MADE IN BANGLADESH - la storia dei bambini operai nel Fast Fashion🇧🇩

Summary

El guion ofrece una mirada profunda a las condiciones inhumanas de trabajo en las fábricas de Bangladesh, donde niños y adolescentes son explotados en el sector textil para satisfacer la demanda occidental de moda rápida. Giuseppe, el narrador, explora las consecuencias devastadoras de esta industria en la vida de los trabajadores, especialmente en los niños, y presenta organizaciones como ActionAid que luchan por devolverles la infancia y la esperanza a través de programas de patrocinio. La narrativa es un llamado a la acción para cambiar las vidas de estos niños, ofreciendo una perspectiva sobre la felicidad y la importancia de un futuro sin explotación.

Takeaways

• 😔 La trágica realidad de los trabajadores de fábricas de ropa, especialmente los niños, que trabajan en condiciones inhumanas para producir ropa barata a gran escala.
• 🏭 La industria textil de Bangladesh, impulsada por la demanda occidental por ropa económica y a la moda, ha convertido a su nación en el epicentro del fast fashion, a un costo humano y ambiental muy alto.
• 👣 Los trabajadores, incluyendo niños, laboran sin protección alguna, expuestos a líquidos tóxicos y en riesgo de padecer enfermedades graves a raíz de las condiciones laborales.
• 👨‍👧 El narrador Giuseppe busca entender y ayudar a los niños trabajadores, poniendo en relieve la complejidad de la situación y la necesidad de intervención.
• 🌍 La globalización y la tecnología han transformado la industria de la moda, dando lugar a un ciclo de producción y consumo acelerado que alimenta el fast fashion.
• 💧 La contaminación del Buriganga y otras fuentes de agua por las fábricas de ropa es un reflejo del daño ambiental causado por la producción masiva de ropa.
• 🏘️ Las favelas de Dhaka, donde viven los trabajadores de la industria textil, sufren de problemas de salud y vivienda, evidenciando las desigualdades sociales.
• 👢 Los curtidores, que procesan cueros para exportar a Europa, son especialmente peligrosos, liberando sustancias tóxicas y desechos sólidos en el agua subterránea.
• 👦 La preferencia por niños trabajadores en ciertos trabajos, como el de ensamblaje de calzado, debido a sus manos más delgadas y su bajo costo.
• 🤝 La organización no gubernamental Action Aid ofrece programas de patrocinio que brindan apoyo educativo, médico y emocional a niños afectados por la explotación laboral.
• 🎨 La importancia de la felicidad y la infancia para los niños, y cómo el patrocinio y la comunidad pueden ayudar a devolverles su derecho a la niñez y a soñar.

Q & A

¿Cuál era el sueño de Giuseppe antes de trabajar en fábricas de ropa?

El sueño de Giuseppe era convertirse en médico.

¿Por qué trabaja Giuseppe en las fábricas de ropa actualmente?

Trabaja en las fábricas de ropa para pagar la educación de su hermana, con la esperanza de que ella pueda convertirse en médico.

¿Cómo se describen las condiciones laborales en las fábricas de ropa donde Giuseppe trabaja?

Las condiciones laborales son insufriblemente calurosas, sin protección, y los trabajadores trabajan barefoot inmersos en líquidos altamente tóxicos.

¿Qué hora llega a casa Giuseppe después de trabajar en la fábrica?

Giuseppe llega a casa a las 10 de la noche y a menudo se va a la cama a la 1 o 2 de la madrugada.

¿Qué impacto tiene el trabajo en las fábricas de ropa en la salud de Giuseppe?

El trabajo en las fábricas de ropa ha afectado la calidad del sueño de Giuseppe y probablemente su salud a largo plazo debido a las condiciones peligrosas.

¿Cuál es la misión de Giuseppe en su viaje alrededor del mundo?

La misión de Giuseppe es encontrar y entrevistar a personas extraordinarias para preguntarles qué les hace feliz.

¿De dónde proviene la mayoría de las prendas que Giuseppe menciona en el guion?

La mayoría de las prendas proviene de fábricas como la que describe, probablemente en Dhaka, Bangladesh.

¿Qué se entiende por 'fast fashion' y cómo afectó la industria textil?

Fast fashion se refiere a la producción rápida y asequible de ropa para satisfacer las tendencias cambiantes. Esto condujo a una carrera por la velocidad y eficiencia económica, lo que resultó en un aumento en la demanda de ropa barata y a la vez, en el costo humano y ambiental.

