A Social, Economic, and Cultural Development Organization Helping the Indigenous and Other People of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

Parbatya Bouddha Mission Orphanage

Orphan Children

The 200 children that make up the PBM Children’s Home come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Some of the children have lost both of their parents; a number of children have only their father or mother; and many others come from extremely poor families in very rural areas far from any school facilities. The children come to stay at PBM for nutritious meals, education opportunities and other basic necessities taken for granted by many. The focus of PBM’s orphanage is the education it provides free of cost to students who qualify through an admission test. Hundreds of students apply every semester to PBM and only about 25% are admitted due to lack of housing facilities and a very small budget.

The children’s day begins at 4.00AM when they wake up and attend a morning meditation session in the temple. The rest of the day is followed by 5-7 hours of study time (depending on the age), playtime, chores around the grounds and 4-5 hours of in-class work. PBM provides the children with school uniforms, all necessary school supplies, play clothes, three meals per day, emergency and standard medicines and many miscellaneous items.

The children range in age from 8 to 17 and are all enrolled in school. Some of the children who will not pursue academic paths also take vocational classes to prepare them for different trades such as woodworking, engine repair, grill work, carpentry, metal-working and cane/bamboo crafts. These are all useful trades for the jobs available in the area.

The children’s diet consists of mainly rice and different curries and fresh fruits and vegetables grown on PBM’s property. The tropical climate allows PBM to grow and harvest much of its own food. Unfortunately an increase in enrollment and the construction of new school buildings on land previously farmed are forcing PBM to purchase more of food from outside sources, adding to the running costs.

The orphanage receives support from the Bangladesh Government, its income-generating projects, like the rice-mill and mushroom farming, various international foundations, and from individual child sponsorships. Currently only approximately 15 of the children have sponsors who support all of their material needs for $22/month. For information on sponsorship please see our Sponsorship page.

Sponsorship »

Boy Helped by Parbatya Bouddha Mission in Bangladesh