Life in the water

Another busy day, but not what I had originally told you I'd be doing. There were some questions about whether they would be able to get permission for me to go to Bandarban, and also the change of plan that Parach, the project manager is now required to attend the meetings in Dhaka that John and I will be heading to tomorrow meant that plans had to be changed. In the end the permission came through, but the plans had already been changed, so I didn't get to see Bandarban. We left Rangamati and headed along the lake on one of the windiest, twistiest roads I have ever been on, then left the van and got a wee ferry across the water to visit a fantastic self help group, one of the earliest formed in 2009, and one where the members have really embraced the idea and got so much from it. I saw some of the animals they are now rearing, and the fast food counter at a local tea house where one of them now works after doing food preparation training, and head all about the plans to buy a shop and run it as a group and share the profits. So inspiring! We even fitted in a tiny bit of tourism by visiting a pagoda in their village (the old one, not the fancy new big one which further away), which was really interesting.

We then went back across the water, drove down towards Chittagong and left the van at Christian Hospital Chandraghona and got another wee ferry across the river for an Orientation on Rights with local leaders in the tribal structure and other influential people. It was really good, but sad when one of the participants, a primary school teacher, shared about a relative he had, and one to whom he was very close. This relative, who had 8 children, all grown, well educated with good jobs, was diagnosed with leprosy, and was rejected by his family. None of his children went to visit him in hospital and when he was cured his family refused to let him come home. The teacher shared how he went to visit his relative in hospital, at least until his immediate family forbade him to visit him again. He linked it with the the idea of human rights really well to help show how wrong that attitude was and which rights in deprived his relative of. On the way back we went to the steps to get the ferry, and there were four wee boys swimming and diving, annoying the ferrymen and staring at the foreigner and posing for the camera, where do kids get all that energy from?

Once back across the river we headed for the hospital's leprosy centre for an impromptu visit, which was fascinating. I met a number of patients, several of whom are referrals from the Chittagong Leprosy Control staff, people like Ruby who featured on Wednesday. For all its size, Chittagong has no specialist leprosy care available, so any patients with severe reaction, ulcers and so on are sent to Chandraghona. I also saw the shoe workshop, which is funded and partly staffed by The Leprosy Mission. As leprosy destroys nerve function, it can leave former patients with anaesthetia on their hands and feet, or more widely, meaning that decent footwear is essential. It can be hard to get shoes that both fit and provide the necessary support for people with deformities in their toes and feet, so the people who make the sandals have to be very good. The chief technician, Pavel, is a former leprosy patient himself, and he and his colleagues make all the sandals to supply Chittagong city and Chittagong Hill Tracts areas based on drawings and measurements sent to them by leprosy control staff.

We got stuck in a traffic jam on the way back into Chittagong, there is a new flyover being built and the area leading up to it is a mess, so it was a very slow journey indeed. Tomorrow will be a quiet day as it's a day off, though I will get to see the sea, which I'm looking forward to, before flying off to Dhaka. I have had such a wonderful time here, the people are so warm and friendly, the countryside so beautiful and the food is good. I wasn't expecting to enjoy omelette with green chillies or curried egg, but it seems I do!

I have back blipped the last few days starting here.