Rickshaw Van

While in Bangladesh I met a wonderful family who has seen many struggles. Their oldest daughter had a heart problem and needed open heart surgery, her dad lost his job, and they were living in a small shack that they had built on someone elses land where they lived as squatters. There are 3 children in this little family and they are part of a hugh population of the poorest of the poor barely surviving on the outskirts of Dhaka City.



The daughter who needed the surgery was able to go to India and have it thanks to Compassion International and she is now in school through their sponsorship program. However, the family dynamics remain the same. To help IRM partnered with Bangaldesh Nazarene Mission to provide a rickshaw van for the father. A rickshaw van is the way most people move goods around. It is used for deliveries and moving homes ect. It is a bicycle that has a flat wooden bed attached to it. It is hard work but the father of this family can now provide for his family. The van was provided through IRMs Micro Credit program and BNM is responsible for collecting the repayment from the father. The great thing is that once half the van is paid for then it will become his without further payment. Here is a picture of the van, with (front row) the father, Pastor Joseph (BNM), Pastor Sukamal (BNM), and myself after the dedtcation ceremony in Dec. 06



This is just one way that IRM is helping children and their families in Bangladesh. We could not do any of our work without your help. I want to thank you all for your prayers and support over the years. You are all a part of what we are doing!