Meet Noor Hussain who wants to be an accountant

Noor Hussain’s aim in life is to become  a Chartered Accountant. He is currently a student of OBAT’s tutoring center in Dhaka, where he’s receiving help in studying for the public exams that he needs to take in grade nine. Many students from the camps are able to get high marks on these exams after receiving assistance from these tutoring centers, thus enabling...

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Meet Suman, an aspiring entrepreneur

SUMAN Suman’s father passed away when she was young. Her mother, Moni, started sewing clothes for a living to support her three children, bringing home a monthly income of about $77. Her mother’s hard work and kind and encouraging demeanor as she strives to make life as easy as possible for her children, is a source of inspiration for Suman. People...

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OBAT Helpers Media Production

The exhibit of photography from the Urdu-speaking camps in Bangladesh, Diamonds in the Rough, is a creation of a new group, OBAT Helpers Media Production. For OBAT Helpers, the key to addressing the plight of the marginalized Urdu-speaking camp dwellers in Bangladesh is empowering their youth. High quality education is part of empowerment. OBAT’s projects in the camps provide more than...

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My trip to the camps- reflections and looking ahead

  As I wrapped up the year 2015, here in Chittagong, Bangladesh, I couldn’t help but think of all the changes and improvements I have observed during my visits during the past ten years. During the last decade, I have begun each new year with our brothers, sisters and youth in the camps (commonly known as stranded Pakistanis/Biharis). My goal is...

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The journey of a lifetime

“Five days until I leave for Bangladesh, and I couldn't be more excited." This was the first entry I wrote in my travel journal, and thinking back to the feelings I was having then and throughout my trip with OBAT Helpers, I'm filled with happiness. I'm very passionate about Islamic societies, culture, language, education and human rights; however, this was...

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How does helping rebuild refugees lives sound to you?

Burma, Iraq, Eritrea, China, Cuba, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are some of the countries whose natives have sought protection and refuge in Indianapolis. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could help them rebuild their lives here? An easy and fun way to do this is to register for OBAT’s 5K walk, Race 4 Rehma at www.race4rehma2014.eventbrite.com. This...

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No Oscars were given out here but it was an "award winning" performance nonetheless. #Oscars

These stellar performers belong to OBAT's Rangpur School and have received some shiny accolades of their own. In the PSC (Primary/elementary School Certificate) exams, 40% of the Rangpur School students got an A+, another 40% got an A and 20% received an A-. As a reward for an excellent performance among other government and private schools, the students earned a...

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