ASPIRE
A quarterly OBAT Helpers publication
October 2014
In This Issue
OBAT TURNS TEN!
Ramadan Fundraising Goal: ACHIEVED!
New Self-Empowerment Project
Thank you Friends of OBAT, Seattle
Geneva Tube Well Updates
Cataract Surgery for Chittagong Camp Residents
Where have we been since July?
About OBAT
Qurbani Contributions Feed ~10,000 Families
Ramadan Charity Program
New Vice-President of the Board: Dr. Shujaat Wasty
Camp Youth Leadership Training
Think Tank Spreads Eid Joy
Eid-ul-Fitr Lunch Hosted by U.S. Donor
We Love When Friends Visit!
Multi Talented Scholarship Student
Save the Dates
The More You Know!
How can YOU Help?
OBAT TURNS TEN!
OBAT's Tenth Anniversary
On September 27th, OBAT celebrated ten years of empowerment. The event took place at the Athenaeum Theater in downtown Indianapolis and, among other things, consisted of, tributes to donors, volunteers, partners and a musical program. The initial part of the event comprised of a silent auction gallery, sign a canvas with messages for the school children, view large scale photos from the camps while also enjoying food and music by DJ, Kyle Long. During the event, the attendees were entertained by musical performances by Irfan Alvi and Ranjani Datar. A birthday cake was cut on the stage with all the board as the guests participated by blowing the candles placed on their own tables. OBAT was fortunate to have guests visiting from Texas, Seattle, Illinois and Canada for this event.
Our sincere thanks go out to all the volunteers, board members, partners and supporters who helped with and attended this event. The last ten years of milestones were possible only because of you and we look forward to the next several years with you. Check out more photos here!
 
Ramadan Fundraising Goal: ACHIEVED!
Thanks to our wonderful supporters for making life changing programs possible in the camps with their support. This year's Ramadan spirit and charity fundraising campaign was a tremendous success with supporters coming through for OBAT with their generous outpouring. Throughout the month, we saw the barometer of contributions gradually climb toward and exceed the mark and goal of $270,000. We are indebted to you for showing solidarity with camp residents by contributing generously towards their welfare.

New Self-Empowerment Project

 

Fish Farm
Inauguration ceremony of the fish farm at Khulna camp

  

OBAT's new self empowerment project is a fish farm for the residents of Khulna camp. We look forward to more of such projects being initiated in the future with your support. Join hands with us to create many more income generating opportunities. Reach us at: contact@obathelpers.org for more information.
Thank you
Friends of OBAT, Seattle

 

In July, Mr. Rizwan Samad, a dynamic gentleman who was behind the formation of Friends of OBAT Seattle, arranged an Iftar for their Seattle chapter. Many friends of OBAT came to this event and once again, we were overwhelmed by the level of support we received from them.
Thank you to Mr. Samad and the entire Seattle group.

 

Geneva Tube Well Updates
Nadim taking a water pot home from the tubewell
More than three thousand families are benefiting from a tubewell started in Geneva camp in January of 2014. Water is provided 6 to 8 hours daily. For maintaining the system of water supply and to ensure cleanliness in the area, a committee was formed consisting of seven members. A care taker was employed to open and close the tube well everyday as well as any maintenance needs. To keep a communal value to this tube well, each family has to pay to the committee Tk. 10 weekly for the upkeep. 
 
Thanks to people like you, the water crisis of this specific area has been now solved! Not only do people have access to clean drinking water, they are spared from walking long distances or waiting the entire night for the water supply to start functioning. In the words of Nadim (young boy photographed above), "We do not need to stay awake the whole night waiting for water; we can sleep at night so we can go to school early in the morning." Water is life.

Cataract Surgery for 
Chittagong Camp Residents
Cataract Chittagong Apr 2014
Patients post surgery with health attendants

 Eighteen cataract surgeries were conducted in Narayanganj camp on July 23rd by OBAT. The surgeries were performed in partnership with a local hospital. In all, thirty-five cataract surgeries were organized in Adamjee and Narayanganj 

during July and August.

 

Where have we been since July?
OBAT's Special Events and Projects Coordinator, Arishaa Khan at the APPNA booth

APPNA convention: The 37th APPNA convention was held in Washington DC from August 13th-17th. OBAT not only had a booth in the busy bazaar, but also hosted a discussion session with veteran and new supporters on the 16th.

 

ISNA convention: ISNA's 51st annual convention in Detroit took place over the labor day weekend at which we had a booth in the bazaar! 

 

Festival of Faiths: Hosted by the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, the 2nd annual Festival of Faiths held in downtown Indianapolis on September 7th, was another large scale, mulit-faith and diverse event, in which OBAT was represented.

 

About OBAT
OBAT Helpers is a U.S. based non-profit, 501(c)3 organization committed to providing aid, support, education and economical empowerment to suffering and displaced people. Our immediate focus is the forgotten and ignored Urdu speaking people, commonly known as stranded Pakistanis/Biharis, who have been suffering silently in the many shanty camps across Bangladesh for the past 42 years. 
 
We hope that you will continue your generous support to provide help to these unfortunate and forgotten people. OBAT represents the only hope for them, as they don't receive much assistance and support from anywhere else around the world. Together, we are making a difference in their lives as we help them fulfill their hopes and dreams.
 
