Ridwan Ahmed Volunteers at DCI’s Sun Child Home

ridwanI had the pleasure of volunteering at RSC/DCI at the girls’ orphanage in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. I taught English by combining it with Bangla. Through visual learning, the girls were able to accomplish good pronunciation and recognition of the English alphabet and numbers. Over a stretch of three days (June 5th, 7th, and 14th, 2012), I spent a combined time of 3.5 hours teaching at the orphanage. I would like to thank Dr. Ehsan Hoque, Mr. Hai Zaidul, Ms. Salma Qadir, and all the others who made this wonderful experience possible. I would also like to thank the cordial girls at the orphanage, whose cooperation was necessary for this occasion to occur. This volunteering opportunity changed my view of the world and made me very fortunate for basic necessities that I previously took for granted. However, I feel a need to raise a substantial issue regarding the importance of family, based on my personal experience volunteering at Boy’s Haven for America Inc., a temporary foster program serving kids all over the U.S. The first student I tutored came to Boy’s Haven because of behavior problems. His parents frequently visited him and he was able to see them in their house. During his time there, his personality greatly improved and after some time, he was able to move back with his family. I feel that DCI’s orphanage should strive to have the same mission: after a girl starts to live at the DCI orphanage, she should be allowed to visit family members at their houses or be visited by them at the orphanage. Once family members are cleared to be able to take care of girl, the girl should move back with them. If not, the girls might grow up thinking that their family never got a second chance to raise them, and that their family does not care about them anymore. DCI has changed the lives of many underprivileged children through their wonderful programs and I am sure that they will continue to do so in the future. Once again, I thank everyone for their cooperation and supervision of my volunteering experience in Bangladesh. Ridwan Ahmed, West Brook High School (9th Grade) Beaumont, TX