World Street Children News

Street children to march in victory parade
For the first time ever underprivileged children have been included in the Victory Day Parade
Raihan Sabuktagin

December 13, 2006

For the first time in nation’s history, a group of underprivileged street children will participate in the national victory day parade to be held on December 16, the Victory Day at the Bangabandhu stadium.

Members of the Ansar Battalion in the city are now training a group of about 35 children to march and perform together in discipline. The children have been given proper uniforms and shoes to wear during the parade. Every day for four hours the children are training at the Fakirapool ground.

Mahmdul Hasan Momid aged 9 lives in a shelter house in Arambagh run by the Apayrajaya, an NGO working with street children. Momid says he finds it extremely exciting to march in files in uniforms and shoes.

"I cannot express how good I feel during this training, it is something new to me," Momid said while rehearsing at the training ground yesterday. "I feel proud of the people who fought for the county and saved it from the enemies," he added.

Rafida, about 11 lives in a shelter house in Mirpur run by an NGO called Padakhep. She said that she could not believe that she would be selected for the parade. "It is my pleasure to celebrate the victory day as a participant in the national parade." She added that she was feeling the beats somewhere within her heart and it sure felt different. "When I am following the commands I feel that I am marching against my enemies and I have to defeat them, it is an inspiration for me," Rafida said during her training yesterday.

Ansar commander Akijur Rahman, working as instructor for the children said that the kids were excellent in their performance. He said that within a ten-day training period the kids have perfectly learnt marching like the regular forces in the parade ground.

Rover scout Reetu who also trained the children at the ground, told Star City he was proven wrong when on the first day of training he went home thinking that the children would not be able to adjust.

"On the second day they performed so well that I was surprised," Reetu said.

Appropriate Resources for Improving Street Children’s Environment (ARISE) with its partner-organisations jointly created the opportunity for the underprivileged children. Kakoli Chakrabarty of the ARISE, a government programmer said that they first contacted the Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka and proposed him about their participation.

"The matter of quality is important for the national parade and we assured the authority about the quality of performance by these children," Chakrabarty said.

"We gathered 42 children from Aparajeyo Bangladesh, Podokhep Manobik Unnoyon Kendra, Services Training Centre and Somaj Poriborton Kendra, and selected 35 children. Now I am feeling good because the kids are performing so well.", she said.