The Dhaka Project - dhaka_by_flo

That's what we are fighting for

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:20:00 +0400

Bangladesh is a flat country except couple of mountains in the north. Because of the lack of mountains, the construction companies cannot extract rocks to make the cement. So they make bricks with mud, dry them, then break them is small pieces. Next to our new school this afternoon I could hear the sound of couple of hammers breaking those bricks.

But that's women and children who are most of the time doing this hard job. That's what we are fighting at TDP. To give a childhood to those kids, to give them the right to go to school and play with their friends.
Yes TDP is doing a great job but there is still so much to do and we cannot fight the cycle of poverty without you!

Update on EK Foundation College

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:25:00 +0400

I went to the new school this morning. It's really moving forward. Now let's be ready for the opening the 18th ;-)

The new prayer room

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:39:46 +0400

Here it is! We have our prayer room in the school. So happy to see the first staff and students using it. God bless all of us!

Daily life

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:10:00 +0400

I have found a short cut to talk about Bangladesh. Here everything is difficult but everything is possible. What is also extremely interesting is the way I have to break my mental structure in order to adapt myself to the new culture and what has to be done. That's where I realise that us, western people, we cannot come in those country and apply our technics. It just does not work. I guess that's one of the reason of the success of Maria and the Project. Maria has applied a very practical way of management giving daily tasks to the team. I follow her technic including the skills I acquired during the last years. Our days are really long, with an average of 14 hours but what we are doing is so exciting and needs so much attention that the time flies.
I just moved in my new flat and renovating it has been a challenge but a good training session for everybody. They laugh when I ask them to redo the job but I cannot have a mirror not straight on the wall or a shower licking or a full flat painted in white except the dirty ceiling ;-).

I found furniture in the neighborhood as the idea is to find people making those in the community in order to test their quality, improve it and give them more work. If we increase the production, they will be able to train more people and give them a job.

I also spent 2 days hunting in Dhaka what could be produced and sold abroad as decoration and house hold items. I filled 2 suitcases and sent them to Dubai. I will do a school sale next week to test if people like those items. Then, depending on what will have the most success, we will create a line of products made by our community. It will be a very good source of income for the project.

2 days ago Maria has decided to have a general meeting with the new staff and teachers. As she does not like to speak, I made it.... What we wanted to tell them is that we are one and only one team. We all work for the success of the project and the future of the children and the country.
Our goal is to educate the children with strong values and a real rexpect of each other. It's also to provide medical care for everyone and train the adults in order to make them the source of income of their family. We don't want any more kids begging in the streets or girls of 13 years old working in the garment factories. That's why we all work hard and we will achieve it. It's already on the track ;-)

Flo in Dhaka

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:20:00 +0400

Here it is. I have made up my mind or I finally found the courage to announce mu decision. I am moving to Dhaka full time in couple of weeks to work full time on the project and specifically on the self sustainability for the adults. The idea is to open a guest house with 20 rooms and use it as a training platform for the adults of the community in order to give them the basis to find a job in Dhaka or abroad in the hospitality and tourism industry. We are going to develop through this project what we call Humanist Tourism. But I will tell you more later as it's at the phase of incubation in my head and right now I need to focus on how I am going to move there in couple of weeks. I am deeply happy but honnestly also scared as it's a huge decision. Not being scared would for me mean not beeing aware of the impact of the decsion and I think it could be dangerous for the project. Maria and myself have great plan and we know it will happen. We just need to put things in place ;-))).

Emirates Airline Foundation School - THANK YOU

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:50:00 +0400

We are so happy and proud to announce that our new school will get the name of Emirates Airline Foundation School.

EK Foundation has been supporting us since couple of months now and we have to say that what is happening in TDP regarding the new school is because of them. The cost of "renovation" or set up of the building is 170 000 Dirhams without any equipment and not even thinking of providing all the supplies needed by the kids.

