News

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its main mode of expression and communication.

At Sreepur we do not have an art therapist but we do have a resident artist, Milon, who often teaches therapeutic art in his classes as the majority of children that come to live at Sreepur have witnessed or been part of a traumatic experience.

COVID-19 has affected our lives in so many ways and has hit many industries really hard, so as we commence Payroll Giving week, we would also like to think of those who have been furloughed or for those who have lost their jobs during these very challenging and stressful times.

Until Monday, we were unable to admit any new families to The Sreepur Village, but as identified cases of the virus are increasing daily, we are now able to safely admit some impoverished families who are in desperate need of shelter, food and care.  

To help prevent domestic violence, we would like to share with you one of our mothers past experiences of this ever-growing mistreatment and abuse.

"It is a very hard job to protect children, but all the time we are aware of the dangers and obstacles and will, therefore, be on guard 24 hours seven days a week."

The 15th August is a significant day in Bangladesh as it is also National Mourning Day. In the Sreepur Village, the day's activities commenced with the students performing poetry and then gifts were distributed amongst all the children.

On Monday the #SwimSafe schemes commenced once again in The Sreepur Village. They are run by a team from the CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh) who, along with assistance from the British RNLI, have devised learn to swim schemes that are run in both rural and urban areas in Bangladesh

We are delighted to share with you photos of The Sreepur Village's newly opened beauty Salon.

Trisha, our Chair of Trustees, travelled from the UK to unveil the new salon.

As today marks the start of Volunteers Week, this is not just an opportunity for us to thank all of our volunteers but it is also a chance for us to share with you some of the stories of how our volunteers have got involved and helped The Sreepur Village charity.

Dorothy has supported The Sreepur Village, Bangladesh almost from it' s inception. As a British Airways long haul stewardess she was aware of Pat Kerr’s vision for a new village where mothers and children could live together and babies could not be taken away from their mothers to go into an orphanage, which would leave both parties damaged.

The holy month of Ramadan started a week ago in Bangladesh which witnesses, for one month, devout Muslims observing, dawn-to-dusk, a fast for self-purification and divine blessings. The scenery of Ramadan in Sreepur Village is distinguished. The mothers and children are dedicated to their fasting and while the mothers training hour has changed a little due to prayer, everyone still attends all the regular activities.

At regular intervals, and for three months, a group (12-15) of our mothers and their families move to a pre-rehabilitation centre, known as the half-way house as a reintegration step into the community. Earlier this month, 15 mothers went to the half-way house and the local community. They began their lives in a new and independent way.

The mothers are also currently completing their training in sewing, garment training, small business shop and bamboo weaving and various other training schemes. We recruit our mothers in such training schemes so that they can earn a livelihood immediately after leaving The Sreepur Village and completing their three-month period in the rehabilitation centre

As part of #FosterFortnight, The Sreepur Village is a mother and child-focused organisation, in which every activity that is carried out is for the development of the 500 children and 200 mothers. At The Sreepur Village, whilst the vast majority of children have mothers, some have been abandoned or come from a life of trafficking.

Childhood is a period where parents are essential firstly, for the child’s survival and existence and then later for their full physical and mental growth. Emotionally, a child needs love and affection and the feeling and knowing that they are wanted and accepted in the family and community where they can have some sense of security and continuity.

As this week is National Gardening Week, The Sreepur Village would like to highlight the training they offer so that over 200 mothers, in the future, can live self-sufficiently, confidently knowing that their children will not starve.

For the three meals a day that The Sreepur Village provides, a small piece of farm land in the village has been partitioned into different sections for growing vegetables, 60% of which is dedicated to feeding our mothers and children fresh vegetables and, sometimes, salad.

World Immunisation Week, 24^th-30^th April, is observed every year to raise awareness for greater action on immunisation around the world. Immunisation has been recognised as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions, which is known to save millions of lives. In spite of that, there are over 19 million unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children in the world, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Immunisation can protect against 25 different infectious agents or diseases, from infancy to old age, including diphtheria, measles, mumps, pertussis, and tetanus while some of the diseases eradicated by vaccines include smallpox, rinderpest, polio and malaria.