GAYE HOLUD: The Pre-Wedding Shower

Marriage is a rare and special event, not only for the bride and groom. Family members and friends come to witness this special, unique moment when two beings come to pledge their love for each other until death do them part and become as one. Up until this point, Bangladeshi weddings are more or less the same as Czech weddings. In Bangladesh, however, weddings are preceded by a special ceremony, at the end of which the bride and groom find themselves soaked from head to toe.

Life full of tears is not for me

Irena Jindrová, Via Bona Prize finalist

We all have to play the hand we are dealt. Some were given trumps and aces; others were not that lucky. In the end, though, the most important thing is not what cards we have, but how we play them. Some people struggle with hand full of aces, whereas others play a worse hand very well. The latter include our long-time donor, this year’s Via Bona Prize finalist in the Faithful Donor category, Ms. Irena Jindrová, who suffers from cerebral palsy. During the evening ceremony, she showed us her cards.

It is the property of excellent natures to minister and do good

A great boss, a sensitive person, a sidekick in good times and bad - Kamil Kreutziger, director of the BanglaKids program, is all this and much more. To achieve his goals, he’ll stop at nothing to overcome obstacles. His secret weapons when troubleshooting? His kindness and sense of humor. Kamil has been working at ADRA for 3 years now, and the time has finally come to introduce him to you and ask him about our recent trip to Bangladesh.

Celebrating the Bengali New Year of 1423

Did you know that April 14 was the beginning of a new year? That’s right! The old one’s been over in no time and now we have the year 1423. We had described the origin of the holiday and its celebrations in an article last year and this year we will tell you what New Year means for the Bengalis and how it was celebrated in our schools. A celebration is above all about people who join it and start traditions… And this year, we too had our first-hand experience of the New Year in Bangladesh!

Staying Healthy and Happy with Sports

Are you waiting with bated breath for the weather to get a little warmer so you can go out and do some sports? In Bangladesh, the weather is hot enough – currently around 34°C (93°F). But the kids don’t mind, and the Monoshapara boarding school held the popular Sports Days from 24 to 25 February 2016. Among participants were not only children and students, but also the school staff, the motto being “Sports for everyone”. There were many traditional events – 100 to 400-meter dashes, the long jump, handball or soccer tournaments, etc. – as well as non-traditional competitions – dressing in saris or climbing banana trees for boys and men, and walking with plates on their heads for girls. One of the highlights came with the costume competition, another when participants staged short scenes. You can go through the pictures and have a look at the children having fun. It’s worth seeing!

To School By Boat

How often do you get to go to school on a boat? You don’t? Well, for the kids from the village school Ambari it is the only possible way for nine months of the year.

Introducing BanglaKids’ New Program Coordinator

Anna Krejčí, BanglaKid’s new Program Coordinator, is a young woman with a beautiful soul, a captivating smile, and the sweetest voice in Central Europe. In mid-April she took over the reins from long-time coordinator Šárka Hejnáková, who stepped down for family reasons. In today’s interview, we’d like to introduce Anička to our sponsors and find out how’s she’s doing at BanglaKids.

The Little Pea

An expectant mother’s view

Sarka Hejnakova, the unofficial Miss Congeniality of the humanitarian organization ADRA, familiarly called Sarus, has been the coordinator of the BanglaKids program since 2007. From that time on, thousands of Bangladeshi children have “passed through” her hands and hundreds of their mostly Czech “adoptive” parents have appreciated the communication with her. By the beginning of July, she is to become a mother herself. For the first time. Her colleagues Jan, Anna and Kamil talked with her about what it is like to take care of children abroad and look forward to having a baby of one’s own.

Teddy Bears on Their Way to Kids in Bangladesh

Part 6: The earthquake and meeting the children

The rainy season starts in Bangladesh. It’s hot (over 30°C/86°F) but rain is lowering the temperature nicely. We thanked our colleagues for “ordering” European weather. :-) Our boss traveled for two weeks and visited many schools, while we frolicked in our room in Dhaka. The building shook a bit last Saturday. As we found out later, it happened because of an earthquake in Nepal. Nobody got hurt here in Dhaka…

Mr. Accountant

“Only specialist should do a specialized job!”

Mr. Jan Hádek, or Honza, as we informally call him, has been a member of our team for quite a while, working as an accountant of the BanglaKids Program. Being a professional with an ability to stay on top of things and a unique sense of humour, he really is a colleague for rainy days. Therefore, the current issue of BanglaKids magazine brings you a completely informal interview with him.