Adoption of another Bengali family for MannaBears Project

Unconditional Love of Jesus through MannaBears Nutrition

With a growing desire to adopt another family with children lacking proper nutrition, our journey on 22nd May into one of the slums in Dhaka was profoundly challenging. Our key contact had identified this family as being in need. The access to this place wasn't easy. Every rickshaw we flagged down were unwilling to take us. They complained of bad road. Finally we found two rickshaw walas, who were willing if we paid them double. As we were in no position to argue, we took their offer.

It was a pleasant surprise to Mr Sydul and family that we came to their one room abode. This single room, the size our small store room was where they ate, slept and did most of their chores. The unsightly canal that flowed behind contained all the raw sewage that flowed out of the slum.

Mr Sydul, married with three children is a daily rated labourer. He and his elderly mother have to work hard daily to provide for the family.  

Praise God, through the sponsorship of willing hearts in Singapore, we introduced MannaBears^(R) as a good source of nutrition for Mr Sydul's children. We pray that, through the access MannaBears^(R) is beginning to create, we can bring the unconditional love of Jesus to many malnourished children of Bangladesh.

Arsenic Poisoning in Plant-Soil Environment of Bangladesh

M. Ashraf Ali, A. B. M. Badruzzaman, M. A. Jalil, M. Delwar Hossain,
M. Feroze Ahmed, Abdullah Al Masud, Md. Kamruzzaman and M.Azizur Rahman
Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka-1000,Bangladesh

Arsenic in groundwater and its fate and transport in the environment have become matters of great concern in Bangladesh, India and several other countries. In Bangladesh, an estimated 268 upazillas out of 465 have been affected with significantly high concentrations of arsenic. In Bangladesh tubewell water extracted from shallow aquifers is the primary source of drinking/cooking water for most of its population. An estimated 7.5 to 8.0 million hand-tubewells constitute the backbone of the rural water supply in Bangladesh. Besides domestic use, huge quantities of water from shallow aquifer are also used for irrigation during the dry season. Since its detection in late 1993 in Bangladesh, much of the research works on arsenic have focused on its presence in and exposure through drinking/cooking water. However, widespread use of groundwater for irrigation suggests that ingestion of irrigated crops could be another major exposure route for arsenic. Besides, phytoxicity due to increase arsenic in soil/water and its long-term impact on agricultural yield is another major concern.

High arsenic in irrigation water and soil appears to result in higher concentration of arsenic in root, stem and leaf of rice plants. This result is in agreement with that reported by Abedin et al. (2002) based on a greenhouse study. This suggests that arsenic can be easily translocated to paddy shoot. Since rice straw is widely used as cattle feed in Bangladesh and India, high arsenic in rice stem and leaf (i.e., in straw), may result in adverse health impacts on cattle and increase human arsenic exposure via the plant-animal-human pathway.


For full report, please click HERE

Nation Building Initiatives

Since its independence from West Pakistan on 16 December 1971, Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim nation, has constantly been inflamed with political, religious, climatic and economic disorders. As political leaders grapple to promote positive politics and politics of understanding instead of confrontational politics, we burst forth with zeal and great expectation to advance the Kingdom of God strategically and intentionally into Bangladesh.

As of 2004, a small team of pioneers, reformers and developmental workers from Jeevan Frontiers are making progressive inroads into rebuilding this riverine country.

Ibn Battuta, the 14th century Moroccan traveller, wrote that the Bengalis referred to their homeland as "a hell crammed with blessings". Most travellers today would have to look hard to find the blessings. Nearly every year, Bangladesh, one of the most heavily populated countries in the world, is afflicted with catastrophes. On November 16 2007, super cyclone Sidr devastated most parts of South Bangladesh. The death toll stood at 3,000 and many others became homeless and destitute.

While the natural does not argur well for this nation, yet the prophetic word of the hour is Ignite Bangladesh! "Come O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord". Thus we look forward to a nation with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.