The school is opening in couple of days and we wanted to say thank you also to Delta Partners Group as their donation is going to contribute for a big part to purchase the school and children equipment.
Also a big thank you to Trish Murphy and her donation ;-) which went directly to the school expenses.

THANK YOU

Really hard to go

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:35:00 +0400

Really hard to go, really hard to say goodbye to Maria at the airport and to leave them also. By "non" chance I caught a bad cold just the day before leaving and I believe that it just gave me an excuse to feel so bad.....

I arrived in Dubai at 2am and at home at 3am but impossible to sleep. Happy to find my bed but too many things in my mind avoiding me to fall asleep. I knew that it will be difficult to come back here after this trip and I confirm ;-) I guess the lack of sleep is also one of the reasons I am feeling so down.
I found in Maria a younger sister as we find in each other many similar things. But I can tell you that she has a fire burning inside her that I cannot explain. She is a caterpillar that nothing will stop. Why? Because she knows where she goes and she can see the kids in couple of years, graduating from University.
Maria is far from being perfect (thanks god ;-)) and she knows it. She does not need people telling her what she has to do or criticise the way she is doing things. She needs people around her to support her, understand her and share her joy and her fears, people who do things with her or show her that they also can achieve.

An entire Community has found dignity because of this young lady. The journey is just at the beginning and it's a long one but if you are ready.... welcome on board!

What does she want to tell us?

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:50:00 +0400

We spent some time this morning in the nursery. Some children are really full of joy but some of them never smile. Nilima for example.

This photograph is really disturbing me. What is happening in her small brain? When we know that the subconscious will guide part of her life and that she is exactly at the age where she builds it. Her eyes are so expressive, her look is so intense. That's also the life in Dhaka.
Yes what has been accomplished is totally amazing and it comes from 1 woman who has faith and vision. But misery is misery, poverty is poverty and when I see a child like Nilima, it makes me upset. It just reminds me that we need to do more and quickly.

4th of January

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 22:50:00 +0400

Friday is our day off! When we woke up we decided to take some kids out. We went to this restaurant Fridays where the staff is really nice with the kids and on the first floor they have a playground. You should have seen their face playing for the first time with a swing.

Then we had lunch and how funny to watch their face dring Coke for the first time. They DID NOT like it ;-))) not even french fries or ketchup... Can you imagine a kid in Europe or in Dubai or in America telling you...Beurkkkkk it's not good ;-)))

Followed by the first experience of an Ice Cream! Oh my god we were so scared that they could but sick in the van on our way back. They loved it!

Then we ended our trip on small boats. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Exactly what we needed to recharge our batteries ;-)

Maria with the children

3rd of January 2008

noreply@blogspirit.com (Florence CALVET) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:45:00 +0400

I woke up this morning tired and not feeling so well. Maria told me that it was normal.. Ok, so I will manage. Then I spent, I think, at least for the moment, the most crazy day in my life. I can tell you that there is a huge difference between dreaming to be a volunteer and being one.

We left the house with a list of tasks and especially the one to find fabric for the uniforms. Bad start! Just after leaving the house our rickshaw had a fight with another one and they started to punch each other. I told Jowel who was my “assistant” for the day to get out of the rickshaw and then we went by walk.
We found a Tuk Tuk but it was not a good idea. The pollution is at a so high level that being in open air can make you sick easily especially if you already feel nauseous…
We managed to get to the Sheraton where we had to meet Mourad and his cousin who had the task to bring us in the wholesale area of Dhaka…. We MUST find the best deals each time as 1 dirham saved here (20 taka) makes a big difference.
As a first time here I felt struggling with our local contacts supposed to help us. On one hand we need them as we don’t speak the language and we think that they will be helpful. BUT on the other hand, they make us waste a tremendous amount of time. We are not living here and each trip is a too short period of time so when they offer us to have a tea, a coffee or when they tell us to relax, to take it easy, I understand now why we can easily “burn a fuse”.
Like that, I lost 2 precious hours as not knowing the city, our “business Guide” took us to some shops to show us samples that I did not need etc…. I really had to keep my self control as I believe it’s a waste of energy to get upset even if… Arghhhhhh ;-)) Anyway! We changed the car and the driver and FINALLY we arrived in the wholesale area.
Another shock. So crowded, so noisy and smelly and I will avoid telling you the symptoms of poverty and misery. Everything you could imagine (or not even) as handicaps, illness you will find here not even mentioning constant people begging for 1 taka or food from children to old ladies and men.

