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The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund in Bangladesh August 14, 2009
Denise Hambidge
In late June, I had the privilege of attending the PWRDF roundtable meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The meeting was a gathering of members of PWRDF management, staff, board and Youth Council, and representatives of nine Asia-Pacific region partners with whom the organization works. We met to share and learn about the work of the community based projects supported by PWRDF in its mission of creating a more just and peaceful world, to hear about the challenges faced now and to anticipate those of the future. The results of the meetings are to give input to PWRDF’s future strategic plan.
The three partner organizations in Bangladesh were very welcoming hosts to the representatives from Sri Lanka, Burma, the Philippines and Canada, welcoming us with gifts, providing transportation, photography, umbrellas (it was monsoon season) and general help as needed.
Each day began with a spiritual devotion, which included songs, stories for reflection and the lighting of votive candles. These times of worship were led by Christian and inter-faith partners and closed with the sharing of sweet morsels of food “to taste the sweetness of life”. The morning devotion times were trust and relationship building and set a wonderful tone for the whole day.
Over three days of meetings, partners participated in the agenda vigorously and openly. PWRDF policies of Partnership, Inclusion, Gender, Advocacy and Environment were studied and additions suggested. Challenges facing partners were listed as were hopes for meeting these challenges. There is much to report back to the PWRDF board and staff.
The three PWRDF partner projects in Bangladesh are supported by CIDA, so a highlight of the roundtable gathering was the attendance of the Canadian High Commissioner for Bangladesh, His Excellency Robert McDougall, at a reception and dinner held at the restaurant operated by PWRDF partner UBINIG. The High Commissioner addressed the gathering saying how pleased he was that his Church and CIDA were doing such good work in Bangladesh. He appeared to enjoy watching the entertainment of traditional music and Indigenous adult and child dancers portraying their Bangladeshi rural life. With the delightful costumes worn by the dancers and the brightness of the women’s saris it was a most enjoyable and colourful evening.
(Photo: Members of the PWRDF Board of Directors: Eric Traficante, Farida Akhter, Denise Hambidge. Photo:UBINIG)
At the conclusion of the roundtable meetings, three days were set aside for visits to the partner projects within accessible reach. These were notably: UBINIG “Nayakrishi Andolon”, (New Agriculture Movement) and Handcraft/Bookstore; and the Church of Bangladesh’s “Ekota” program, which is a women’s development program in the slum area of the old part of Dhaka city. These are fascinating and extremely effective projects supported by PWRDF and I plan to write separately about them as they deserve more attention than this article can give.
I learned much from the partners and I am more than ever convinced that our Anglican Church of Canada, through PWRDF with its committed partners and skilled staff, is making a significant difference in community based development projects around the world.