Please pass along this message to others who would like to join us on this journey! 


 

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We value and appreciate your support tremendously. For questions and concerns, please email us at contact@obathelpers.org

  

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Qurbani Contributions Feed ~10,000 Families
Khulna qurbani 2014
We would like to thank all our supporters for making Eid-ul-Adha a very special occasion for the camp residents. Due to your qurbani contributions, many camp families were able to enjoy eating meat, which is normally just a luxury for them.
Qurbani was carried out in the following cities: Bogra, Syedpur, Khulna, Rangpur, Chittagong & Dhaka. 
9,831 families received meat form the sacrifice of 59 cows and 128 goats.
Ramadan Charity Program
Dhaka charity 2014
Students in Dhaka with their gifts
As a part of its annual charity program in Ramadan, OBAT distributed gifts amongst camp residents. Food bags have been distributed among the students in OBAT schools and to orphans, the disabled and widows in different camps. Each bag contained the following: six kg. rice, two kg. flour, one kg. sugar, one kg. soya bean oil and a two hundred gram packet of vermicelli. A total of 1,208 such bags were distributed in Chittagong, 400 in Khulna, 360 in Dhaka and approximately 500 in Rangpur.

Thank you for your contributions in making Eid holidays a joyous occasion for the camp residents.
New Vice-President of the Board: Dr. Shujaat Wasty
Dr. Shujaat Wasty presenting awards at Dhaka School sports program, 2014

OBAT is extremely fortunate to have Dr. Shujaat Wasty join the board as our vice-president. Dynamic and extremely bright, Dr. Wasty has been actively involved with OBAT since 2008. His foundation in Canada, the RS foundation has been supporting OBAT's cataract surgery program. Dr. Wasty has visited the camps on more than one occasion and all of OBAT's team is very excited to welcome him to this position.

Camp Youth Leadership Training
Jim Clark, sharing his innovative ideas
Jim Clark, an innovation consultant from innoGreat (www.innogreat.com) recently conducted a leadership training among the camp youth. Jim has over 20 years of experience conducting experiential learning programs in Asia for organizations like UNDP. He trains people to think outside of the box and uses a very distinctive method in his training, combining humor, activities and meaningful games.
OBAT Think Tank and staff are very grateful to Jim for his time and contribution and for an effective & memorable training program.
Think Tank Spreads Eid Joy
Think Tank members buying Eid clothes for Kurmitola camp children
To share the spirit of Eid-ul-Fitr, OBAT Think Tank members visited the people of Kurmitola camp in Mirpur and heard them talk about the recent incident of fire in their camp. They brought some clothes, toys and food to bring joy in the face of the terrible tragedy. Some team members put henna on the children and women's hands. The team later played games with the children.
We are really thankful to the OBAT Think Tank members who contributed to buy clothes for the  Kurmitola camp residents. The next day, clothes were distributed among fifty autistic children in the camps by the Think Tank.
Eid-ul-Fitr Lunch Hosted by
U.S. Donor
Kids enjoying their Eid lunch

An Eid lunch program was sponsored in Rangpur for OBAT elementary and pre-school students. Kids enjoyed a hearty meal thanks to the generous sponsorship of Mr. Ejazur Rahman from the U.S.

We Love When Friends Visit!
Ms. Shayla Azeem with Dhaka School Children

Ms. Shayla Azeem visited the OBAT English School, Preschool, NLJ Junior High School and Geneva camp in July. Ms. Azeem was visiting from the U.S. where she does social work and was interested in visiting the camps as she herself is orginally from Bangladesh.

Scholarship Student's Photography Gets Exhibited
Faisal Alam (extreme right) poses with others against a backdrop of his photo exhibit.
One of  OBAT's scholarship students, Faisal Alam, has been selected to have his photos exhibited. Faisal is studying towards a BBA degree at Bangladesh University. Faisal took the photos with a borrowed digital camera and still became one of the ten people selected for the exhibition. His photos were displayed at  Dhaka Art Center in Dhammondi. The photo exhibition was  organized by: Center for Gender and Social Transformation (CGST), BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University and ActionAid.
OBAT's generous supporter Mr. Husam Ahmed, on learning of Faisal's talent, donated a a professional camera to Faisal so he could develop and pursue his passion.
Save the Date!

 

 Spirit and Place Festival:

 

November 9, 2:00-4:00 PM at Second Presbyterian Church (7700 N Meridian St, Meridian Hills, IN 46260), Rm. 356.

  

OBAT is participating in this year's Spirit and Place Festival, a project of the Polis Center at Indiana University.

Every year's festival is centered around a theme, this year's theme being, "Journey." At this event, you will be able to trace the personal stories of hardship, survival, and hope experienced in Bangladeshi camps through a documentary, discussion, and a large scale exhibit created by a human rights photographer, Katie Basbagill, from photos taken during her visit to the camps. The event will also give you the opportunity to engage in insightful conversations with the presenters who have journeyed to Bangladesh and returned with their unique and personal inspirations, ideas and reflections.
 

Register here for this free event: http://bit.ly/1nebEWT


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