Children from the streets of Dhaka depart for Doha World Cup

Ansar Ahmed Ullah
Contributing Editor, Shottobani

London: On 6 October girls who once survived on the streets of Dhaka departed for the Street Child Football World Cup, being held in Doha, Qatar. They will join teams from 24 countries taking part in this international football tournament, which aims to champion the rights of children worldwide.

The 10 girls have all been assisted by LEEDO, an organisation in Dhaka that reaches out to children on the streets and provides education, temporary shelters, and a permanent Peace Home for children with no other options. The UK Charity Friends of Street Children Bangladesh supports the work of LEEDO and assisted with finding sponsors, including the University of West England, based in Bristol. The plane journeys for the children from Dhaka to Doha are being provided by Bangladeshi airline US Banglaat no cost to LEEDO.

It has been a long journey for the girls. For example, Salma does not know her parents. She was originally looked after by her grandma until she abandoned her and went to work abroad. Salma was found at the railway station in Dhaka by the police, who referred her to a shelter run by LEEDO. She now lives at the permanent home for children managed by LEEDO. She recently started to play football. She is looking forward to meeting other teams in Doha, including the team from England. She is worried about the weather and the food during the football tournament. In future she hopes to run her own business.

Halima who is from Mymensingh  was born there and lived there until coming to Dhaka after her father and mother separated. In Dhaka Halima lived with an aunty who forced her to go to work for a rich family to earn money. This family mis-treated Halima. They did not give her proper food and if she made any mistake in her work she was beaten. Halima went to the street and was found by a worker from LEEDO who took her to their shelter. She now lives at the permanent home for children, where she especially enjoys learning computing and singing.

During the tournament Friends of Street Children, Bangladesh is raising funds to support the work of LEEDO with children at the railway station in Dhaka. For many children, their journey to a tournament such as the one being held in Doha starts not at the airport but by surviving on the street at the station. You can donate towards the outreach work, street school and temporary shelter for children at the station here: https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/friends-of-street-children-bangladesh

During the tournament in Doha the children from Bangladesh hope to tell people that children should not have to stay on the street. Children need shelter, safety, love and education. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child should apply to children surviving on the streets of Dhaka.