This was a humbling and difficult visit in the city of Chittagong. Our visit took us to a teaching center for children ages 5 to 14 who have been sold into child labor that is of hazardous nature. Labor such as breaking bricks by hand, tearing apart ships, mechanical work as well as other industrial jobs. The children in these pictures are the lucky ones. They have been given the chance to a non-formal education to learn basic math, literacy and other skills to help them transition into formal education,or able to enter into more skilled and better paid work. Currently there are 1.5 million children in non-formal education in Bangladesh. The children I met at this center are allowed a few hours of time each day to go to this center to learn basic skills. The younger children come to the center in the morning, whilst the older children up to age 14 come later in the day. | All of these children, an estimated 1.3 million of them, are engaged in hazardous work. (A total of around 47.9 million child laborers in all: industry, agriculture and domestic) These children are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and neglect. Many of them work for no more than two meals a day and a place to sleep on the factory floors. There fathers are mostly absent, and mothers cannot even support themselves let alone a child; this is why they are sold into labor. This work deprives them of their childhood, their potential and their dignity. Most of these children are working more than 40 hours per week. To add to this, school and education is often not accessible due to the cost of uniforms, transportation and materials. For the children you see in these pictures, their owners have agreed to allow them time away from the work to learn these basic math and literacy skills. These factory owners and managers are being educated themselves in the rights of children workers. Sadly, some factory owners and managers will never allow the children they employ. Along with learning math and literacy basics, these children get the opportunity to sing, dance and act. The center believes in educating not just the mind, but the heart and soul of the child as well. In the video above, a young girl asked if she could perform a song for me. With tears of joy, I listened to her sing a song about birds - wanting to fly and sing and free like the birds she sees in the sky. I was blessed with witnessing a beautiful dance and play buy other students of the center. As our time was short, we left to soon. In preparing to leave, many of the younger children ran up to hug me. This little girl in the picture not only hugged me, but hung on, and hung on - wanting so much to be loved. My heart will never be the same. |
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We discussed the things they like about school and what they want to do with their lives when they grow up. Sadly, the average class size in Bangladesh is around 60 students or more. All of the girls were very proud to be in school and learning. Today, Banasree and Orgho and I travel by train to Chittagong to visit students who have been in hazardous jobs and are now in a safe place and in school. We will then travel to Cox Bazaar to visit with a home for students with special needs. I will be posting when I can.
In the Muslim calendar, today marks the beginning of Ramadan. A month long fast from dawn to dusk, meant to bring one closer to God. The fasting is an exercise in restraint; physically (food, drink, smoking), and spiritually (daily prayer to God).
Women and children line up with whatever they have to collect water to take back to their "homes". Many of these people live on the streets, sleeping on sidewalks, benches or under road overpasses. It is humbling to me, as water in the US (except maybe California right now) is taken as a right and not a privilege. As you can see from the picture, each truck and driver personalizes their water tanker to represent their personality. Not only are the trucks an important service, they are an expression of identity and art. Crawford Market And Gateway to India
Now, I must be off to bed. I leave at 3:00 am for the airport to continue my journey on, to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Orgho and his family will be graciously hosting me. Many new adventures to come . . . .
Tearing a piece of naan, I pinched the bread around the food and used that to bring it to my mouth. This lead to a lot of finger licking that allowed me to fit in with the locals. Here is a short video of eating my lunch.
Dinner at 11:00 pm CDT: Chicken curry, rice, aloo (potato) curry, rice and edamame salad, roll, water, cheese wine and toffee cheesecake. Even REAL silverware to eat with; no plastic on this airline (You hear that American and Delta - come on America!)
I am in need of finding my next gate for my flight to Mumbai, 12:40 pm your time - 8:40 pm Qatar time. Will arrive at 2:40 am in India. Some rest and then off to see the sights. Lots of street food, markets and heat! Gotta love the monsoon season. More later- Namaste`!
The story begins . . . I am ready to board American Airlines flight 3451 for Chicago.
In a few days I will arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Area in Mumbai, India. I will layover in Doha, Qatar - whose airport overlooks the Persian Gulf. I will check in daily with happenings as well as the sights and sounds of India and Bangladesh. You can follow this blog via my Facebook page. Please comment with your impressions, questions and comments. Happy travels! |