Hello friends.. If you know me, you probably already know by now that I will be going on a four month long journey to Bangladesh to work with a NGO called Bachte Shekha (Learning to Survive). The NGO works with women and children on a mission to empower them into the community by  improving their socio-economic condition..

My love for the people in need has always been inherent in me. May be because from a very young age I was exposed to life in a developing country, Bangladesh where I was born, and developed countries, New Zealand and Australia, where I grew up. I was able see and experience on many levels, the struggle of an average person in a developing country and the opportunities that we take for granted sometimes.

My love soon became my passion as my life took a dark turn (will talk about that another day). As I came out of this experience, I felt like I have found my purpose in life, which was to help the ones in need. I wanted to do something about it. I picked up some community based voluntary work with a few different organisations. The work has been extremely rewarding and I will continue to do that. Apart from that I have also been wanting to do some work overseas.

At the start of this year I was in Bangladesh for my brother’s wedding and I took this opportunity to suss out a number of local NGO’s I could potentially work with. I came to know about Bachte Shekha through couple of uncles and after I read about what they do, I was super excited about an opportunity to work with them. I went and spoke to the founder, Angela Gomes and I fell in love with her and the work the organisation does. Angela is an amazing down to earth person. She practically built the NGO from scratch and she devoted her whole life to this. She is so passionate about her work. When she started sharing some of her stories, we both broke into tears. We shared an amazing conversation and I could feel an innate connection. I was certain I wanted to work with Bachte Shekha and wanted Angela as my mentor. She was keen and I was keen. So, all I had to do was come back to Australia, have a discussion with my husband …and mum and dad, negotiate leave at work, get my finances organised and get my life organised. Easy right?? Haha!

To be honest though, having a loving husband who supports you makes everything a little easier. My workplace was very supportive as well (I did give them seven months notice). And for the last nine months I have been preparing myself for this trip (still haven’t finished packing, OMG! why do I do this to myself???).

So, on Boxing day I will be flying to Bangladesh and in hope for a new chapter in life. I am very

excited and nervous at the same time. I am really hoping I will be learning an enormous amount and develop a new perspective in life…

I will be sharing my experiences and challenges here and would love to see your love and support. Stay posted and enjoy!

Fammy out! Muuwah!