Today (Monday
February 27th 2017) marks the beginning of an unique distribution for
Sleeping Children Around the World and its Overseas Volunteer Partner.
In July 2016,
the Canadian Government issued a warning regarding “non-essential” travel to
Bangladesh. It strongly advised travellers not
to visit the country in light of a recent tragic attack on foreign nationals.
To date, as
that advisory has not been lifted, the Canadian SCAW team has been unable to team up with the
Rotary Club of Dhaka to work together distributing 6,000 bedkits to needy
Bangladeshi children.
The original
schedule would have had the distribution start in November 2016, and in the
lead-up to that date the hope from everyone was that the advisory would have
changed. It did not and it became apparent that a new date would have to be
decided upon, and that became February 2017.
The children
were selected, the bedkits manufactured and in storage, the distribution sites
organised: all this being efficiently organised by the willing volunteers of
the Rotary Club of Dhaka under the leadership of Bayezidur Rahman.
With the
inability of the SCAW team to travel, the duties they would normally have
carried out are now being undertaken by the Rotary team. They have embraced the
challenge with such enthusiasm and confidence, it’s heartwarming!
With daily
communication between Bangladesh and Sleeping Children here, together we will
work though this unique opportunity and bring about the desired result...6,000
smiling children with bedkits.
Today the
Overseas Volunteer Partner team of Bayezidur Rahman, Mohammad Khaliquzzaman, Ranjan Neogi, RI Rowly, and Masud
Alam (with countless other volunteers) started the distribution off in grand
style with 680 bedkits given out in Rowmari, in the far north of Bangladesh.
These children come from one the poorest areas of the
country, living mostly on “islands” in the Brahmaputra River, where season
flooding periodically destroys those islands and creates new ones. These young
children would have seen their homes destroyed at least twice in their young
lives.
Our thanks go to the Rotary Dhaka, and all the SCAW donors,
for bringing some hope and improvement to the children of this area of
Bangladesh.
Chris Hill, Team Leader connected by SKYPE to Rotary Club
of Dhaka.
Team Bangladesh 2017
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