Bangladesh: The SCAW Team Arrives

The SCAW Bangladesh 2006 travelling team arrived in Dhaka at 3:15 AM Dhaka time and spent last night safely in the comfort and caring of the staff of their lodgings for the duration of the trip.

Members of the team are (Left to right) Peter Adams, Jill Adams, Norma Fenner, Linda Webb (Team Leader), Ron King, Mary Ann King.

There have been a few apprehensive moments for the team because Dhaka was paralyzed by a hartal or general strike. Following a few hastily called meetings between the SCAW team and members of the Lions and Rotary -- our Overseas Volunteer Organizations -- it was thought that the distributions might have to be held off for a couple of days. (You can check news sites on the web to find out more about the current political situation in Bangladesh.) However, a crucial meeting of political parties was held on Monday. They have come to an agreement so the hartal has been called off and life is back to normal in Dhaka for now.

It is Tuesday there now and the team will be going with the Rotary and Lions to see this year's bedkits -- an important part of the job of the SCAW team on a distribution.

Bedkit distributions are planned to begin on Wednesday as scheduled.

Bangladesh: An Introduction

Here are some brief facts about this country from Virtual Bangladesh.

Official
Name

The People's Republic Of Bangladesh

Location

Latitude between 20 degree 34' and 26 degree 39' north. Longitude
between 88 degree 00' and 92 degree 41' east.

Area

144,000 sq. km.

Boundary

Bounded by India from the north, east and west and by the Bay of Bengal
and Burma from the south.

Climate

Main seasons : Winter (Nov - Feb), Summer (Mar - Jun), Monsoon (Jul
- Oct). Temp : Max 34 degree Celsius, Min 8 degree Celsius.

Rainfall

Lowest 47" and highest 136"

Capital

Dhaka (Present area 414 sq. km. Master plan 777 sq.km.)

Population

Total estimated population 130 million.

State Language

Bangla. English is also widely spoken and understood

National Days

National Martyrs Day - February 21 Independence Day - March 26 Victory
Day - December 16

Principal Rivers

Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Brahmaputra, Madhumati, Surma and Kushiara

Principal Crops

Jute, rice, tobacco, tea, sugarcane, vegetables, potato, pulses, etc.

Important Fruits

Mango, banana, pineapple, jack-fruit, water-melon, green coconut,
guava, licis, etc.

Major Industries

Jute, sugar, paper, textiles, fertilizers, cigeratte, cement, steel,
natural gas, oil-refinery, newsprint, power generation, rayon, matches,
fishing and food processing, leather, soap, carpet, timber, ship-building,
telephone, etc.

Sea Ports

Chittagong and Mongla

Airports

Zia international airport, Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, domestic
airports at Chittagong, Jessore, Sylhet, Cox's Bazar, Rajshahi and Saidpur

Electricity

220 Volts A.C. in all cities and towns

Tourist Seasons

October to March

Main Tourist Attractions

Colorful tribal life, longest sea beach, centuries' old archeological
sites, home of the Royal Bengal Tiger, largest tea gardens, interesting
riverine life, etc.

Wearing Apparel

Tropical in summer, and light-woolen in winter

Currency

The unit of currency is the Taka. Notes are in denominations of 1,2,5,10,20,50,100
and 500 Taka. Coins are 1,5,10,25,50 and 100 Paisa (100 Paisa = 1 Taka)

Honduras: Photo Album 7

Honduras October 1

Honduras: 5,000 Bedkits Delivered

Hello All,

Hurrah!! The Honduras 2006 SCAW distribution is complete: 5,000 bedkits to 5,000 needy children. We were in Villa de San Francisco just a little south of the Valley of Angels yesterday. We gave out 380 bedkits which completed our commitment and then another 54 bedkits over and above that were donated by the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa. It was an emotional day, saying goodbyes to our friends that helped out with the distributions.

On the way home we stopped at the Valley of Angels to do some souvenir shopping. I had the pleasure of Marilyn Waring's company. She was such a good wheeler/dealer that she got me quite a few discounts. Marilyn said she didn't like doing that, but boy is she good at it! Several Lempiras lighter we headed back to Tegucigalpa, had a little rest and went out to dinner at -- you guessed it -- Charlotte's Restaurant.

It was early to bed last night since we were all tired and ready to crash, hence the tardiness in my daily report.

Today we are all busy getting our newsletter articles done up and Laurie-Beth is anxiously waiting for Jenny to type up the report that will be presented to the Rotary Club members at 1 PM today. It has to be printed and photocopied so we have to get out there and get that done also.

It will be sad leaving after spending ten days here making new friends and leaving behind all those needy children. But we did make 5,000 children's lives a little bit better and brought a smile to their faces.

Priceless!

Harry from Barrie
Reporting and signing off from Tegucigalpa, Honduras