We entered the fabric market and spent 2 hours trying to find what we were looking for. Finally we found our fabric for the trousers but not the shirts. We close the deal, taking a sample, signing the sample, leaving a deposit and deciding to come back Saturday to pay the full amount and arrange the delivery. (we were ordering not less than 4000 yards). I realized it was already 2pm and we did not have lunch. I was ok but I could feel that the guy with us was starting to slow down and he told me he was already starving. Sorry guys but not time for lunch. Grab a snack if you want but I still have to find carpets and heaters for the nursery. We took the car and left the place. I was really happy at least to have found this fabric. On our way to the carpets, our guide received a call from the fabric shop. The sample he gave us could not be delivered but "don’t worry we have the same quality" so no worries. Oh my god. I saw the red light and our guide told me that it’s the reason why he signed the sample. Otherwise those guys would have delivered the other quality, just fooling us...

So we came back to the shop and the guy started to explain and show us on a small sample that it was the same quality. I asked him to show me the full roll of fabric and he did not want. Of course! On the big piece I could prove him the quality was not the same…. I looked around and found the one I wanted, I went there, took it myself and put it in front of him. "And you really think it’s the same quality? You are fooling me". He was not even looking at me… I said ok, I take the new one but 10 taka less than the previous one. He told me NO, same price… or 1 taka less… You must be joking. I was so upset. As it was impossible to discuss, I asked to be refund of the deposit and we left.

I went through a kind of internal nervous break down as I have been thinking "what am I doing here?" How can people fool us when we are coming from the other part of the people to help them and their families. I will never be able to do it. It's not possible, it's too hard.

In the middle of this mess, I had to find in my mind something to help me to support it. And it became evident. The smile and the joy of the children. Yes, in all this shit and painful environment we just need to visualize their smile and it cheers you up.

After we left the market, our "guide" told us he had some family problems and he could not stay with us.... Of course, everybody is abandoning us, noone gives a s....!
Thanks to Jowel. He saw how down I was and he told me. Dont worry Flo, we get the carpets then the heaters and we will go by taxi. We dont need anybody. YES! We can do it!!!

While reaching the other area, the phone rang...... the guy from the fabric shop.... Finally he found our quality and could deliver it thursday.... Oh my god! it has been a ray of sun in my brain. Just like if I needed that to give me hope again. We ended our trip with our "shopping" and came back to the project. I was so exhausted and shocked by this hard day that I could not talk.

I only wanted to see Maria and ask her how she could manage those things. How she could keep going when it is so easy just to fly back to our luxury life in Dubai. I came home amd sat on the bed. I just needed to take out of my brain the pain of the day and the negative emotions I was dealing with.
We had a talk and she told me she had the same "trick" when she was loosing face. Thibnking of the kids! It made me feel better. Then a couple (the one waiting to a good level of english to move to Dubai as Maria found them a job) came with Rahim and Rahima. The sister and brother. We discussed for a while then the kids wanted to stay with us. That's part of our life. Sometimes kids come to our place and spend some time with us. They play, they dance, they watch cartoons and they sleep here.

Two more kids joined us and Maria was right. It just changed my mood in 5 minutes. How can you stay moody when 3 kids are jumping on you, kissing you, hugging you. Look at Mehdi's and Rahima's smiles, look at their eyes!!!!!

I went to bed less anxious especially when I saw them falling asleep so peacefully