Bangladesh

How do you cope with losing a child? It’s a question that no parent should have to answer. When Mehreunnessa’s son was murdered in 2011, she felt her life was over. But the Bangladeshi mum found love and hope again in a place that few people would choose to look. She got a job at Happy Homes, an ActionAid-funded rescue home for street girls in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Every day Mehreunnessa, 52,  helps girls to rebuild their lives. In exchange, they’ve given her a new reason to carry on with hers. Read on to find out how.  Read more

Dangerous and dirty, the streets are no place for a young girl to call home. But that is the reality in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where thousands of homeless children live, work and sleep on the streets - at constant risk of violence, sexual abuse and exploitation. Jesmin, 10, was one of those children, caring for her younger brother while her mother searched for work to support them after her father left. But Jesmin's life was changed for good when ActionAid gave her a place in a Happy Homes centre. Here, Jesmin tells her story. Read more

In the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, two young girls are growing up. They share the same surroundings, and the same dreams, but their lives couldn’t be more different. While one girl dresses her baby brother, the other puts on her school uniform. While one girl looks for litter on the streets to sell, the other learns English and maths. And while one girl is scared of the boys who shout at her on the street, the other plays with her friends in safety. I’d like to tell you the story of Halimoon and Jharna, and how you can transform a girl’s life through child sponsorship this Christmas.  Read more

On the surface Munni is just like 10-year-old girls the world over – wanting to learn, play with friends, make new friends, have a safe and secure home and have dreams for the future. But Munni is not treated the same as other girls because she belongs to the Dalit community - considered the lowest people in society according to the caste system in Bangladesh. Find out how she's transformed her life with the help of ActionAid child sponsors. Read more

Life for children in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh is hard. The majority of them live in one-roomed, temporary structures made from whatever materials can be found in the area – bamboo, hessian sacks, polythene sheets and tin sheets. Families cook outside in the narrow lanes that run between their houses, and at least 40 families will share one toilet that is poorly maintained. In these cramped conditions, there isn't much space for children to learn and play in safety. That's why ActionAid's child safe spaces in Bangladesh are so important. Read more

In parts of Africa and Asia, a quiet refugee crisis is unfolding. Today an estimated 60 million people are either living as refugees or have been forced from their homes - the highest number in history. When we think of refugees, we often think of war. And the conflict in Syria and elsewhere has turned millions of people into refugees, but many people have also been left without a home because of the threats of El Niño and climate change. Read more