I am a simple girl of humble beginnings. From an early age, I have seen a great many sides to our world. I have experienced peace, prosperity, calmness, poverty, violence, and destruction. I was born in Bangladesh and then brought up overseas in New Zealand and Australia. The dichotomy of the world has made me feel that I need to achieve a greater understanding and appreciation of the situations faced by many who are under-privileged, oppressed, and, often, misrepresented.

For a very long time I have been thinking of how I could help make even the slightest difference and on one of my previous trips to Bangladesh I made a resolution to go back to learn and give back. I got in touch with a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) called Banchte Shekha or “Learn to Live”, situated in Jessore, Bangladesh. I met with Angela Gomes, the Founder and Executive Director of the organisation and she offered me an opportunity to volunteer. I then came back to Australia and, with the blessings of family, friends, and co-workers, I put in motion a plan to go back about eight months later.

So, I went back to Bangladesh on the 26^th of December 2017. Full of resolve, anxiousness, and a lot of hope, I went to live my dream of living and working amongst the people I want to help most in this world. What followed was four months of the most amazing experiences I could ask for.

At Banchte Shekha, I wanted to use my skills to help them improve their business processes and procedures, while getting involved in some of the social welfare and improvement programs they run. Banchte Shekha took me in as one of their own and gave me opportunities beyond what I was expecting. I helped develop a three year organisational strategy, taught English, and worked closely with some of the program directors out in the field. They took me to visit various local communities and people facing the harshest of conditions.

While working with Banchte Shekha, I also came across other NGOs working on a range of social issues. One such organisation was Lighthouse, who work with members of the LGBTI community who are outcast and downtrodden. I listened to so many heartbreaking stories of abuse and oppression that I was an emotional wreck. I just could not believe that people could be treated so inhumanely.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom though. I finally got to experience the rich musical culture of Bangladesh. I visited the birthplace and houses of a few famous poets, paid tribute to a folk singer and activist, Lalon Shai, and spent till wee hours of the night singing with his devotees.

I also started some work on a project of my own to work with elderly and young people in Bangladesh. I have met with a lot of like-minded people who have similar ambitions and we have started planning how we could best provide services to our elderly and youth, often, neglected people of Bangladesh.

This experience was the most humbling of my life. I met many people on this journey, some of whom have become very close friends. Through it all, I have realised how much I am loved and how much good there is in the world. I hope to continue down this path. I think I have found my true calling and that is to work with people experiencing great difficulties in their lives. I am really grateful for everyone in my life; without everyone’s support, this trip would not have been possible and I would have never known how badly I want to be in the humanitarian field.

At Spring Festival after a Performance