We wish it could be very soon. Ojalá pueda ser muy pronto

I took these pictures this morning in Gyasnogor, right next to the plot where we will build (soon if God wills) our school. And I post them here so you can see the environment in which we are going to be. Br. César and I, after visiting the site and discuss "serious stuff" about the imminent commencement of the works, we have had a good time with these kids, watching them play, having fun, chatting with them, laughing with them. It has been a wonderful moment. They are kids from very humble families whose parents, brothers or sisters work in the neighboring tea plantation; children growing up without any kind of comfort at home, with huge economic, social and educational shortcomings. But kids who know how to live and have fun together, able to enjoy the simple and natural things of life. This boy playing marbles with his friends is an icon of the childhood to whom we intend to dedicate our efforts in Bangladesh. I wish it could be very soon, with the help of God and many people of goodwill who are helping us.

He tomado estas fotos esta mañana en Gyasnogor, justo al lado de la parcela donde construiremos (pronto si Dios quiere) nuestra escuela. Y las pongo aquí para que veas el entorno en el que vamos a estar. El H. César y un servidor, después de visitar el terreno y discutir sobre “cosas serias” acerca del inminente comienzo de las obras, nos hemos pasado un buen rato con estos muchachos, viéndoles jugar, divirtiéndonos de lo lindo, charlando con ellos, riendo con ellos; ha sido una gozada. Son chicos de familias muy humildes cuyos padres o hermanos trabajan en la plantación de té vecina. Chicos que crecen sin ningún tipo de comodidad en casa, con enormes carencias económicas, sociales y educativas. Pero chicos que saben vivir y divertirse juntos, que le sacan partido a las cosas sencillas y naturales de la vida. Este niño jugando a las canicas con sus amigos es un icono de la niñez a la que queremos dedicar nuestros esfuerzos en Bangladesh. Ojalá pueda ser muy pronto, con la ayuda de Dios y de muchas personas de buena voluntad que nos están ayudando.

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Mirar el mundo a traves de los ojos de un nino

Visita a Kurma Punji: 4 y 5 de marzo de 2014
Visit to Kurma Punji: 04-05/March/2014

There’s nothing to gain by using the cane. No se gana nada a palos (Against the corporal punishment. Contra el castigo corporal)

Transcription of an article published in the Bangladeshi online newspaper "New Age" about corporal punishment and its significance in the environment of violence prevailing in the country.


 There’s an enormous violence undercurrent in Bangladesh, you will have noticed. We see its ugly face during hartals, especially. We read about the mindless beatings and killings in the blood-filled streets and our TV screen are crammed with public transport, shops, houses, even schools ablaze and shameless damage to private and public property. It is as if causing willful damage and terrorizing innocent people is a perk of the process and fun to be had by the mindless participants and most probably it is. Such deplorable scenes are likely to continue long into the future, if the problem isn’t addressed soon. In some schools a fresh batch of terrorists are being prepared right now. Any school that engages in the use of corporal punishment is a breeding ground for terrorists. Some of the ‘teachers’ who ‘teach’ at these schools are themselves terrorists. The messages they deliver via the cane, clenched fists and open hands are messages of terrorism, oppression and fear. While the children are perhaps a decade or two away from making throwing their first bomb into an overcrowded public bus; corporal punishment teaches them that violence is good... that violence is the solution to all problems.

Traducción de un artículo publicado en el periódico bangladeshi on line “New Age” sobre el castigo corporal y su transcendencia en el ambiente de violencia reinante en el país.


 Hay un enorme trasfondo de violencia en Bangladesh, como habrán podido observar últimamente. Su horrorosa cara se hace visible especialmente en los hortales (huelgas). Los periódicos y la televisión están atiborrados de imágenes de golpes sin sentido, asesinatos en las calles llenas de sangre, transportes públicos, tiendas, casas, incluso escuelas en llamas y daños a la propiedad pública y privada. Es como si causar daño intencional y aterrorizar a gente inocente fuera una diversión para los autores, y probablemente lo es. Es muy posible que escenas tan deplorables continúen produciéndose en el futuro si no se aborda pronto el problema. En algunas escuelas se está gestando ahora un futuro grupo de terroristas. Una escuela que acepte el uso del castigo corporal es un caldo de cultivo para los terroristas. Algunos de los 'maestros' que 'enseñan' en estas escuelas son terroristas. El mensaje que transmiten usando “el palo”, los puños o las manos abiertas es un mensaje de terrorismo, de opresión y miedo. Los niños víctimas de esta violencia corporal serán tal vez dentro de una década o dos quienes lancen su primera bomba dentro de un autobús atestado; el castigo corporal les enseña que la violencia es buena... que la violencia es la solución a todos los problemas.

Predestined future. Predestinado

In the tea gardens of Bangladesh a family must have at least one worker to qualify to stay in the labor line or in the house given by the company or employer. If a worker loses his or her job, or retires and has no other member in the family to become a tea worker, he or she will lose the house given by the employer. The labor line is the last place for a tea worker. The situation in most cases leads the child of a tea worker to become a tea worker.

