Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
7 June 2010
It took almost 11 months, 3 challenges, 3 flights and nearly 24 hours of travelling but we’re finally here in the craziness that is Dhaka.
We’re now at the end of our second day in Bangladesh and I thought I’d share some of the things we’ve learnt so far.
- Joel and I are almost honorary Bangladeshi’s. Well, our names are. Joel is pretty close to the name that would be pronounced ‘Jewel’ and Sharna means golden. Yes, from now on, we shall be called Golden and Precious Stone.
- Here in Bangladesh, the word ‘dude’ means milk. So Joel has actually been calling people milk for the past couple of days.
- Dhaka seems to be acity of stark contrasts. We had dinner at a
restaurant across from the Westin Hotel and thought we might go in for a drink afterwards. Outside, Dhaka streams and buzzes by, cars constantly beeping instead of indicating, giving way, or even breaking. There are street kids selling sheets of stickers, makeshift houses along the river, and a little boy chasing a goat through the street. Inside, Joel and I drink a beer from a frosty glass, in plush chairs, surrounded by decor in various shades of red and apricot, listening to the dulcet sounds of Petula Clark’s Downtown (which has been stuck in my head ever since You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go downtown….) Poverty and wealth are literally on each other’s doorsteps in Dhaka.
Today we paid our first visit to the ActionAid Bangladesh office. From the welcoming and friendly staff, to the work that is being undertaken by these fantastic people, and were truly amazed by what we saw.
For me, the highlight of the day was a visit to one of the Happy Home Projects. Supported by ActionAid Bangladesh, there are 5 Home’s in Dhaka that provide a place to live, education and training, health care and livelihood skill development for girls aged 7-15. Without these Home’s the girls would be living on the streets, exploited and possibly become victims of trafficking.
As I previously mentioned, the goal of TOTO is sometimes unclear. Today, I think we got an idea of just how powerful the idea actually is. The Happy Home’s began in 2006, and were funded for 4 years. This is the last year. If another donor or sponsor can’t be found, the futures of the girls could be pretty bleak. We have the opportunity to show the world and potential donors just how valuable these projects are.
Now if I could just get that song out of my head…
Learn more about ActionAid and Project TOTO:
- ActionAid Australia website
- ActionAid Australia on Twitter
- ActionAid Bangladesh Blog
- ActionAid Bangladesh on Twitter
- Joel Katz profile
- Sharna Bremner profile
Tags: Actionaid Bangladesh, blogging, Dhaka, Dude, Golden, Jewel, kids, Milk, poverty, project toto
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Awesome blog, milk… I mean dude.
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So glad you had the opportunity to see Happy Homes – it’s a project that ActionAid Australia is currently trying to raise money for to keep it going.
Did you have time to chat to any of the children? I’d love to hear their stories and see how Happy Homes is helping.
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Hey Shazz
I dont think I have ever been more proud of you as I am at this moment. Experiences and memories like this will last you a life time. And how fortunate to have someone like Joel doing this with you. Take in all you can, and reflect on just how lucky we are to be living in Australia.
Have an awesome time!! Your dog misses you and so does your mother x x
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Sharna Bremner’s first blog post from Project TOTO in Dhaka: “Dude means Milk?” http://bit.ly/cDH05S #totoDhaka
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
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Mark, I’m so glad ActionAid Australia is helping to raise the funds for the Happy Home’s. The girls seem to really enjoy it there. They sang some songs for us and a couple of the girls did a dance. We got to speak to them a little bit, through Hasan’s translations, but I think they were kind of shy! They love being able to go to school, and learn life skills, such as saving money. It would be such a shame if the projects couldn’t get funding!
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great! following you.
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Good luck Sharna, will be following your adventure eagerly and telling your stories to others. I’m sure they will plant seeds that will fruit sooner AND later. And i imagine by the time your travels are done you’ll have quite the repertoire of songs to sing…
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Great start to the trip! Keep up the energy Golden and Precious Stone
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Don’t call me dude! http://blogs.actionaid.org.au/toto/2010/06/07/dude-means-milk/ #totoDhaka
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
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Hi Golden & Precious Stone,
Not only are you sharing your knowledge with the youth of Dhaka, they are teaching you and they rest of world so much more about ourselves and the hardships they endure on a daily basis.
Looking forward to hearing more about your experiences. -
Golden and precious stone is exactly what you are, rare to find, but once you have found it you will never let them/you go!! I do find it amusing that dude=milk.
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Pingback from Project TOTO · It’s been quite a ‘Journey’… on 08/07/2010 at 2:55 pm
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