This year we are looking forward to moving into the new diningroom/kitchen. The work is almost completed and we hope to be in by next month. We also expect to admit 10 new boys into the orphanage, we are growing!

Thank you everyone for making 2011 a great year, we look forward to 2012.

The Boys wearing their new shoes

Here is a picture of the boys proudly wearing their new shoes.   The shoes make the trek to school and the fields much easier. It is also easier for them to work in the fields being properly shod. Thank you donors!

We recently hired a new housemother to clean the dormitory and bathe the younger boys and get them ready for school. Welcome Rahima.

The older boys recently competed in a swimming competition and they won 15 of the 20 prizes. Our boys are truley winners.

The Orphans Welfare Foundation of Bangladesh recently donated pens and school books to the orphanage. The boys should now be all set for the new school year and we are greatful to the OWF for their generosity.

I recently sent out a newsletter asking for donations to buy the boys new shoes as they were wearing old flip flops or sandals tied together with string. Our donors came through with the $350 needed and the money was just sent to them. It is the little things in life that keep us happy and I think they are more excited about new shoes then the new dining room. They send hugs and kisses to all who helped.

One of the boys, Abdullah, required surgery for a hernia repair. His recovery is progressing well and he is now able to walk around
the orphanage grounds. Several of the boys have recently experienced very high fevers which required doctor visits. We are thankful that they are all doing well now, it is a priority that we keep the boys healthy so that they can grow into strong and productive young men.

We have much to be hopeful for in 2011. We hope to build a new barn for the cows as they are becoming sickly living in the cold and damp. We would like to build a new diningroom/kitchen so the boys don’t have to eat in the condemned building which is at risk of collapsing. And as always, we hope for a tractor/tiller so the boys don’t have to do the agricultural work by hand with only primitive tools. With your help, these dreams can be realized.

Wishing everyone a prosperous, happy and healthy New Year.

The bad news is that Bangladesh experienced a great deal of rain last month. Because Char Fasson is on the Bay of Bengal, a very low lying area, they experienced flooding. Fortunately the boys and buildings are alright, but the fields flooded and they lost all of their crops. The field work is very arduous and time consuming because they do not have the proper tools or machinery to do the work, but they will cheerfully replant knowing that they are providing themselves sustenance. A tiller would go a long way in streamlining the process allowing more time for the boys schooling and the all important sports and play.

Rassell, an eight-year-old boy, sat alone in the empty field and reminisced. He still remembered his earlier life. He was three or four years old. His father used to have a small store. Life was good back then with his parents and little brother. Then came a storm and washed away their lives. His father died. His family collapsed. His brother and mother had gone far away. Now he was left at the Char Fasson Orphanage. When he came for the first time, he had cried a lot. He had missed his home, his family. Slowly he found another home and another family within that orphanage. Yes, they had to live in cow sheds as the building was dilapidated. Yet that was a home to him and a hundred other kids. Most importantly, he had all his brothers, his caregiver,  etc. He had grown to love the scenic countryside despite the poverty. He remembered how he used to wait anxiously for the end of the month when the benevolent founder A.H.M. Minuddin Jahangir would visit them. It was always a treat and a day of celebration. Sometimes Jahangir would bring something nice for them like chocolates, etc. He also grew extremely fond of the foreign lady, Tiffany Hodge, who frequently visited and stayed with the orphans. He liked her and Natalie and David and all the other foreigners who visited the orphanage from time to time. They were always so nice. Rassel sat and thought of what would happen to them now. Where would they go? He heard the news from the city that the founding member recently had a stroke. He even heard rumours that the orphanage will close down. Despite the poverty, the discomforts, and the toils, it brought tears to Rassel’s eyes knowing he would have to give up this orphanage.

That’s the thought that haunted the other kids in the orphanage as well. Just what was going to happen to them? What would become of the orphanage that had stood since 1975?

Showing off the new digs

 The boys moved into the new quarters on July 1st and are very excited to have their own beds instead of sleeping 2 to a bed. There are 5 dormitory style rooms which house 12 boys each, a luxury compared to 35 crowded into a cow shed. There are also 2 guest rooms and an office in the new building. Thank you Felicity for your generosity!

There are  new plans for the old sheds where the boys used to sleep. One we would like to convert into a chicken coop and one day hope to be able to stock it with 50 or so chickens. Raising of the poultry will enable  the boys to add a few eggs a week to their diets, a source of protein they are not now getting in their rice and vegetable only meals. The other shed will be used to store firewood and sawdust needed to fuel the earthen stoves used to prepare their meals.

The orphanage was able to purchase 2 new cows recently, which brings their total up to 16 cows. The cows are currently paying for their feed from the sale of their milk in the market. It is estimated that with 4 more cows they will be able to produce enough milk to supply each boy with a glass of milk a week. Each glass of milk will help to supply them with calcium and protein needed for proper growth and development, nutrition they are not now getting.

A cow costs $700 and a chicken costs $5 in Bangladesh. Please consider making a donation to purchase a cow or chicken for the orphanage. Thank you for your support.