Children Park – a type of real social business

(example of MOON PARK & MOON HOUSE)

This was also published in The News Today 09 Dec 2010 and other blogs

http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=14376&date=2010-12-09

http://www.bdcomcn.com/English-Articles/children-park-a-type-of-real-social-business-of-moon-park-a-moon-house.html

 http://bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=343086  



Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, of Bangladesh while addressing the prize giving ceremony of a painting competition at Dhaka Osmani Smriti Auditorium on October 18, 2010, has directed the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to recover all the children’s parks in the capital. The prime minister, according to UNB Dhaka, vowed to establish a safe and prosperous Bangladesh for every child.

Yes, there is no doubt that concerned authorities would try their best to recover all government children parks, no matter how successful they would be to maintain and keep the campaign according to given directives from the highest executive of the government. But I, like many others, am little wondered as to how much those local influential illegal occupants have gone regarding places like Children parks too. There is no need to emphasize the requirement of children parks for the over all development of a total Children. Considering their importance’s, government did their parts and hopefully would continue doing the best in this regard always. But we being the brothers and sisters, parents and relatives, teachers and lovers of every child also got to think and do exactly in the same way as our Prime Minister thought and gave directives.

Because the government can not establish more and more children parks all of a sudden, and because we all also have the morale and social responsibilities too for all the children, so, we got to also do some thing, either individually or being in a group. We may think of taking following measures to ensure so that more and more children get the facilities of Children parks:

1. Authorities of schools and other educational institutions may consider establishing children parks at their own premises, no matter how small or big those could be. They should also ensure the proper maintenances of all existing children parks.

2. Those who, specially at rural area, can effort to make few items of children park at their own premises may also make such facilities available for their own and local children. There are few such items directly related to physical exercises which don’t need lot of space, cost or electricity. Besides, such can be made with collective efforts too. Some one may also think of making the same at their roof top at city location too. The idea is so that every child gets the minimum facilities of Children Park.

3. Many rich people of our society already have hundreds and thousands of “Farm Houses” (bagan bari in bengali pronunciation) of their own. Those are indeed their spare houses out side the city areas mostly for their personal leisure and pleasure. Of course I am not trying to say any thing against their farm houses, however, would like to humbly suggest so that they could also think of making those, whole or part of those, in to some thing like children park for the local children and thus allow local children to play there either free of cost or with little ticket money. We always talk about social responsibilities and social businesses. Arranging such facilities for the children could be one of the best social responsibilities. Again the concepts of social businesses often emphasized by our Noble Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus are known to the whole world and also widely discussed. So, from that point of view too, some token ticket money may also be charged from incoming children, however, the ticket fee got to be within affordable limit of those rural parents too.

Frankly speaking, I won’t suggest any of above if I won’t believe on those totally. I use to always think in the past about these children park facilities for our rural poor children. That is the reason I tried to establish two such children park at my own according to my personal interest, planning, limited economic capabilities and efforts. Spending my pension money, I have established one Children park named Moon Park at village PIRUJALI in General Area Hotapara, Gazipur. The area is near writer Humayun Ahmed’s Nuhash Polli and really green and comfortable in all seasons.

Well, for this case, I tried to establish and experiences by myself first and then now trying to suggest some thing for others too. It is said in the religion also that you try to do the same first before you suggest the same to others. When ever, I heard or read about the social businesses expressed by noble laureate Dr. Yunus, tried to think and identify as to how many types of social businesses could there be, specially for a country like Bangladesh? I also tried to think always as to what maximum social benefits can be offered with what minimum charges from different types of social businesses. Well, there can be many different types, but, for me, I have desired to do some thing related to children’s health, enjoyment, excitement, mental growth, physical exercise etc, and so thought of establishing one children park for them as part of so-well-discussed social business.

Now at this stage, being little encouraged by the noble directives of honorable prime minister of Bangladesh, I have only one aim of mentioning this as an example and that is, so that others who are interested may also establish such children parks at different parts of our country. Besides, those who are already having their Farm Houses (bagan bari) may also become interested as well as feel responsible to tern their those farm houses, part or whole, into children park for the local rural children and allow them to play either free of charge or with little token ticket money.

“Moon Park” is a small eco friendly green garden which is also used for picnic or outing spot for those city people who may afford to rent it and be interested to enjoy the green nature as part of their rest and refreshment. However, the focus is always given to the local children’s playing and that is why the word “park” is associated with it’s name. Any one may be wondered to know that a local child may visit and play at Moon Park with only taka ten ($ US 10 cents only) per person. The Moon Park was inaugurated on 14 April 2010 (pohela boishak) through arrangement of boishakhi mela (local fair organized on the bengali new year) where all the incoming children along with their parents, friends and relatives were allowed to go inside and play with free of charge. Surprisingly the total presence on that very single day crossed the figure 2500 (almost 100% children of that general area) which really proved in my mind that, yes, our children really need such facilities. I also felt very comfortable inside for being able to make one such park for our rural children. The smiling faces of our rural deprived children are still in my memories, pictures of which can also be shared by readers from below web link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/113734232071731875096/MoonPark#

“Moon House” is also another such place, same eco friendly garden with children park facilities where children can not only play but also see life birds and fishes. No matter how many facilities children are enjoying inside but only taka 30 ($ US 40 cents only) is charged per person. It is designed to be a real safe house for the playing of children and that is why the word “house” is associated with it’s name.

