A hostel for young tribal Buddhists and Christians, for the development of Bangladesh
by Nozrul Islam
Founded in 2006, Hill Child Home is located in the Bandarban Hill Tract and welcomes orphaned, abandoned, poor and disabled boys and girls. The Moon-Light K.G. School founded nearby, open to hostel residents and external students. According to its founder Mong Yeo Marma, a Buddhist, "education is the cornerstone of a state and access to study for all young people is the only way to change".
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Building a new Bangladesh starting from children and young people. This is the aim of the Hill Child Home in Bandarban Hill Tract District, a hostel for tribal boys and girls initiated and directed by Buddhist Mong Yeo Marma. The house is located in Chittagong Division, south of the country. "Education - he tells AsiaNews - is the basis of everything, the starting point to create people who can change the country." Founded in 2006 it has since grown thanks to the donations of many Christians, even from Italy. Today the house welcomes orphaned, abandoned and disabled tribal children. They are ethnic Marma, Chakma, Tripura, Khyang, Khumee, Buddhists and Christians. Next to the hostel a school was founded, open to both Home Child Hill residents and external students.
The Hill Home Child was born almost by accident, Mong Yeo says, when "a Buddhist monk friend of mine asked if I could help him with some tribal children who had received a sort of hostel. He spoke only Burmese and with the increase in numbers of the children could no longer handle the situation. Thus, in 2006 the hostel was born, and I took over the direction. "
"I was born in the south (Chittagong Hill Tracts) - Mong Yeo says - and I grew up in an orphanage in the area. Then, I studied in Dhaka and I started working at the factory. In those years, a strong 'need' grew within me. The need to do something for others, but also to find my place in a society that welcomed me. " Being Buddhist and tribal, in a country where the majority of the population is Muslim and Bengali, means living on the margins. Muslims tend not to mix with those who follow another religion, while the Bengalis consider Buddhist tribals culturally inferior.
"This sense of frustration – he continues - is something you carry inside you from when you are small. This is why this hostel is so important. It provides opportunities for these kids to grow up in an environment where they feel welcome and accepted for who they are, where they can explore, discover and develop their talents, to learn respect for and the value of women. Even the tribal children are the future of this country and education plays a fundamental role. Only when the entire population is educated, can there be a real development of the state. Education is the cornerstone of a nation. "
The Hill Child Home is located in an area where previously there was only jungle. Over the years, thanks to donations, the Moon-Light KG School has been added to the hostel and it is attended by children of the house and from outside, employing eight teachers. The young people have cultivated a plantation of rubber trees in the grounds and have recently planted a field of ginger. The work in two crops, along with fishing, contributes to the costs of the entire structure. Mong Yeo Marma and his colleagues have also built a Christian chapel and a Buddhist temple in the grounds.
The Hill Home Child was born almost by accident, Mong Yeo says, when "a Buddhist monk friend of mine asked if I could help him with some tribal children who had received a sort of hostel. He spoke only Burmese and with the increase in numbers of the children could no longer handle the situation. Thus, in 2006 the hostel was born, and I took over the direction. "
"I was born in the south (Chittagong Hill Tracts) - Mong Yeo says - and I grew up in an orphanage in the area. Then, I studied in Dhaka and I started working at the factory. In those years, a strong 'need' grew within me. The need to do something for others, but also to find my place in a society that welcomed me. " Being Buddhist and tribal, in a country where the majority of the population is Muslim and Bengali, means living on the margins. Muslims tend not to mix with those who follow another religion, while the Bengalis consider Buddhist tribals culturally inferior.
"This sense of frustration – he continues - is something you carry inside you from when you are small. This is why this hostel is so important. It provides opportunities for these kids to grow up in an environment where they feel welcome and accepted for who they are, where they can explore, discover and develop their talents, to learn respect for and the value of women. Even the tribal children are the future of this country and education plays a fundamental role. Only when the entire population is educated, can there be a real development of the state. Education is the cornerstone of a nation. "
The Hill Child Home is located in an area where previously there was only jungle. Over the years, thanks to donations, the Moon-Light KG School has been added to the hostel and it is attended by children of the house and from outside, employing eight teachers. The young people have cultivated a plantation of rubber trees in the grounds and have recently planted a field of ginger. The work in two crops, along with fishing, contributes to the costs of the entire structure. Mong Yeo Marma and his colleagues have also built a Christian chapel and a Buddhist temple in the grounds.
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