Project Bangladesh

Since 2001 we have been supporting the work of two Taizé Brother fraternities. Originally based in Senegal, for the last 8 years our brother-friend has been working in Bangladesh with four other brothers. The Taizé Brothers (www.taize.fr) have been actively involved in Bangladesh for 40 years. Based on Christian principles, they share their lives with the poorest of the poor, regardless of their religion, and with minimal funding they help the many handicapped people in Bangladesh to help themselves.

This support includes:

Therapy and support for young people who are mentally and physically disabled
Various workshops for the physically disabled
Microcredit loans for poor young disabled people or their families
Van for transporting the disabled
Education for young children living in the slums
Kindergartens in very poor neighbourhoods
Education and support for young Christians living in a Muslim / Hindu environment
Hospital support for the very poor infirm
We visited the Taizé Brothers and their projects in Bangladesh in 2013. (A report of the trip can be requested.)

The following photographs correspond to the projects mentioned above (in the correct order).

Therapy for the mentally disabled – The mother learns how she can help her child.

During their holidays, European therapists come to work with the disabled children.

A wheelchair is a significant help for the child and their whole family. In Bangladesh, the disabled often crawl on the ground like animals.

A group of young disabled people decorating cards with rice straw. This activity provides them with occupation, community and income.

Seven disabled women knot and weave at a carpet-making workshop. They are integrated into society, enjoying a creative job which provides them with an income.

This deaf and mute woman embroidered this tablecloth. She is proud to bring joy to others through her work and be able to help her family with her income.

In the outskirts of Mymensingh City this young woman makes bags out of plastic strings to sell at the local market. She is a proud businesswoman, thanks to her brother’s microcredit.

Bimol paints with his feet. When he was a child, an electric shock tore off both of his arms. He now has a small family and makes a living by painting.

Many small boutiques enliven the neighbourhoods. Thanks to a microcredit, this disabled person’s family can earn a moderate income.

For the last few years, the severely disabled have been driven to meetings and therapy sessions in a van. Until recently, they were transported by rickshaw.

They are thankful for the van which makes it possible for them to go to meetings where they can share and discuss with others.

Being able to go to school is of utmost importance for the future of these children. Many very poor parents do not allow their children to go to school, as they are expected to work.

At school in the slums, the young children are provided a snack. This makes going to school an attractive option, since most children otherwise only get one meagre meal a day.

Cultivating local culture with the children at the club on Wednesday afternoons.

This is where our slum children live: right next to the train tracks.

Newborns with their mothers in hospital. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any other photographs. The hospital is far below European standards, but the medical care is, in fact, quite good.

At various parishes and schools, young Christians are prepared for life by discussing topics like love, friendship and dealing with emotions.

They participate enthusiastically and learn a lot. They are well prepared for the life they face when they move to the city to study.

This is our friend, Frère J. Jacques, with an ill woman and her child, on the train tracks.