Case study:
Dokkin Rampur Eteem Khana Orphanage

The terrible conditions at the Dokkin Rampur Eteem Khana Orphanage Photo: Mashrur Shafat

What this orphanage is like at the moment:

Dokkin Rampur Eteem Khana in Comilla - one of the most deprived areas in the whole of Bangladesh. The orphanage was established by Mr Yasir Arafat in 2003, it is now completely run and supervised by Mr Ali Akkas Master.

The orphanage consists of 2 rooms which are utilised as both classrooms and bedrooms. There is no furniture - no beds, chairs or tables. The structure of the orphanage is based on bamboo foundations with corrugated tin walls and roofs which seems pitifully inadequate to withstand the forces of nature which threaten this part of Bangladesh every year.

The orphanage has no kitchen or food storage area and all the meals are provided by the poverty stricken local community who provide 3 meals for each orphan per day.

There is an outdoor toilet which consist of very little more that a flimsy tin structure and a hole in the ground, these types of toilets are often a serious cause of deadly diseases. The orphanage has no source of clean drinking water and must rely on the generosity of the local community to provide for them, yet orphans do still drink water from the nearby river which presents the threat of viruses like polio, infectious hepatitis and parasitic worms which are very common in Bangladesh.

Two orphans at the orphanage run through pools of dirty water. Stagnant pools such as these harbour deadly malaria. Photo: Mashrur Shafat

There are stagnant pools of water all around the orphanage which is the root cause of malaria, yet the orphanage has neither the money nor the manpower to maintain clean surroundings, which could ultimately prevent this disease.

There is an ethos of putting education first at the orphanage, Mr Ali Akkas said "I have put a great emphasis on education as I feel that it would be the only way out of poverty for these children, and the pathway to self sufficiency".

The orphans gather on the hard floor to study during the day, and as the orphanage has no electricity they huddle around kerosine lamps to read in the night, often unto 10 orphans per lamp, because the orphanage simply cannot afford the rising prices of kerosine. There are 2 voluntary teachers who can teach the orphans up to grade 3 level but not any further, these teachers also act as guardians, nurses and mentors to the children.

Although the orphans are ever grateful for having a place to call "home", the reality is that they are living in the most appalling conditions. They are undernourished, suffering from disease and having to endure the hard sleeping conditions with no beds or blankets. The orphanage is in a complete stet of disrepair, with parts of the roof are in urgent need of repair.

Where we need to take this orphanage:

The local community who themselves live in extreme poverty cannot continue to support the orphanage, and unless we all act now Dokkin Rampur will have no other option but to close its doors to the orphans who will once again be forced to live on the unforgiving streets of Comilla. We desperately need your help, your generosity will ensure Dokkin Rampur is a transformed orphanage!

The lack of a clean waters supply forces these orphans to wash in a river full of dangerous bacteria and parasitic worms. Photo: Mashrur Shafat

• We would like to see a world where orphans are given proper care and education to become self sufficient throughout their adult life
• A new roof to prevent ingress of water and the elements
• A good sanitation system, replacing the outdoor toilet with another built more sturdily
• Tube well from clean running water
• A kitchen and storage area so the orphanage is able to prepare their own food
• Reinforcements to the unstable walls and foundations of the orphanage
• Medicine and government approved vaccinations against disease
• Eradicate the stagnant pools of water surrounding the orphanage
• Beds, blankets and tables for studying
• Better teaching staff, and training for the existing staff
• Textbooks needed for study past grade 3
• Solar powered lights for reading