Hello everyone!



How are you all? It's been a while! Just wanted to send out a little update :-)

Right now i'm in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and then headed to Bangladesh for the next few months! I'm really excited for the opportunities that are before me and the honor to have a hand in some of the incredible things going on in this area of the world. Here is a short summary of what my assignment is so you can keep these women in your thoughts/prayers if you'd like :-)



Our programs are:
1) a mother-child care program where we feed and give nutrition training to expecting moms and also underweight, sick or at risk newborns and their mothers for six months. We have a doctor who volunteers one day a week to see these mothers and babies. It will be so great to have you because you can also help in these examinations and do your own examinations and consultations other than the once a week we have been limited to. There is lots of field work in canvassing the poor slums to find these at risk mothers and children and do follow-up.
2) Immunization program - we have been given two wards of Khulna city by the government and are responsible to provide various immunizations on a schedule. This also entails a lot of field work, especially in the govt sponsored emphasis. For example, right now, there is a big push by the govt to adminster polio oral vaccine to every child in Bangladesh, as they have had some new cases and there is concern to battle this potential outbreak before it gets out of hand. So we are responsible to do that in the wards we are responsible for. Part of the field work is also in health education in these slums.
3) We regularly train community based midwives to cut down on infant and mother mortality rates. We have regular times of training midwives and developing trainers in the south, north and east of Bangladesh.
4) We sponsor mobile medical clinics by visiting medical professionals in rural areas and slums.
5) We have a ministry in a large brothel near Khulna. Right now there are good news clubs for the children of the ladies, and also some of the moms attend weekly. We are developing relationship and trust with the ladies and are planning to open a rescue home for 5-8 girls to get them out of the brothel and educate and train them, saving them from what would otherwise be a cycle of bondage. This ministry is developing and it could be that your coming would be a time we could advance farther in doing more in this ministry.
6) Micro-credit loan and income generation program. There have been some new restrictions placed on this type of project by the government and we are waiting to see if we will be able to navigate the new rules or not. This program is only for women.

So as you can see, we minister to and help mainly women. We would love to see an on site birthing center started. We are currently trying to raise money for equipment.




Sounds pretty exciting, right? I am happy to help! Thank you so much for all of you that have been so wonderful in every way. For all your encouraging words, your financial support, your prayers, your friendships, and your emails/letters (keep them coming!!). I will miss all of you and look foward to continued correspondance with you all!



Now that things are back up to speed, i'll be updating on here and hopefully posting pictures periodically on my picture website (http://community.webshots.com/user/ldynicole9). There are a ton of pictures on there from my time in Egypt if you're interested. Keep checking back! :-)



If anyone is interested in sending "snail mail" (which i would *love!* ::hint hint!::) you can send it to:

Shalom AG Center
12 Rupsha Strand Road
Chanmari, Khulna
BANGLADESH

Love and Blessings,
Nicole :-)