CHILDREN HELPIN G CHILDRE

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®Jan. -Jun. 2017

Vol. 26.2JuniorGr. 4 - 6

HOLY CHILDHOOD ASSOCIATION

Dear Young Missionaries

Welcome to 2017! We hope and pray that you are excited about our NEW YEAR and that you are enthusiastic about the missionary

activities in which you will be involved. As members of the Holy Childhood Asso-ciation, this will continue to give you a chance to learn about the needs of less fortunate children throughout the world, pray for them and share what we can to help improve their lives.

In our Newsletter last fall, we introduced you to our Young Canadian Missionaries who guided us by letting us know about things that were important to you in the Holy Childhood Association. They will continue to do so again.

Once again, we are in the middle of a cold winter, and hopefully you are enjoying playing and doing activities in the snow. This always means that we are getting closer to the season of Lent and of course, EASTER!

In this edition, our Missionaries will be focusing on the country of Bangladesh. If you lived there, you might say hello with the word গ্রিটিংস. This means Greet-ings in Bengali (বাংলা Bangla) [ˈbaŋla] the main language of our featured country: Bangladesh.

A TIME TO REAWAKEN OUR FAITH

(quote from Pope Francis)

LENT 2017:Our young mission-ary and prayer leader, Francois, reminds us that we are about to enter the season of Lent.

Lent is made up of the 40 days, not including Sundays, before Easter. The word Lent comes from the German language and is observed in spring when the days get longer. Lent is a time to prepare for Easter by fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and other acts of penance. Many people give up something for Lent (a food, playing video games, etc.) or do something to bring them closer to God such as daily prayers or charita-ble donations. The Church colour for Lent is purple which symbolizes repentance as well as royalty. Ash Wednesday is the �rst day of Lent. Ashes are a sign of sorrow.

Here is a special prayer that you can say during Lent, 2017.

Catholic Lenten Prayer

For an animated discussion about Lent, check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv5jxQ4YAPg

Almighty and Everlasting God, You have given the human race

Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility.

He fulfilled Your Will by becoming Man

And giving His life on the Cross. Help us to bear witness to You

By following His example of sufferingAnd make us worthy to share in His

Resurrection. We ask this through our Lord Jesus

Christ, Your Son.

2219 Kennedy Rd., TORONTO, ON M1T 3G5, CANADA1-800-897-8865 www.missionsocieties.ca

Anne - our reporter!

Antoine - artist and craftsman!

David knows all the details about countries!

Evelyne - expert on food!

Debby knows everything about our HCA projects!

Francois - prayer leader!

Tommy - promotions manager!

BANGLADESH

PROJECTS IN BANGLADESHAs you saw above, we are highlighting the country of Bangladesh in this issue of our Newsletter. The Holy Childhood Association has been supporting children in Bangladesh for many years, and has continued to do so to the present. There are currently many activities in progress that fall into the following categories:

• Building of schools - these projects involve the refur-bishment of facilities in decay, the building and outfitting of new classrooms and the construction of new schools;• Maintenance of Boarding schools - this involves Chris-tian formation, providing facilities for room and board for students, medical care and the provision of uniforms and educational materials;

• Local parish formation - this work involves the promo-tion of local parish life that involves the formation of catechetical classes, teacher education, Bible study, sacramental programs and the establishment of local Holy Childhood Associations;• Health and Malnutrition Programs - these projects, of which there are many, focus on assistance to health clinics, food aid and the provision of vitamins for children from remote areas.

NATIONAL FLAGThe National Flag of Bangladesh was adopted officially on 17 January 1972. It consists of a red disc on top of a green field, offset slightly toward the hoist so that it appears centred when the flag is flying. The red disc represents the sun rising over Bengal, and also the blood of those who died for the indepen-dence of Bangladesh. The green field stands for the lushness of the land of Bangladesh.

