for a brief meeting, and then to the Old Port of Dhaka to catch a steamer for an overnight boat ride down the
Buriganga river to our next distribution in Barisal.
We had a fascinating walk through the streets and shops of the Old Port as we waited for departure. This is the poorest area of Dhaka and also the busiest.
We stood on the top deck and watched Dhaka disappear and then feasted again, this time on Hilsha, the national fish of Bangladesh, pomphret fish, and eggplant. We will need all the nourishment and stamina we can get as we — due to circumstances beyond our control — do two day's distribution in one tomorrow. Then we will be back on the boat for an overnight to Dhaka.
Thus no pictures but, thanks to wireless and a Blackberry, blogging is still possible.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device.
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| Arrival in Barisal: view from the foredeck. From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
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Bangledesh: Feni Distribution 1
We left at 5:30 AM for the four-and-a-half-hour drive to Feni, a rural area, to distribute 500 bedkits to very poor children. This distribution site was in a school surrounded by a low wall that allowed families and others to view the event. This also allowed for more interaction with the families and children as they left, which also showed us the excitement of what this donation means.
Keep up the good work to everyone connected to Sleeping Children and especially the donors!
The drive to and from through Dhaka and the countryside was filled with unusual sights and experiences for us: thousands of bicycles, rickshaws. Considering they are smaller and slower than just about everything else, the driver and passengers have to be fearless.
This country sits atop the world's largest river delta, a vast flood plain where an intricate system of rivers and tributaries weave like a network of roads, reshaping the land on their way to the Bay of Bengal. As much water flows through Bangladesh as through all of Europe. There is water everywhere with rice fields and fish lagoons and then even more water.
We passed many outdoor brick manufacturing sites with all manual labour.
This is the most densely populated country with any significant landmass in the world — 1045 people per square kilometer compared to Canada at 3.2. 140 million people in an area sixty times smaller than Canada. There are people everywhere - in the fields, on the water, and fearless on the roads.
It's now 8:30 PM and we are back to our hotel. A good day.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Sirajgonj Distribution
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
The SCAW Team was off to an early start this morning. We left at 6 AM for the northern city of Sirajgonj to distribute 500 bedkits.
Our Rotary hosts treated us to a very delectable breakfast en route to the distribution site. When we arrived at the site we were greeted by some of the children who were already dressed for their pictures. The SCAW team got organized very quickly and the children were happy to get their bedkits. The weather was great once again, which facilitated a smooth distribution with loads of Bangladesh sunshine. Thanks to all the donors who have made another 500 children very happy today. They are now, hopefully, having a comfortable night's sleep using the contents of their bedkit.
The team had a very interesting ride to and from Sirajgonj. This was our first trip out of Dhaka, so we got a really good perspective of the life in Bangladesh.
We had never seen so many rickshaws in our lives and we were awed by the variety and size of the cargo these vehicles were able to accommodate. We also noticed that a two lane highway could be readily used as four lanes and that the rickshaws were well-respected by all motorists. A rickshaw would go in any direction it wished but, interestingly, there were absolutely no accidents.
The drivers are all very skillful in using up every inch of the road to move along quickly. Needless to say, we had some anxious moments, but all in all we arrived back at our hotel safely at 7:15 PM, with much enthusiasm for another early start tomorrow: 5:30 AM!!!
Maxene Henry
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Distribution Two
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
This was a very smooth 702 bedkit day and it may not have been apparent in Marg and Maxene’s blog but this was in sharp contrast to yesterday. Both occurred in the same location: a small courtyard surrounded by small classrooms and piled high with bedkits. It was a bake oven that did not work for kid, man, woman, or camera.
We led the charge to empty the bedkits from one of the rooms. Anyone who has slugged bales under a hot tin barn roof as the mow is close to filled has the picture. The only good news: we got through the rest of the distribution sort of OK ... and Richard, our co-leader, finally had a team member that could give him a run for his money on ability to sweat — we just “puddled” through the day. At some point in the day when things were not going well Marg, Maxene, Doug J. and I were happy to see our other co-leader, Joan, jump in to keep things organized.
Back to today — same place, same people and it ended up textbook. Hats off to the Rotary Club of Dhaka who did a great job.
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
But of course when the day was over and the buses were loaded and heading home the kids were excited and happy. A better ride home.
We and you are helping one child at a time.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: The first distribution
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
It was much to our surprise that the distribution site was only 10 minutes from our hotel. We left at 8 AM and arrived at the site at 8:10 AM greeted by the children and parents who were gathering.
There were lots of Hello's, How are you's, and smiles. The many Bangladesh volunteers were already on site with lots of enthusiasm and politeness.
600 happy faces were our treat of the day. The children were orderly, patient and full of anticipation. The girls particularly looked beautiful in their colourful outfits for picture taking.
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| Click to go to the Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
There was one girl today with only one leg and no prosthesis. She was hopping along using only a stick. She radiated grace and appreciation for her bedkit. We were thrilled to see her.
Maxene Henry and Marg Garrett
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Preparations
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Off the plane by 6 AM and it was warm and sticky in Dhaka as we headed to our hotel. We got a glimpse of the sights and smells of the fourteen million people that live in this city on the ride -- but only a little glimpse.
We spent the rest of the day resting and prepping for our first distribution tomorrow. We met with the Rotary Club of Dhaka’s committee and discussed details of their portion of this 8,000 bedkit distribution. The Lions Club will organize the other portion.
Then we examined and did a dry run of the bedkit set-up.
Ahhhh ... bed.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: The team has arrived
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| From Bangladesh 2008 Photo Album |
Our day of travel to Dhaka started Tuesday early evening in Toronto, and ended early Thursday morning after seventeen hours flying time, nine hours layover in London, and ten hours time change.
Not so bad compared to my Dad’s longest mission of twenty-two hours flying out of Jessore, India (now Bangladesh) in WWII. We had the comforts of modern travel; he was crammed into a tail turret. We have no complaints!
Well perhaps one: our best-laid plans during our layover of heading from Heathrow to Windsor for a walk-about, lunch, and perhaps see the Queen didn’t happen due to a comedy of logistical errors. Instead, we walked through all five Heathrow terminals. Long story, one best not repeated.
But, at the end of it all, Team Bangladesh has arrived in Dhaka.
In the photo, we have just been welcomed by the Rotary members. In the photo (Left to Right) Doug MacDougald, Marg Garrett, Richard Hryniw, Maxene Henry, Capt. M. Khaliquzzaman of the Rotary, Joan Hryniw, Doug Jamieson.
Doug MacDougald
for Team Bangladesh
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Bangladesh: Leave your comments here
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