Stand Up Against Poverty

The organisation that I am working for here (bEARN) was involved in organising the Stand up against Poverty events in Bangladesh in late october.... this is a small event in our street, and a larger one in which lots of slum children came together to stand up against poverty. They were so gorgeous - I had a massive crowd of kids around me by the end of the event - I think I distracted from the main event a little too much... It was a great event though, and was part of an international Stand Up for Poverty world record attempt!

Iftar!

One of the best things about Ramadan for us sacreligious Westerners is the fabulous Iftar parties that we were invited to!
Iftar is the meal that breaks the day's fast and it usually looks something like this... full of delicious fried goodness...

Village man with cow!

On the field trip we went to a pottery village, and met some fabulous kids, who all loved having their photos taken (this will become a recurring theme, I can see it now!). This one with the leaves was particularly cute!






And yes, that is a boy with a goose on his head!




Fishing nets outside the village.....

Field trip!

At the end of our orientation week we went on our first field trip with the old AYADs. We met some local school children, who impressed us with their ace English skills and knowledge of Aussie cricket!

We went for a boat trip on the river (around and around and around in circles).


Danielle and Erin with the lovely school kids




There was a Bangla band on board to serenade us with excellent music...
and lots of staring Deshis on the shores...

Dhaka streets

The potato carrying man with some AL slgans in the background

The huge fish markets on the edge of town...

On the streets of Dhaka

Rickshaw art at its finest!

The view from the roof of our hotel in Dhanmondi on a quiet morning...

Our AYAD group at orientation

Svet, Erin, Shell, Me, Naanki, Cate, Jane, Sarah and Danielle... on day 3 of training, and already outfitted...check out the kameezes!