UK Launch of bi-lingual book for children – The Street is Not a Home

Ansar Ahmed Ullah:

The Street is Not a Home is a unique book that was written and illustrated with children who have survived on the streets of Dhaka. It was launched in Dhaka at the Dhaka Lit Fest and has now been printed in the UK.

The book includes four stories based on the lives of eighteen real children. The children come from different parts of Bangladesh. They come to the streets of Dhaka for many reasons. They sleep at the station and the ferry terminal and find food from small shops or organisations distributing food to people on the streets. Eventually, all the children in the stories receive help from LEEDO, an organisation that works with street connected children in Dhaka. They end up living at the Peace Home that LEEDO has created for children with no other alternatives for their future.

The book introduces children aged 9+ to an important social problem that exists in Bangladesh and many other countries. It is especially relevant for children of Bengali heritage as it is written in English and Bengali. It provides a simple introduction to both positive and negative features of live for children in Bangladesh.

The launch event for the book will be held this Saturday, 20th May from 2.30pm to 4.30pm at the Hason Raja Centre, 117 Vallance Road, Whitechapel, London E1 5BW. It will include a live link with Bangladesh and some of the children involved in producing the book. There will also be a panel discussion with the author, illustrator and Chief Executive of the international Consortium for Street Children.

All profits from the sale of the book will support the work of LEEDO with children surviving on the streets of Dhaka at the railway station.