Saikat lives with his father and his mother. His duties at home include carrying water and caring for animals. There are 2 children in the family. His father is sometimes employed as a laborer and his mother maintains the home.
As part of Compassion's ministry, Saikat participates in church activities. He is also in kindergarten where his performance is average. Soccer and listening to music are his favorite activities.
Because of your sponsorship, Saikat will have new opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thank you for your concern and prayers.
Saikat lives on the plains of Madanpur, home to approximately 3,200 residents. Typical houses are constructed of dirt floors, adobe walls and leaf, grass or tile roofs. The primary ethnic group and language is Bengali.
The regional diet consists of fish, rice and potatoes. Common health problems in this area include malnutrition, Enteric fever, viral hepatitis, diarrhea, dysentery and appendicitis. Most adults work as day laborers and earn the equivalent of $43 per month. This community needs educational materials, adult literacy programs and employment opportunities.
Your sponsorship allows the staff of Madanpur Child Sponsorship Program to provide Saikat with Bible teaching, nutritious food, medical treatment, hygiene and health education, sports and games, special celebrations, picnics, tutoring, tuition, uniforms, shoes and school attendance support. The center staff will also provide meetings for the parents or guardians of Saikat.
Bangladesh is a small Asian country in the shadow of India. Mostly flat, the country sits on the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean. Bangladesh consists mostly of a low-lying river delta with a largely marshy jungle coastline on the Bay of Bengal. The country usually has a mild tropical winter, a hot, humid summer and a warm, rainy monsoon from June to October.
People in this extremely poor country are often landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land. Nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in agriculture where rice is the single most important product. About 83 percent are Muslims, but Hindus constitute a 16 percent minority. Christians make up less than 1 percent of the population. Bengali is the official national language, but English is generally spoken in urban areas and used in higher education and government. Compassion works with children throughout the country.
Like India and many of its other neighbors, the area that is now Bangladesh came under British rule in the 18th century. A mounting clash between Muslims and Hindus lead to a battle that eventually created a deep chasm in Britain's empire. In 1947, British rule ended with the creation of Hindu-dominated India and Muslim-dominated East and West Pakistan. But a civil war over language and commerce between West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan) and East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) ensued from 1952 to 1971, when Pakistani forces surrendered and Bangladesh was established and became a parliamentary democracy under a constitution. Iajuddin Ahmed has been president since 2002.
Map of Bangladesh
Child's Location: Northeast of Khulna
