All Quiet on the Dhaka Front

Dhaka has been a ghost town since I left for Bangkok.  So many people who live here left their families behind in the villages, and they return home for a few weeks for Eid at the end of Ramadan.  It has been spooky seeing all of the construction sites boarded up, finding very few beggars on the streets and actually being able to get around town without much trouble.  It certainly made the transition back from Thailand easier though.  And now that I've been with my students for a week, I am once again happy in Bangladesh.

Once of the things that attracted me to Bangladesh was the chance to perform meaningful service.  The school provides support for twelve local organizations, and students spend three full school days and a number of Saturdays working at these charities.  I chose an orphanage/school that serves street children.  They have 62 resident students and another 120 that come from the slums and just attend school for half a day each day.  I will be taking 10 of my students there at the end of the month, but wanted to visit myself in advance to get a better feel for the place, and I did so yesterday.

The classrooms are tiny, and at night the desks are piled up so that mattresses can be spread on the floors for the resident students to sleep on.

 
Friday is wash day.  The resident students own few clothes other than those on their backs, but they do wash their sheets each week.  The showers for students are located on the roof, and this is where they wash the sheets as well.

In addition to traditional subjects, the students are taught English, some French, and a trade such as sewing or cooking.  Some of you may remember these sewing machines from your grandmother's or great grandmother's houses.

 

This was the only student studying on the day off.  I suspect he will be successful in starting a new life off the streets.

This is the "school bus" used by many public schools in Bangladesh.  I couldn't believe it when I saw the first one driving around the streets of Dhaka with children in it.  I thought it was a paddy wagon for truants. 

I am sure that I will be asking all of you to help me to assist these students at some point.  In the meantime, please let me know if you have any ideas for helping them.