There are around 2000 inhabitants spread over several square miles. Most dwellings are primitive mud and straw single room huts......a few with tin roofs......and the place is surrounded by flat paddy fields. A few villagers have left and are able to send some money back to their families, but the majority are extremely poor. At present, none are starving because last year produced a good rice crop.

They are a gentle and proud people. Some are very shy and hide from us. The great majority are open and welcoming. In fact, we have no privacy as there are always folk wandering up to take a look or try and have a conversation with us.

The children are constantly crowded round us whether we are walking around, sitting down or in meeting. It did not take them very long to discover our store of sweets etc. and in particular to Kens bottomless bag of Jelly Babies!!!

The kids can best be described as a rag-bag of scruffy urchins, mostly bare foot. (In fact, we marvelled at the way they could race over stubble and stone)!

However, in a short summary, this village (which I suppose is a typical Bangladesh village) is more just one big family, rather a community. All the children play together, usually in groups of dozens, constantly inter-mingling.

These children have no TV, no PC's, Gameboys or Playstations. They have never heard 

of the Top Ten. When they play outside, they have no bicycle or home made go-cart.

However, their is no traffic so they can run around to their hearts content. There are no drugs or alcohol and there is not a policeman for miles.