Travel to Bangladesh with OBAT Helpers Trip Report – March 3-10, 2020 CEO of OBAT Helpers, Anwar Khan invited me to visit Bangladesh to see firsthand work being done by his organization in ‘Forgotten Community’ (Urdu-Speakers) camps across the country. These are people who requested to be evacuated to Pakistan in 1971 when Bangladesh achieved independence and separation from West Pakistan but were not accepted by Pakistan. Independence of Bangladesh came at the end of a painful and bloody civil war in which...
Khushbu lost her father two years ago- he was the only breadwinner in the family. After his passing, her mother, Nasima, started working as a maid but with her meager income, it was very tough to make ends meet and the family struggled to get by. Khushbu had been receiving a scholarship from OBAT since she was in eighth grade. After the death of her father, OBAT started giving her a full scholarship. With the help of this assistance, she completed...
“If I have the power to do something, I will make a school for destitute girls and I will try to empower them.” My name is Farzanaand I live in Geneva Camp in Dhaka. As afamily, we have faced several financial challenges- It was hard enough for my father to support our family, let alone pay for my education. My father worked as a day laborer and we struggled through a hand-to-mouth existence. After working hard all day, he could only...
My name is Abul Kashem and I am 25 years old. My father’s name is Md. Hafiz and we live in Ispahani camp no. 2 in the city of Rangpur, Bangladesh. Since I was a child, I dreamt about becoming a doctor when I grew up. Everything was going right initially but various difficulties and obstacles came in the way when I was in grade six. Since my father worked as a night security guard, it was difficult for him...
My name is Asma Akter. I live in Market Camp, Dhaka and have four members in my family. I have been receiving a scholarship from OBAT since I was in grade ten. My father has been unemployed for some time. This year, I completed my undergrad degree. My family is poor but I always had high-reaching dreams. I wanted to be a teacher. To be one, I had to get higher education, but this was not possible for my family. My...
Nowshad Alam lives in New Relief Camp in Rangpur, Bangladesh. He has completed his graduation and post-graduation degrees from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Dhaka- the University is regarded as a highly reputable and top-ranked university in Bangladesh. “Things started to get tough when I started secondary (middle) school. My father was a day laborer and was the only person earning an income among the nine members of my family. With so many mouths to feed, educational expenses...
What do I say to someone who was tortured and raped repeatedly, by numerous armed men, a handful of minutes after witnessing her husband and young children have their throats mercilessly slit, their bodies lit ablaze? The thought raced in my mind, on repeat, as I sat there trying to grasp the overwhelming magnitude of what Khatoon* recounted, and yet failing to reconcile it with my faculties of comprehension. And the eyes, the window to one’s soul; I was unable to...
My name is Dilruba Jaman. I was born and raised in a small hut in Central Community Camp (CC Camp) in Dhaka. We are three siblings. My younger brother is studying in college with the support of OBAT as well. My father runs a small tea stall in the camp. He makes ends meet somehow with his paltry income. I started my journey with OBAT Helpers in 2010 when I took admission in OBAT’s Tutoring Center to prepare for my SSC...
Finding Pure Joy in the Most Unexpected of Places Spreading Smiles, 1 Swing at a Time… Wind blows gently through his dark,wavy hair, sunlight dances across his face – replenishing his skin with fresh sources of Vitamin D and forming beads of perspiration at the roots of his hairline, and laughter ripples from his lips into the air as he feels his feet lift off the ground and into the sky. A little boy of about age 7...
Hi, my name is Sunny. I am currently working as the Executive Intern for OBAT’s Executive Director, Immad Ahmed. It has been a great learning experience for me thus far and I am loving the new knowledge I am gaining about running a nonprofit. Since we are visiting several cities in Bangladesh, these days, I thought I would pen down my thoughts so I could share them with you. The purpose of this trip was to train all our Project Officers,...