One of our members has sent a “letter from Bangladesh” to tell us about Rotary activities that she’s been involved with while she holidays in the country. It’s one of the many benefits of Rotary that members can visit other clubs all around the world.
Rotarian Julie Reza has reported back on Rotary activities while in Bangladesh before (see here, for example). It’s quite fascinating to have an insight into Rotary activities and hear about a club so many thousands of miles away from us.
“I arrived in Bangladesh safe and well,” writes Julie, “and was intrigued to see what might have changed in the country since my last trip. Certainly, there have been many changes, some quite obvious (such as a new Metro system and many new buildings) and others more subtle.
“You’ll be pleased, no doubt, to learn that I attended a Rotary meeting within a couple of days of arrival! It was a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Dhaka [Bangladesh’s oldest Rotary Club, and one which our club has supported on several occasions], held at a prestigious hotel in the bustling capital. I therefore chose to wear a saree! I was also lucky that the guest speaker was a well-known author and philanthropist, which meant that there were lots of other guests too at the meeting.
“I was delighted to be warmly received by the Dhaka Rotarians. Many recognised me from previous visits and were well aware I was from the Rotary Club of Canterbury. In fact, during the meeting, one of the Dhaka Rotarians listed some of the many projects we’ve supported over the years – including the distribution of hygiene kits, Covid/disaster relief, support for safe water and eye surgery camps, building a Covid-19 lab and, most recently, supporting their cancer screening project. They passed on their thanks and appreciation to our members. I was rather surprised to be asked to say a few words, before having the honour of being invited to sit at the top table!
“The speaker, Nazia Jabeen, is a truly remarkable lady. She is the first person in Bangladesh to have published books focusing on entertainment and culture in braille for visually impaired children. She is also the first person to have made them available at the country’s ‘Ekushey Boi Mela’ [a popular and renowned book fair in Bangladesh]. Under the banner of the ‘Sporsho Foundation‘ she has published over 150 braille books (aside from textbooks). She has created financial endowments for ‘Drishti Joyee’ children and also runs a scholarship programme which is now awarding scholarships to 156 ‘differently-abled’ students. If that wasn’t enough, she also runs a programme to mitigate the suffering of the people of disaster-prone areas. Some of her ‘learning through fun’ books are taught in a number of schools, and she has received several awards for her work.
“During her talk, she gave a brief synopsis of her upbringing and described how she first found out about Bangladesh’s braille printing press and how sad she was that it was under-utilised. This spurred her into action, and now there many books printed and 22 braille presses in the country. More than the many prizes she has won, it is the parents of the visually impaired children, and the youngsters themselves, that have most moved her. She recalled how one year, while visiting Dhaka University on Valentine’s Day, she was handed a rose by a young man with visual impairment. ‘There are lots of poems of love here,’ he said, forlornly adding, ‘We, too, have love stories. Do print some’ And this is why Nazia believes so strongly in extending beyond textbooks. Her ambition, one day, is to build a big braille library.
“Nazia also described how she got motivated to provide scholarships. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she heard the story of a young girl whose father couldn’t afford schooling for his children. Why spend money on a blind daughter, he’d asked himself. Nazia’s scholarships now help many visually impaired young people to progress in education.
“Nazia was asked many questions during her talk – including one querying the value of braille books in these days of the internet and audio-books, with so much available at the touch of a button. Aside from practical things like painful ears from wearing headphones, Nazia remarked: ‘Like so many of us, young people also want to enjoy that experience of reading a book’ – physically engaging with it in the way many of us enjoy holding a novel or turning the pages or even smelling the print.”
Picture: Julie joins speaker Nazia Jabeen and other ladies at the Rotary Club of Dhaka’s meeting. Picture credit: Rotary Club of Canterbury, with thanks to the Rotary Club of Dhaka and Nazia Jabeen.
