The London Rotarian and the Volksblatt issued articles about Bholas Children and Bruna.

Please download here:

• London Rotarian
• Volksblatt (German)

Dear friends,

I hope that most of you had a very good celebration and positive beginning of this new year. I was waiting a while to tell you all the news and events happened in Bhola after our visit, the ‘Chapati Quartet’, last November.

Dear Friends,

It is by now a tradition that I write this ‘one for all’ letter after coming back from my visit to Bhola’s Children home; I can already assure you it was a very special and intense journey. Incredible! but true, this time Josè-Luis and Eleonora were not my travelling companions (remember? .... the ‘Three Musketeers’) but this time we were a Quartet, the famous ‘Chapati Quartet’ (I will explain later about this inusual name) composed by the incredible webmaster Holger Sigmund, the talented film director Jelena Gernert, the debutant Isabella Spiegel and me, ‘Mammi’ Bruna.

Today 15th of August is a special day in many European countries. It is a religious holiday celebrating the Madonna Assumption Day; it also the National Day here in Liechtenstein; it is the day when most Italian towns are deserted! It is the day friends and families celebrate together It is also the day that Dinah Wiener in her last visit to Bhola encircled on the calendar promising the children she will be there with them on this day to celebrate together.

I am in Liechtenstein with Walter (my husband) and visiting friends from UK, the 'charming' 'special' 'fantastic' 'very gregarious' Chris and Chris Day from Guildford-UK. We are celebrating Liechtenstein National Day with many many people from various countries that have come to the beautiful castle to say 'hello' to the Prince and friends and to enjoy tonight the exceptional fireworks display the Principality is famous for.

Also in Bhola we have visiting friends from UK. Dinah kept her promise and today together with Anne Hamilton is in Bhola, having arrived yesterday from Dhaka travelling with the ferry unusually by day (they usually go with the overnight ferry, but they were so keen to be with the children in Bhola  that they took the day ferry as soon as they arrived in Dhaka!).

Even if they didn't have fireworks, certainly they had a very warm welcome from the excited children. We haven't received any news yet, but we are sure they will have a very busy memorable time even if it is not the best time of the year to visit because of the raining season and very hot and humid weather!

The children love to share their daily activities with visitors, they want to show what they have learned. They like to clean vegetables together sitting on the floor, they like to play games and teach some Bangla words and signs languages..... Dinah and Anne have been there before, but every time is just as exciting as the first one. They will also meet new children, because we hope in the future to reach our maximum potential of 100 children!

Some of our past children have left us because they can go to the local school! This is always our goal, to integrate our children in the local schools as soon as they are capable, therefore giving the chance to new needing ones to come to us.

Ali as usual will be anxious that all is well, that visitors are comfortable, that the children will behave .... proud 'Dadu'! Hopefully he will not tire himself too much during the next three weeks while Dinah and Anne are there.

From all of us here in Liechtenstein we wish you all the best and as the Italians say 'BUON FERRAGOSTO'  

Dear friends,

in the last few months many things have happened. We have decided to write a regular monthly News letter to keep all of you informed of the many 'fantastic' things happening in our home/school in Bhola. I, Bruna, speak regularly on the telephone with Ali (and some of the children even if their English is still very limited) and obviously via the numerous emails that we send each other.

There is so much news to tell you, but let's start with the most FANTASTIC! GREAT! WONDERFUL NEWS!  Our special boy Ismail (12yrs) that when he came to us three years ago could hardly talk, walk, eat properly and above all interact with others, now is integrated in the local school, behaving like a young man, talking a lot! He's gone back to live with his family and come to us only on Fridays to share with us his experiences and feelings with his 'new world'. Ali was nearly crying when he told me the news on the phone and kept saying: "....  who would have thought that this could happen and so fast!!....".

Rozina, blind from birth, is showing incredible talent at the keyboard. She loves practicing and is preparing special songs to welcome us when Holger, Jelena and I will go next November to visit Bhola and the children.

Most of you probably know that the building of the new hostel is finished (it looks really impressive and beautiful). Now we only need to finish all the indoor touches to make it comfortable and ready to host in the future fifty children. Actually some of our children already use the first floor; soon the visitors rooms (two) on the top floor will be ready and Holger, Jelena and I when we go in November will enjoy the beautiful view over Bhola from the terrace.

Faruk (25yrs) is becoming more independent. He enjoys his role as 'dadu' of Shipu the dog, he loves to go to the new land to grow vegetables and likes to sleep there three nights a week in the little hut we built. 

The new kitchen has been started to be built; the roof is already in place, but we still have to do all the inside plastering. In November when we go we will buy all the equipment in Dhaka and we hope to give also some cooking lessons to teach Laily and Fatima to make 'spätzli' !

Fatima (23yrs) one of our cooks, has had the first operation of skin grafting for her terrible burns, thanks to donations from Spain.

The children are making Christmas decorations in woods, cloth and crochet for us to collect in November and show them at a special fair in Liechtenstein in December. 

Der dreizehnjährige Aaron Stark ist schon länger ein leidenschaftlicher Bastler von Papierschiffchen. Gemeinsam mit seinen Freunden stellt er ganze Flotten auf – einfach so zum Spaß.

Today we got this lovely letter from Arifur Rahman 

Today we got this lovely letter from James Birkett 

Dear Friends,

It’s nice to come back to you again

Dear Friends,

 I am really sorry for this ‘all in one‘ letter,