Field Notes by Levani* June 2002.

Arrival

I arrived into Dhaka after having a turbulent flight across the windstreams and storms. There were times when the plane dropped so low, that I thought it would not come back up again. I was told that these air currents were natural and that it was just the monsoon rains. Nothing was going to stop me from visiting the children who lives would be changed and whose lives would change me.

The same evening I headed straight to the orphanage along with Mr. Joel Folia and Mr. Martin Theta, two of the social workers of H.E.A.R.T.S. Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (Health, Education, Agriculture, Rehabilitation, Training Society), the NGO that is managing the shelter for the children. Adeline's Gift Shelter was named in honor of Adeline Lipton, the founder of The Ananda Foundation.

We made our way through small alley ways, dimly lit streets with the melon orange light that is so familiar in underdeveloped countries, past bicycle rickshaws, blaring music, roadside trash fires, and groups of girls in their salwar kameez, headed for their night shift at the factories. Finally we came to a four story building off the main street.

Though our journey to Bangladesh had started at four am departing from Bangalore to Calcutta, India and then on to Dhaka, I was bubbling with excitement. I love children. We walked up two flights of stairs. Little did I know what awaited me around the corner. Thirty little souls. Thirty futures. Thirty lives spared from exploitation. The chance to make a difference in a single life is remarkable, the chance to make a difference in thirty lives is even better. I carried so much hope in my heart.

There in the front door was a sign which read Adeline's Gift Hostel. If only my grandmother could see this, I thought. She loved children as well. As a child, I used to listen to her share her stories about children of the world; kids in Africa, India, the Caribbean, the Pacific. It captivated me. At the time, they were such faraway places.

We walked into a room that was filled with steel benches and tables painted blue. "WELCOME, SISTER!" came thirty little voices.

"HOW are you?" They queried.

"I'm fine. How ARE you?" I replied.

"Fine," was the response with giggles and smiles.

And then began Shagatam, Shagatam, Shagatam; the Welcome song. First one side of the room would sing, then the other side tried to outshout them.

The children each stood up and introduced themselves. "My name is Prosanjit, I am in 1st class, my name is Prodeep, I am in 2nd class, my name is Archana, I am in baby class." At one point one girl had stood up and said she was in 2nd class, everyone started giggling. She was only in 1st class, but wanted to make a good impression.

I sat looking at each of the faces.Wide-eyed and staring right back at me. These lives were no longer statistics on a paper, unidentifiable numbers in a proposal. They were breathing souls with a future. They are my children now.

The Dedication

We held an official dedication ceremony on the 28th of June at the YWCA in Mohammadpur, part of a residential district in Dhaka. I was accompanied by Mrs. Kawa'opunaheleopai'i Durante a visiting teacher of Hawaiian studies who taught local school children at Hawai'i's prestigious Kamehameha Schools. She also teaches other kupuna, elders through various programs with the State of Hawaii department of Education. We had decided that being that the Ananda Foundation is based in Hawaii, it would be nice to bridge the Bengali and Hawaiian cultures. Aunty Kawa'o or Puna as she is affectionately known, opened our dedication ceremony with an 'oli, a traditional prayer and welcome to all the guests. She chanted as she walked into the room, followed by the rest of the speakers.

The children sat in the front row, girls in peach dresses with collars, the boys in brown shirts and shorts and high socks.

The evening's speeches were filled with optimism and hope. We may be starting small, but slowly we will emerge to help more children. That was the aspiration from all present. One of the highlights was when our featured guest speaker, Mr. Wilfred Rodriguez, Director General of the Ministry of Labour, Manpower, Training and Employment surprised everyone by conducting an impromptu interview with the children. He asked them in Bangla:

Are you happy?

Are you eating well?

How many meals are you eating a day?*

Are you learning?

Are you having fun?

Simultaneous responses of an enthusiastic YES in Bangla were heard. The audience responded with as much enthusiasm. It was a joyous occasion.

