At the beginning of August there was a terrible fire in one of the slums in Mirpur and hundreds of people lost their homes and belongings. Elise and Richard were among a group of people who organised a quiz night at the Australian club to raise money for the victims of the fire. The evening also involved a number of auctions, one of which was for a trip on a boat for ten people. Although Linda and Sarah tried desperately to hold me down I was beyond control and managed to bid the highest. So there I had it, a boat trip for 10 people anytime I wanted it. After several hundred emails trying to decide on a date and which people could come along, the day was set for the 1st of September and after a little disussion it was agreed that 15 people could infact come and more money would go to the fund. It was a beautiful day as we relaxed on the deck of the sunflower and driftd down the river. We passed children swimming, women washing and even a couple of 'party boats'. The afternoon even involved a swim for some in the cool water of the river and then it was back to the big smoke and reality.
Thanks to Elise for her hard work for the people of the slums and to Richard for making the boat trip such a success. Also a special thanks to Louise for all her emailing and assistance in organising the day.