News
August Newsletter
Since lockdown was announced, our mothers have been busy hand-making Christmas decorations made out of bamboo strips, carved from the trees naturally grown in the heart of The Sreepur Village, the place they now call home and where they get to learn a number of new vocational skills that will empower their families with a future of hope and independence.
Remembering Rana Plaza - 5th Anniversary
As most of you know following the Rana Plaza disaster FIVE years ago, we supported some of the orphans and helped to finance their education.
Candle Making by A Mother of The Sreepur Village
Earlier in 2017, The Sreepur Village began a ‘Candle Making’ training programme for the mothers, to help empower them as entrepreneurs. A small business idea, such as this, helps the mothers to support their families as they can make candles in their free time and earn an additional income, a driving force that never existed before.
World Health Day
The theme of this year’s World Health Day is “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere” and here in The Sreepur Village we make sure that the 200 mothers and over 500 children, in our care, are entitled to quality health services. Our mothers join us from different remote areas of the country, they are from poverty-stricken families and more than often have not been able to obtain the minimum health facilities which, in turn, affects the health of the entire family.
My Trip to Bangladesh, by Emma our UK Fundraiser
I oversee fundraising in the UK for The Sreepur Village so before my trip I was feeling fairly confident of what to expect and see in the heart of Bangladesh or so I thought I did. What I didn’t expect to see was over 700 smiling faces, children content to play with just a leaf and mothers willing to do the smallest of jobs so that they could have the biggest results, like feed their families.
The Sreepur Village Celebrates the 48th Independence Day
On Sunday, The Sreepur Village, celebrated the 48th Independence Day by participating in different programmes organised by the Sreepur Village School.
As a first phase of the programme, the children of the Sreepur Village School celebrated the free spirit of the Bangladeshi Independence day with great fervour and joy. In excited anticipation, they gathered in the school grounds for an assembly while the national flag was hoisted by Pat and Imran (our two directors) and the melody of the national anthem of Bangladesh played in the background.
Bicycle Workshop
In rural Bangladesh public transportation is a nightmare for women, especially for the poor and marginalised. If our mothers could learn vital skills in repairing bicycles such as how to fix a puncture, then this would help them in many ways. With such skills, the mothers could set up their own businesses, they could also save money by repairing their own bikes, and ultimately by learning to cycle this would not only give them freedom but would also be a life saver in the villages especially in the Char (River Island).
National Story Telling Week (27th January - 3rd February)
"After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world." Philip Pullman
The Sreepur Village, a UK-based charity, provides a safe haven for over 400 children and 150 mothers in rural Bangladesh. Living alone in fear and not knowing where the next meal is coming from is the start of many a story, and one that all of our beneficiaries have been able to share.
New Shoes
“New shoes, new shoes, here are my new shoes”, shrilled Tonima, an eight-year-old girl of the Sreepur Village.
She also said, “For the first time in my life, I have got a brand new pair of shoes and they are white, my favourite colour. In the morning, when I put on my new shoes and school uniform, my mum was very happy. She told me, you look exceptional, really wonderful”.
The Head Lice Treatment Bangladesh Clinic
“What struck me first is the number of children there, the noise of over 400 of them and the happy smiles as we arrived, they eat together and live in the village receiving food and protection with their mothers. They attend school and get healthy meals. I have to admit the amount they eat is small and the diet is not so varied but they are grateful for every little bit.”
10th December 2017 - World Human Rights Day
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home -- so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world” Eleanor Roosevelt (The Chair of the drafting committee of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
Today, the world will be observing Human Rights Day, and if you follow The Sreepur Village, you will see how we wholly support this declaration.
Warm Clothing For Rohingya Refugees
The Rohingya refugees, who have already suffered Bangladesh’s stifling heat and monsoon rains, are now bracing themselves for a harsh winter; and with a lack of warm clothing this only adds to their ongoing misery. At the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar (Southern Bangladesh), doctors are warning against the increased risk of an outbreak of cold-borne diseases, such as respiratory tract infections.
In such conditions it is the children that are the most vulnerable. During winter, the temperature in Cox’s Bazar dips to around 10–15 degrees, with December and January being the most unbearable months.
Flooding in Bangladesh
The recent flooding in Bangladesh has submerged more than a third of the low-lying area of the country, affecting over 7.5 million inhabitants and killing at least 147 people. Although the overall flood situation in most affected areas has improved, as the flood water comes down the situation is actually becoming worse. In this current state, the flood-hit people are passing their days in misery as most of the farmers have lost their crops, cattle, and fish farms.
Life at Sreepur: Monira and Konika
"One year later, after my daughter has grown up, I plan to master the art of tailoring and candle making, schemes which are taught here in #TheSreepurVillage. There is a candle making factory in my local area where I can work and earn some cash. Then I would love to open a small tailoring shop. So, that’s the plan for now, but most importantly I do not want to be a burden to anyone.”
National Mourning Day
People from all walks of life of Bangladesh, observed the National Mourning Day today with due respect and solemnity, marking the 42nd death anniversary of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh.
Learning is fun!
All of the mothers of The Sreepur Village are required to participate in our education programme.