It may be mention that the eco friendly green gardens of both Moon Park and Moon House are also attracting foreigners and as such contributing to the tourism in Bangladesh too. Hope the scope of tourism in this sector would also increase in future.

I hope both Moon Park and Moon House would be able to contribute for children’s playing in the long run as part of social businesses in real sense. I also hope that many other persons having similar feelings like me would also try to do some thing better for our children which are so necessary for their total development. Children would carry us forward, they are our future hopes and so we must do our best to do best for them.

For those who may be interested to know about Moon House and Moon Park for their picnic or outing purposes may also brows below web link:

http://www.moonhousemoonpark.com/

 email: moonhouse.moonpark@gmail.com,

Lost dreams.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Collage of unimaginable shades of musty yellow, hues of grey, black and sallow brown. A lone low watt electric bulb makes a tiny halo of illumination that hardly reaches the floor. At regular intervals constant whirring and deafening clanging ring throughout the place. At first glance one would not be able to distinguish the various objects from the humans. Was there truly any sign of life here? Where? On a closer inspection one would perceive tiny movements, an escaped sign, a sudden shimmer and that was all the sign of life one would get in the confined space of the congested room. Everything seems to have merged here— the walls, the machines and the young human beings. Who were these living elements? And where was this indiscernible confinement?

This was no medieval underground dungeon or mine where humans meet untimely deaths. This was a 21st Century urban factory many of whose employees are under 15 years of age. Mostly ‘bread earners’ of their families these children categorized as ‘child labourers’ are part of the 246 million child workers worldwide (6.6 million in Bangladesh) who are exploited physically, mentally, morally and deprived of education and natural development (ILO/2006).

Banished to an existence in the fathomless maze of a monochromatic world of grime, filth, hardships and excruciatingly hazardous labour their shackled childhood only leads to unrecognized early deaths, diseases and lost dreams.

Mother and son, permanent workers of a flour mill in the old part of the capital.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Working among tannery wastes and chemicals these boys are easy prey to early deaths and diseases. Normally such child labourers earn less than 50 pence a day.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Children work as porters at the city's Kamlapur Railway Station. The weight they carry is usually double of their body's weight.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Urban construction industry usually depends on the labours of children who work as brick crushers.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Murad's shackled and mutilated feet. How this has really hampered his development as a child!Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Shackled childhood: with no chance of a normal childhood, 9 years old Murad works on a handloom in the city's Benarasi Palli.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

There are hundreds of aluminium factories in the major cities all over Bangladesh and most of the labours are none other than children who earn nearly $8-12 per month.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Even though child labour is prohibited in mainstream garment factories subsidiary industries like ball press manufacturers (suppliers of buttons, collars, cuffs and other accessories) use child labourers.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Many children work under extreme heat in iron foundries where propellers and machineries are made. The suffocating fumes and heat nearly choke these young workers.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Most working children do not have places to stay at night. Some NGOs have made temporary shelters for street children.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Many children in urban areas work without safety measures in the hazardous conditions of wielding factories.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Selling drinking water on the streets is a form of temporary profession common among urban street children.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

In spite of constant physical threats children are often found working as brick crushers to meet the demands of the ever-growing construction industry of the country.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Children who work in the city's many counterfeit dry cell battery factories put in long hours at the end of which they come out covered totally in soot and grime.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Factory owners prefer using cheap and controllable child labour in their counterfeit dry cell battery factories in Sadarghat, an old part of the city.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Free diving in the polluted River Buriganga. Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

A child labour at a local night school organized by a NGO.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

Lost dreams.Photo: Azizur Rahim Peu, DrikNEWS.

This project aims to compile an insightful reportage on the condition of some 350, 000 internal migrants who are currently employed in the shipbuilding and repairing industry situated on the banks of River Buriganga, Bangladesh. This industry has recently been in for a boost due to exposure to the international market. These workers, who are hardly aware of their rights, are all day labourers. Work in these boisterous, bustling centres of activity is usually conducted in traditional manual form– no proper machines, safety gears, health precautions, no training or access to insurance or health plan. Living conditions are as makeshift as one can imagine. While the industry is changing face by leaps and bounds, with no organization private or public to speak for them or to address their grievances these life-bloods of the ship building industry have experienced no change in their lot. This work is an endeavour to address their unsaid and unstated demands— their rights to a better life.

-

Azizur Rahim Peu[www.arpeu.com] is the Editor of DrikNEWS.