En las plantaciones de té de Bangladesh una familia debe tener al menos un trabajador para poder quedarse en la casa proporcionada por la compañía. Si un trabajador pierde su empleo o se jubila, y no hay ningún otro miembro de la familia para trabajar en la plantación, perderá el derecho a vivir en la casa. La “labor line” (grupo de casas de la empresa) es el destino final de un obrero del té. En la mayoría de los casos las circunstancias obligan a que el hijo de un obrero del té se convierta irremediablemente en un obrero del té.

Seeing the world through the eyes of a (worker) child. Ver el mundo a traves de los ojos de un niño (obrero)

Preference for those most in need. Preferencia por los más necesitados

As Marist Brothers, working with young people is an essential part of our charisma and mission. We manifest a preference for those most in need. People from the Tea Gardens are amongst those living in the worst conditions in Bangladesh.

Como Hermanos Maristas, trabajar con jóvenes es parte esencial de nuestro carisma y nuestra misión. Manifestamos preferencia por los más necesitados. La gente de las plantaciones de té están entre aquellos que viven en peores condiciones en Bangladesh

Children's Rights

His future broke into a thousand pieces. El futuro se le rompió en mil pedazos

Sumon is a 15-year-old boy. He studies 2nd year of secondary in the small school run by Holy Cross priests in Srimongol (Bangladesh) for the tea workers children. The boy has managed to go further in studies than anyone else in his family; at the cost of immense sacrifices. Sumon is not a whiz, but with effort and tenacity, has been passing course after course. He’s got dreams and hopes for the future. Completion of the studies, to find a decent job, to take his family away from the plantations hell. And suddenly one morning, his future broke into a thousand pieces. Someone announced him that his mother just died. If someone from the family doesn't take his position on the plantation, they will be ejected from the miserable house in which they live. Sumon is the eldest of his brothers and sisters, the only one who can replace his mother. So he had no choice; he left school to go bury her mother and never came back. Now he is probably tied to a machine, grinding tea leaves 8 - 10 hours a day or spreading insecticide on plants without any protection. His future broke into a thousand pieces.


You who are reading this, could you help us to get to the greater number of boys and girls in this situation? We offer you the possibility to do something important for them. Click on DONATE and do what you can. Thank you.

Sumon es un chico de 15 años. Estudia 2º de secundaria en la escuelita que los sacerdotes de Holy Cross tienen en Srimongol (Bangladesh) para los hijos de los trabajadores de las plantaciones de té. El chico ha logrado llegar más lejos en los estudios de lo que nadie de su familia había conseguido nunca. A costa de inmensos sacrificios, todo hay que decirlo. Sumon no es una lumbrera, pero con esfuerzo y tesón, ha ido aprobando curso tras curso. Tiene sueños y esperanzas para el futuro. Terminar los estudios, encontrar un empleo digno, sacar a su familia del infierno de las plantaciones. Y de repente, una mañana, su futuro se rompió en mil pedazos. Le anuncian que su madre ha muerto; si alguien de la familia no toma su puesto en la plantación, serán expulsados de la miserable casa en la que viven. Sumon es el mayor de sus hermanos, el único que puede reemplazar a su madre. Así que no tuvo elección; dejó la escuela para ir a enterrar a su madre y nunca más volvió. Ahora estará probablemente atado a una maquina triturando hojas de té de 8 a 10 horas al día, o esparciendo insecticida sin protección ninguna sobre las plantas. Su futuro se rompió en mil pedazos.

Tú que lees estas líneas, ¿no podrías ayudarnos a sacar al mayor número posible de chicos y chicas de esta situación? Te ofrecemos la posibilidad de hacer algo importante por ellos y ellas. Pincha en DONATE y haz lo que puedas. Gracias.

Our dream

The Marist Brothers arrived to Bangladesh 6 years ago. It was a new country for us. It has been necessary to start everything from scratch, including learning Bengali language, networking, meeting people, letting us know, getting used to the climate, to the food, to the idiosyncrasy of the wonderful people of this country, the most densely populated in the world.

During these first years we have been collaborating with other institutions (in Pirgacha, Dinajpur, Srimongol and Mymensingh), learning about the Bangladeshi educational system, studying the many possibilities and proposals that have been offered to us.

In the range of possibilities to work, we have finally chosen one: to provide education to the children of the workers in the tea plantations.

Why this choice? The criteria were as follows:

- Choosing a particularly needy population group

- Going there where others could not or did not want to go

- The workers in the tea plantations in Bangladesh are possibly the most disadvantaged social group in the country. The conditions in which they live and work border on what we might call modern slavery; their conditions are much tougher than those of employees of the textile workshops, sadly famous after the incidents at Savar (Dhaka), Pope Francis did not hesitate to describe it as slavery and has mobilized the sensitivity of much of Western societies.

The project we want to carry out consists of a secondary school for the children of tea plantations workers, and boarding house for boys and girls.

For this purpose we have located a site in a small town called Moulovibazar, in the region of Sylhet, just adjacent to tea plantations. We must buy the land and then build the first stage, consisting of a school (ten classrooms, two floors) and boarding school for girls (capacity 100 people, two floors). The rest of the project, which would include the boarding school for boys and the expansion of the school, will come in a second phase in the medium term.