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SUNDERBAN ADIBASHI MUNDA MOHILA SOMOBAY SOMITI Ltd. Year: 02 SSSAAAMMMMMMSSSSSS NNNEEEWWWSSSLLLEEETTTTTTEEERRR Number: 10 Place: Jisur Nam Ashram Date: 02-11-2015

Dear readers, We hope all of you are well and we send you our greetings. In Europe winter should be starting. In our country the rainy season has just ended and we are going towards winter time, too. But we will have neither snow nor ice, and this is the best time for visitors to come to Bangladesh and have a glimpse at our country so full of problems but enjoyable in many aspects.

Typical seasonal landscape in a place not far from Jisur Nam Ashram (courtesy of SAMS).

This is the 10th newsletter of 2nd year. This time we have the following news :

1. Reports from the three Munda young ladies who went to Italy.

2. Meeting with Munda development workers.

3. Urmila’s ducks farm.

4. Kukumoni’s rabbits.

5. Ramesh and Shadon.

6. Remembering our dead friends.

7. The girls who may be visiting Italy in future.

8. Guests coming very soon

Comments, advice and suggestions about our Newsletter are welcome and can be sent to this e-mail address:

mundaland@gmail.com Our Newsletters are online at:

http://issuu.com/munda.education.centre.bd

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1. Reports from the three Munda young ladies who went to Italy. On their return to Bangladesh after spending 25 days in Italy Ms. Nilima Munda, Ms. Shaionti Munda and Miss Chompa Munda have had very busy days going around the various Munda villages and talking to their friends and relatives about their Italian adventure. And they have not finished yet. Most probably they will go on and on!

They have to show picture to make Munda villagers believe!

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2. Meeting with Munda development workers. During these last few years several small organizations have been growing among the Munda people of the Sunderban Forest: such as SAMS, SAMMSS Ltd, PALKI and so on. All these small organization are led by educated Munda boys and girls who would like to work for the social and economic development of our people. On the 23d of October 2015 both Directors and workers of these small organizations met for an important meeting about the main obstacles which can hinder the progress of the various organizations. The following obstacles have been pinpointed : - Selfishness and dishonesty among the development workers. - Nepotism. - Lack of transparency. - Inefficiency.

On October 22 the program for the meeting was discussed at Jisur Nam Ashram under the supervision of Fr. Luigi.

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3. Urmila’s ducks farm. Urmila Munda is a married young lady still living at Jisur Nam Ashram. Recently she has bought some ducks and she has in mind to buy more. She carries out this activity with a lot of effort and endeavor. Very soon her ducks will lay eggs. She will sell them and get a good profit. We hope Bon Bibi will bless her so that she can be successful.

Inside the farm.

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4. Kukumoni’s Rabbits. Kukumoni Munda is a girl who is studying at Jisur Nam Ashram. She looks after some rabbits. She has about ten rabbits. Rabbits grow up in a short time and they are so beautiful small animals to look at. But they also are… a necessary food for us and a possible income generating activity!

Rabbits eat costless vegetation, until the vegetable garden is off limits for them.

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5. Ramesh and Shadon. Ramesh Munda and Shadon Munda have been coming to work at the Mission outstation (Jisur Nam Ashram) for several weeks. Shadon has been painting the external walls of the new house and Ramesh works in the garden. He is growing winter vegetables. Sometimes the girls of the Mission help him to give water to the various vegetables. Both Romesh and Shadon are very hard workers.

Gardner Romesh Painter Shadon

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6. Remembering friends who have left this world. We heard that on the 2d of November Christian people remember and pray for dead people. On that day we will have a special remembrance for the following persons who were our generous friends:

Ms. Susan Elahi Ms. Maria Antonia Salazar

Mr. Matteo Tricarico

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7. The girls who may be visiting Italy in future. Quite a good number of Munda girls have shown envy feelings, not to say anything about the Munda boys! The number of Munda young girls who are dreaming about the possibility of experiencing another world and another culture is increasing. Our two nurses, Monjhuri (with Fr. Luigi in the picture) and Falguni (with her sister in the picture), and Bahamoni and Konika (with Directress Nilima in the picture), Vice Directress and Secretary of SAMMSS Ltd, may be the lucky ones in future!

Monjhuri

Falguni

Bahamoni Konika

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8. Our next honorable guests. Winter is the most suitable time for visitors to come to Bangladesh. In a few weeks’ time we’ll be happy to have with us Dr. Marco and his wife Adriana and her friend, Manuela and her friend and Mr. Vittorio, Fr. Luigi’s class mate, who is a famous artist. We hope they will enjoy their time with us during their stay at our place, and we promise to look after them properly, in order to keep them very far away from the Royal Bengal Tiger and bad snakes!

We also hope to have the visit of Dino Kaka and Lella Kaki, our friends from Milano who will stay in Satkhira at Rishilpi’s: he knows the magic of computer science and help us for editing our Newsletter and making it available online; she knows astonishing tricks… much more “magic”, as we saw last time they came!

When Manuela met the young ladies who went to Italy

Dr. Marco and his wife Adriana in Italy

Dino Kaka

Lella Kaki