Dhaka, 17 June 2010

Dhaka's population in million people

Bangladesh’s capital grows at an enormous speed, especially as a consequence of the migration from rural areas that can be observed since the 1960s. The result is an increasingly overburdened infrastructure. Power breakdowns and water supply failures are frequent. At almost all times of the day, routes shorter than five kilometers mean a driving time of about 45 to 90 minutes because of the extreme traffic density. We experienced this again today. It had been our goal to have as many meetings as possible. At the end of the day, due to the traffic and the resulting delays, we had only managed to have two. (more…)

Dhaka, 12 June 2010

Pupils at a class for street children held by Ekmattra

Our partner organization Ekmattra operates a school for street children at a community house in Mirpur in the north-west of Dhaka, providing an education to those children living on the street or in slums, who wouldn’t have had this opportunity otherwise. These children are taught three times a week by experienced volunteer teachers in fundamental cultural techniques – reading, writing and basic math. These classes are supplemented with courses in common knowledge, sexual education and manners. We had the opportunity to visit a class consisting of ten students in Mirpur today with our local volunteer Saifur Rahman and his wife Senjuti accompanying us. After a new letter of the Bengali alphabet was introduced to the students, they took up a traditional dance and sang Bangladeshi songs for us. After some encouragement from the kids we gave them a rendition of the German children’s song “Alle meine Entchen”. Our Bangladeshi friends were clearly amused by this and were reluctant to let us leave by the end of the lesson. We left deeply moved by the unbroken joy and overwhelming energy of these children who have struggled to survive since the day they were born. (more…)

Dhaka, 11 June 2010

Since 2004, Ekmattra has been running a rehabilitation centre for Dhaka’s street children in the city’s Northwestern district of Mirpur. On weekdays, the children attend the local school together with other children from the area. In addition to a householder who provides around-the-clock care for the children, there is a cook and two other employees and contact persons for the children. The shared meals, excursions and the solving of minor conflicts convey visitors an intimate and friendly atmosphere. (more…)