How things can change in a couple of months. In September, although in the community and the hospital the normal care continued as always, inside LAMB it was tougher times. Big projects were coming to an end, there was a growing financial hole, and there was a small cut back in the number of staff.
Now, at the start of November, there is one (big for us) project which looks highly probable to be approved, and may start almost immediately. One or two other projects look very promising. We also received one very kind, large, collective donation, and people from different countries have also sprung into action for support. There is tremendous energy around to overcome what was a worrying time for the short and longer term.
For people of faith – not only Christian – a prayer day across all departments and a prayer month for senior staff have really helped.
Another very visible change in the past couple of months has been in the Training Centre, where the quiet month or so is now over and everyone is very, very busy. We now typically have about 50 trainees in residence at the Centre, and more space would be useful. The quality of the LAMB courses is considered very high, and there is a huge need in the country for the particularly maternity related training that we are strong in. Hence both for government staff and staff from NGOs, large and small, we are getting booked up well into the future. An upwards extension of the Training Centre is one of our current dreams.
Another change from a couple of months ago is that seasonally we are into a very pleasant time of year. Bangladesh has six seasons, and we are now into ‘late autumn’, with winter to follow. The worst of the humidity has gone, and daytimes tend to be sunny warm and dry. Night-times the temperatures fall, which is also very pleasant – except for some of the poor, but perhaps more of that in a later newsletter. It is likely that we shall have (almost) no rain for the next four months or so. Little streams and even little rivers dry up, and the big rivers dramatically shrink.
All the good and big things happening in the past couple have months have happily covered over ‘small problems’. The LAMB email system was very sick for most of a couple of weeks, with two problems elsewhere being the main reasons. LAMB – like very many organisations – has come to depend on email, particularly being located where we are. So loss of email contact – now our main link to the outside world, except for locally – is a big extra problem. Happily, things are mainly back to normal.
We also had some unexpected delays for a while in getting entry approvals for some volunteers from overseas, both for the school and the hospital. For those coming, who in some cases had already given up their job at home, the uncertainty was a bit worrying. Here, the existing staff were eagerly awaiting their arrival, and rotas had to be changed and even more work taken on. Happily in this area too, approvals have come through, and more help is here or on the way. Despite occasional problems, LAMB has been very well supported with approvals, despite the considerable number of short term volunteers and long term expatriates who come.
This past couple of months has therefore been one which has brought new hope and cheerfulness, and we give thanks for this and for all that has been provided.
