Haluaghat, 15 June 2010

Approximately 180 km north of the capital of Dhaka with its 14 million inhabitants, not far from the Indian border, lies Haluaghat, one of the most fertile regions of the country. This northern region of Bangladesh is relatively safe from natural catastrophes, which is one of the reasons Ekmattra chose this area a couple years ago to look for a suitable building site for its planned children’s village. And they found just the right place. Two sides of the one hectare large piece of land are enclosed by two separate streams, which swell to small rivers during the monsoon season.

Donations from Germany

We travelled to Bangladesh with a total of 3100 Euros to directly take part in the funding of the dam project. The money was acquired through the profit generated by the beneficiary concert “Bengali Blast” and generous private donations. To prevent erosion, the banks of the streams are being fortified and plants are applied. Furthermore, dams will be erected to ensure a stable supply of water in times of shortage for the sanitary facilities and irrigation of the fields.

The riverbed before (left) & after (right)

Accomplishments

Since the purchase of the property a lot has changed in the serenity of Haluaghat. The first crops were planted, a well was dug, two big ponds were excavated and cottages were constructed. The local workers, together with professionals like architects, surveyors and Ekmattra employees, are a guarantee for the success of the children’s village. The local residents are provided with work, which makes it possible for them to identify with the “project Children’s Village” and they are learning new skills at the same time, which they later will be able to use in their own village – all of which are eco-friendly and require minimal expenses.

First Impressions

Workcamp with local students

We were very impressed as we arrived in Haluaghat for the first time after a four-hour drive. A lot has changed since last year. Beside a small cottage, which was present the year before, two new buildings were erected. They are mainly used as a sleeping opportunity after a hard day of labor.

On the first day of our stay in Haluaghat we were brought up-to-date about recent developments. This was done by the responsible architect of the renowned architectural bureau VITTI and two of his employees. The surveyor marked the spots on the perimeter where the different buildings of the children’s village will be erected, which enabled us to get a realistic impression of the dimensions the future village will actually have for the first time.

In the afternoon 20 students from the surrounding schools gathered on the property to receive instructions on the upcoming workcamp.

Workcamp

Maqsuda, Cathleen & Marc working with local students on the irrigation system of the Children's Village Haluaghat

The workcamp took place a week later. Armed with hatchets and baskets we set to work under the hot midday sun in 20 minute shifts. A big challenge lay ahead of us: We had to lower a part of the riverbed to create a steady downward slope. As it turned out, we had underestimated the task. Our initial excitement to finally “work hands on” decreased rapidly as temperatures rose. Even the students, who were participating in one of the legendary workcamps, were hardly able to return to their home villages after dinner. Still, everyone felt a deep sense of satisfaction at the end of the day. We hardly felt the heat that night – we were too tired from this exhausting, yet fulfilling day.

We were woken up the next morning by loud noises. It was the first signs of the upcoming monsoon, which hit the metal sheet roof of our cottage with thundering force. Shortly after that we could hear voices coming from outside and, upon opening our cottage’s door, witnessed a spectacle none of us will forget too soon. Everyone had left their sleeping places and was excelling in a ceremony between raindance and liberated gestures, the climax of which was the leap into the warm, rainwater-filled mud pit. The stream’s current had increased and so it was decided to postpone the work of the day.