When you know you have been a logistician too long....

 This morning I was musing, before getting out of bed, about whether or not the young man, Nurul Amin (who buys our food here at the base), had put the newest eggs on the top or bottom flat of eggs that we have stacked one on the other. When I got excited about the base assistant, Yasin, explaining the stock management principle of FEFO (first expired, first out) to Nurul Amin, it dawned on me that maybe I have been a logistician too long. And then I realized that this is the thought that came to mind even before the realization that it is Christmas morning in BGD....

I guess it might be ok to feel I have been a logistician too long as Medair has asked me to step into the position of Project Coordinator for the Bangladesh program. As Project Coordinator I will be involved in: 

1. Security Management - humanitarian aid organizations spend a good deal of time working at community acceptance, developing security protocols and planning evacuation routes. Security isn't as big an issue as in Afghanistan, as you might imagine, but it is still very important. 
2. 
   Project management - all our projects (like Christine's NUT project) work on a project management basis - I will oversee the implementation of different projects (we have three - health, shelter and nutrition) making sure (with the project managers - PMs) that we hit our indicators in the foreseen time frames and within budget. 
3. Financial management - maintain the base budget, plan budgets with the PMs and monitor spending.
4. Staff management - ensure that personnel related issues are carried out in accordance with Medair guidelines; ensure that staff receive adequate training; hold regular team meetings.
5. Quality management - ensure programmes are implemented  according to donor proposals and requirements as well as Medair, donor, country and international standards. Interface with advisors at HQ in this regard. Assess and provide feedback on the quality of our programming. 
6. Team Spiritual Life - encourage and contribute to the spiritual life of the team. 

I am looking forward to the challenges - but it will be demanding for me!

We had a wonderful and low-key Christmas here in Bangladesh. A week before Christmas we had a small gathering with the fellowship from this area. The picture above shows the hut on the roof of our building decked out with the lights that Bangladeshi use for all special occasions - weddings, circumcisions, and other ceremonies (and this is the season of celebrations after the rice harvest). We think of them as Christmas lights in the US - not so much here in Bangladesh. But it lent a particularly festive atmosphere to our Christmas gathering. 

Above all, we are thankful for the One who came in all vulnerability and lowliness, who was born of an unwed teenager, and who showed us how to live! We are thankful for the birth of our Savior again this year! May He continue to animate your celebrations and your lives!

Praise for: 

• The birth of the one who saved our necks!
• Lots of good work from the different teams - it has been an incredibly busy time since returning to Bangladesh
• The opportunity to be working where God has called us!

 Prayer for: 

• For the Rohingya to experience God's presence during this time when God re-reveals Himself again. 
• For a good finish to the year with all of its year-end activities.
• For the colleague who will be replacing me as logs manager. 

The marginalized get....

It is certainly a truism that in difficult times, the already marginalized simply get more marginalized. Unfortunately this is accurate for both the Rohingya and the Bangladeshi marginalized before COVID-19 seized our world. Their situation has worsened. 

This study by the Asia Foundation on Rohingya households in Bangladesh reports on some of that marginalization. Here are some of the striking statistics (all the graphics come from this study): 

1. While marginalization isn't limited to one's financial situation, finances do say something about marginalization (84 BDT = $1). Those of you reading this blog probably know someone who has been marginalized by COVID-19. Compare those people to the 95% of Rohingya households who say their savings amount to just under $60. And the gap between their income and expenses are basically that amount of money. 

2. Another aspect of marginalization is educational opportunity. As we have stated in the past, there are basically no educational opportunities in the camps. Unfortunately, this isn't new to the Rohingya. They were discriminated against in Myanmar in regards to educational opportunity as well. But one of the most disheartening aspects of their lives as a refugee for mothers and fathers is the lack of educational opportunity for their children. Nearly one in five Rohingya households in the camps have had no education at all. I guess education is a really tricky issue for children in the Western world these days as well, with COVID-19. But I don't personally know any families who have had no education whatsoever - no one in the family. 

3. Finally, family separation is another aspect of the marginalization of the Rohingya. The diaspora of Rohingya persons has them scattered around the world. And families are so fractured by this reality. Of course the remittances from family members around the world also help around 25% of Rohingya camp families to survive. So it can be seen as a strength, financially. But maybe we can relate a bit to family separation in this time of COVID-19. 

Were any of you unable to go be with family over Thanksgiving because of the surge? I suspect all of you know people who have had a family member in the hospital or a care facility who they couldn't visit. Maybe family separation is one of the areas where we can relate a bit more. 

The following story poignantly tells one Rohingya camp family's reality of family separation: 

As Amin, in the story above, say, he has no idea when he will see his sons again. And that may be the difference in the marginalization of the Rohingya from our own - they currently have little hope of alleviating any of these factors of marginalization in the short- or medium-term. And so we cry out to God for these people, marginalized by genocidal violence, discrimination and a refugee existence. Yet, made in the image of God - even as you and I. 

Please join us in prayer for the Rohingya

Praise for: 

• Christine joining me in Bangladesh in late October! The passport and visa processes are now a distant memory. 
• Respite from (at least the most egregious) violence in the camps - thanks for your prayers!
• Return to the same time zone as our staff!

 Prayer for: 

•  Safety for the Rohingya in the camps.
• The COVID-19 surge in the US and Western Europe at the time of writing this (the latter having one of the worst mortality rates due to the disease) - for action leading to the lessening of the toll of the disease. 
• For health care workers around the world giving of themselves to care for COVID-19 patients in trying circumstances.