LAlFriends of Street Children Bangladesh visit
On Thursday 9th May, we were delighted to welcome a group of young people aged 12-16 years from LEEDO Peace Home in Bangladesh, who were representing their country in the Street Child Cricket World Cup 2019 organised by Street Child United. The visit was arranged by former teacher Mr Stevens, trustee of the Daneford Trust and Friends of Street Children Bangladesh, a UK based charity that was established in January 2016 to support and work with children surviving on the streets of Dhaka. In typical Mulberry Academy Shoreditch style, our students gave all of the visitors a rapturous welcome on arrival, with handshakes and smiles all around. The Bangladesh team were officially greeted by Mrs Holden, who also presented the team with individual gift bags full of treats.
It was then off to the Sports Hall for a quick game of cricket with our students, which was extended because everyone was having so much fun. The itinerary then moved on to a moving and thought provoking presentation and video about life of children living on the streets, which included members of the Bangladesh team. This was followed by an engaging question and answer session between the groups of children and an energetic martial arts routine by three members of the team. However, the absolute highlight of the visit was when the Bangladesh team gathered and sang with passion, hands on hearts, the famous “We Shall Overcome”anthem. It was difficult to hold back the tears!
We wold like to thank Mr Stevens for facilitating the visit and providing our students with a wonderful opportunity to meet their overseas peers. We look forward to deepening our partnership with the Daneford Trust and, who knows, perhaps a reciprocal visit will be organised in the future!