NATURAL DISASTERSBangladesh is prone to monsoon flooding and cyclones. The country is almost entirely flat and is dominated by several large rivers which make their way down from the Himalayas and converge on the lowlands.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BANGLADESH• Over 98% of Bangladeshis speak the official language of Bengali. English is spoken as a second language.• Bangladesh has a population of 163 million people (163,654,860) as of July 2013 making it the world's eighth most populated country.• Over 30% of Bangladesh's population live below the poverty line, however, the economy and standards of living have been improving over recent years. Only 43% of the population can read and write.• Cricket is the most popular sport in the country. In 1999, its national cricket team was part of the World Cup, and in 2000, it received Test status.• Despite the fact that half of Bangladesh‛s population is

composed of farmers, its export earnings come mainly from the garments industry. Check the label on your clothes.• Bangladesh has six – not four – separate seasons, which it calls grismo (summer), barsha (rainy), sharat (autumn), hemanto (cool), sheet (winter), and bashonto (spring).• With its size of 2,172,000 square kilometers, the Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world.• In Bangladesh, the left hand is considered unclean, so always use your right hand when eating or passing food, drinks – or business cards!• The people of Bangladesh seldom smile. This is not because they are unfriendly but because smiling much is considered a sign of immaturity.

School children prepare to enter their new school.

Emphasis on Nutrition

Monsoon flood (©The Guardian)

NATIONAL GAME IN BANGLADESHKABADDIKabaddi is the National Game of Bangladesh, is very rough, and is said to have “no definite rules”. The teams (male or female) take turns sending a "raider" into the opponent‛s half. To win a point, the raider must take a breath, run into the opposing half, tag one or more members of the opposite team, then return to their home half before inhaling again. The tagged defenders will be "out" if they do not succeed in catching the raider who tagged them. Wrestling the raider to the ground can prevent him/her escaping before he/she needs to inhale.

DID YOU KNOW?ROYAL BENGAL TIGERThe Bengal tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh. It is one of the largest species of tigers in the world. They are also the species that has the highest number of animals in the wild, although there are only about 2,500 of them left. The tiger's biggest threat is to the natural habitat, which continues to be threatened by logging companies and natural weather disasters. This type of tiger can weigh up to 500 pounds for a fully grown male and about 310 pounds for a female. They also feature very long tails and heads that are larger than that of other species. They are excellent hunters and feed on a variety of prey that includes deer, antelope, hogs and buffalo. They have also been seen consuming monkeys, birds, and other small prey when their main food selections become scarce.

WILD ASIAN ELEPHANTAsian elephants are smaller than their African elephant cousins and have small-er ears. They have a single 'finger' on the upper lip of their trunks, while African ones have a second one on the lower tip. Their skin ranges from dark grey to brown and a significant number of males have no tusks. Female elephants are more social than males. They form herds led by the oldest female, the 'matriarch'. Males usually live alone but sometimes form small groups with other males.Elephants eat an average of 150 kg per day and can spend two thirds of each day feeding on grasses, bark, roots, leaves and stems. Cultivated crops such as bananas, rice and sugarcane are also favoured foods and this sometimes brings them into conflict with humans. They need to drink at least once a day so they are always close to a source of fresh water.Elephant populations are under threat due to develop-ment, logging and increasing numbers of humans.

EVELYN TEMPTS US WITH FOOD INFORMATION!

Rice is the main food in Bangladesh and is served with a wide range of curries. Dishes have strong flavours, and often include eggs, potatoes, tomatoes and egg plant. A variety of spices and herbs, along with mustard oil and ghee, (butter) is used in Bangladeshi cooking. Dal, made from lentils, is the second most important staple food. Because of the availability of water, many vegetables grow easily in Bangladesh, so salads and fried vegeta-bles are very popular. The other main source of food is a wide variety of seafood. No excuse not to dig in!!

Dried �sh market (Creative Commons Public Domain)

TRUE OR FALSE? TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!1. The Asian elephant is the national animal of Bangladesh. T F2. Bangladesh is very dry with little rain. T F3. Bangladeshis love playing cricket. T F4. The national colours are red, white & blue. T F5. Many fresh vegetables are available to eat. T F6. Lent is the time before we celebrate Christmas. T F7. The HCA supports building schools in Bangladesh. T F8. Elephants, like camels, do not need to drink often. T F9. The clothing industry is the biggest earner of foreign money. T F10. বাংলা means good-bye in Bengali. T F

AN

SWERS:

1. F 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. T 6. F 7. T 8. F 9. T 10. F

St. Andrew‛s ParishFraser Lake, BC

St. Anthony‛s ParishThunder Bay, ON St. Joseph‛s School

Tillsonburg, ON

CHILDREN HELPING CHILDREN

Mushfiqur Rahim (ESPN, public domain)

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