Abandoned by her dad, Dina finds a caring home in a village of poverty

The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
7 December 2003

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Abandoned by her dad, Dina finds a caring home in a village of poverty

By Chris Lindsay

Dina Rozario’s mother died at childbirth. Her father, unable to support his family, gave away her three older sisters. Then he left Dina with her grandmother and moved to a distant village of Bangladesh.

Dina’s grandmother worked in houses as a maidservant, but found it difficult to take care of Dina’s basic needs.

So, when Dina was four years old, she took her to the Sisters of Charity who, with the help of Catholic Mission, had set up a boarding house and education program for orphans and other poor children in the remote inland village of Borni.

Dina felt at home straight away and became a friend to everyone. Today, aged nine, she is healthy and is studying.

She never hears from her father, which is painful, but her grandmother visits her often.

The people of Borni are farmers or labourers. Most are illiterate and often out of work. They live in extreme poverty.

The sisters help about 450 people in the village. The 60 orphans in the boarding house are provided with everything, including shelter, food, clothing, medical care and education expenses. Other poor girls also are given shelter at the boarding house because of the distance they have to travel to school.

Catholic Mission needs help to achieve its goal of Life for All this Christmas. You can become a Children’s Mission Partner and help fund projects like this one in Bangladesh, to give children in more than 160 countries worldwide a brighter and fairer future.

Visit www.catholicmission.org.au or freecall Catholic Mission on 1800 257 296 for more information.