Additional highlights included a traditional Bengali dance performance a song by the revered elder of the HEARTS, Mrs. Elizabeth Theta, A Ghazal song performance by a fourteen year old prodigy, poetry recitations and song performances by children from the orphanage. Aunty Kawa'o closed the ceremony by singing Aloha Oe' and strumming her ukulele. During this time, we gave each of the children a shell lei and a new set of clothes, mu'umu'us (Hawaiian dresses) for the girls and Aloha shirts for the boys which had all been collected as donations from the children of Hawai'i.

We ended with a good meal of curry and rice pullao flavored with saffron. Joel had pointed out that the children didn't know what a soda was, they had never had the luxury of tasting an orange fanta soda pop. He walked around attempting to explain what a soda was and how to use a straw to drink it.

We saw the children depart for their home and hugged each goodnight. A wonderful evening it was. I had to pinch myself a couple times. Everything seemed so surreal. Three years ago, this project was just an idea, a wish. Now it was a dream come true.

And yet, I was also struck and grounded with reality as I sat listening to speeches. Though the funding provides for three years of health, welfare, and education of these young lives, the commitment goes much beyond that. These children have been spared from a life of child exploitation. Any one of these precious souls could have ended up in child prostitution, child labour, or succumb to a living a life on the edge. Our intent is to give them the tools to develop their potential as citizens that will contribute to society with jobs that will earn them a good living and allow them to take care of their families. For now, they are living out their childhood, a privilege that is not common if you come from a family living in poverty.

In the company of children

During our visit in Bangladesh, we spent some time with the children. The kindergartners and 5th and 6th grade summer school students from Trinity Christian School of Kailua had created handmade notebooks and pencil gift packets for the children of Adeline's Gift. Each book was personalized with the name of the Bangladesh child that would receive it. I had brought photos of the students from Trinity to show to the Bengali children along with their messages of hope and prayers.

The children were filled with amazement that strangers thousands of miles away could be so generous, let alone children of the same age. Mr. Martin Theta pointed to his heart and explained in Bengali "It is because they LOVE you, that they did this, and maybe one day we can also do the same for them." We clapped for each student as they collected their gift packet. Usually teaching is done on a black board, it may have well been the first time, these children have even seen white sheets of loose-leaf paper.

Later Aunty Kawa'o taught the children a song that is familiar to young and old alike; the A.L.O.H.A. Song with hula and hand motions. While aunty was teaching, I photographed portraits of the children the roof of the building next to the only green tree in the vicinity. It was about 102 degrees and I went through 3 bottles of water and a sprite, but I was determined to document and capture these bright faces.

After the activities, it was lunchtime. One of the staff Miss. Sawarssati Mollik is a cook and she prepares all meals daily for the children. The children sat in a circle on the floor. As Bangladesh is known for its waterways, seafood is common in the diet. Today, the children were having fish curry and rice.

The orphanage has five rooms: A classroom, three living quarters, and an eating area with a small attached kitchen. The children sleep in bunk-beds. The teachers also live at the hostel along with the children. The staff have noticed that since the children's move into the shelter in April, the incidence of bedwetting, nightmares, and restless sleeping have decreased. These are commonly used as indicators to judge the children's mental and emotional well-being and whether they feel secure and safe in their surroundings.

Many of the children have a deceased parent or a single parent who cannot care and provide for their needs. They have no families, but in the few short months that they have been at the shelter, they have formed bonds and friendships with the other children. They have become families to each other. The older children look after the younger ones. It was heartwarming to experience.

It's strange how attached one can become. These children represent hope to me. They represent resiliency and a thirst for life. They represent a future for the many children who await help, who sleep on a bed made of bamboo and aluminum, who play in the streets of sludge, who never have full bellies, who never know if their mothers or fathers will return home...

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please send us an email.

• To visit our photo gallery click here.
• To view a slide show click here.
• The children of Adeline's Gift.
• Experience daily life with our children. More daily life .
• View artwork of our children here
• Hear their lives in their words...
• To read a transcript of my speech, click here.
• Who is Adeline? click here.

To learn more about this project sponsored by a grant from the Ananda Foundation click here.

Find out how you can help support Ananda Foundation projects

* The children are provided with three meals a day.