¿Cuál es la principal preocupación de Giuseppe con respecto a las fábricas de ropa en Bangladesh?

La principal preocupación de Giuseppe es el bienestar de los trabajadores, la mayoría de los cuales son niños que trabajan en condiciones inhumanas y peligrosas.

¿Qué impacto tiene la industria textil en el entorno en Bangladesh?

La industria textil ha causado una devastación ambiental, contaminando ríos y tierras con desechos químicos tóxicos, lo que resulta en enfermedades graves entre los residentes de las villas.

¿Qué organización humanitaria ayuda a los niños afectados por las condiciones de trabajo en las fábricas de ropa?

La organización Action Aid ayuda a los niños afectados a través de programas de patrocinio que brindan educación, atención médica y apoyo emocional.

¿Cómo describe Giuseppe la vida de los niños en las fábricas de ropa, comparándola con la vida de los niños que reciben patrocinio de Action Aid?

Giuseppe describe la vida de los niños en las fábricas como una lucha por la supervivencia, en contraste con los niños que reciben patrocinio de Action Aid, quienes tienen la oportunidad de ser niños, de estudiar y de disfrutar de una infancia normal.

¿Qué es 'Happy Home' y qué función cumple según el guion?

Happy Home es un refugio para niños de la calle que ofrece un espacio seguro donde pueden sentirse a salvo y transformar sus historias de sufrimiento en historias de esperanza y renacimiento.

¿Cuál es la perspectiva de Giuseppe sobre la posibilidad de cambiar el sistema que explota a los niños en las fábricas de ropa?

Giuseppe reconoce que no podemos ilusionarnos de que podamos cambiar el sistema que explota a estos niños, pero sugiere que podemos hacer mucho para apoyarlos a través de patrocinio y darles la oportunidad de tener una vida mejor.

¿Qué mensaje central se quiere transmitir con el proyecto 'PROJECT HAPPINESS' de Giuseppe?

El mensaje central del proyecto 'PROJECT HAPPINESS' es la importancia de apoyar y proteger la infancia de los niños víctimas de injusticias, asegurándoles su derecho a la salud, educación, alimentación y juego, y devolviéndoles su infancia y la libertad de soñar.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Viajes por el mundo en busca de la felicidad

El guionista Giuseppe narra su misión de recorrer el mundo buscando entender la felicidad a través de la historia de personas extraordinarias. Comienza su viaje en Dhaka, Bangladesh, donde explora las condiciones laborales en las fábricas de ropa que suministran a Occidente. Destaca la ironía de que a pesar de trabajar en condiciones abrumadoras y peligrosas, los trabajadores, principalmente niños, son los que producen las prendas de moda rápida que tanto demandan los occidentales.

05:01

🏭 La industria textil y su impacto en la salud y el medio ambiente

Se describe el impacto devastador de la industria textil en Dhaka, donde las fábricas de curtido liberan sustancias tóxicas y desechos sólidos al agua subterránea, causando enfermedades y problemas de salud entre los habitantes de las villas. Además, se muestra la vida de los trabajadores, que carecen de protección y viven en condiciones precarias, y la de los niños que, obligados por la pobreza, trabajan en estas fábricas, a menudo hasta la muerte prematura.

10:01

👦👧 Niñez robada por la moda rápida

El guion destaca la realidad de los niños que trabajan en las fábricas textiles de Bangladesh, donde se violan sus derechos humanos y se les priva de una infancia y educación normales. Giuseppe encuentra a Jui, una niña de doce años que, para ayudar a su familia, abandonó la escuela y trabaja en las fábricas, convirtiéndose en una de las millones de niños cuya futura es arrebatada por el negocio de la moda rápida.

15:05

🤝 La esperanza y la lucha por la niñez a través de la organización ActionAid

La narrativa se enfoca en la organización no gubernamental ActionAid, que ofrece programas de patrocinio para apoyar a niños como Jui, proporcionándoles educación, atención médica y apoyo emocional. Giuseppe interactúa con los niños en el centro llamado Happy Home, que ofrece un refugio seguro para niños de la calle y ayuda a transformar sus historias de sufrimiento en historias de esperanza y renacimiento.

20:05

🌟 La felicidad y la importancia de soñar

El guionista Giuseppe reflexiona sobre la felicidad y la simplicidad de lo que significa para los niños, contrastando con las difíciles condiciones de vida que han visto a lo largo de su viaje. La narración concluye con un llamado a la acción para que los espectadores patrocinen a niños en situaciones desfavorecidas, enfatizando la importancia de devolverles su infancia y el derecho a soñar.

Keywords

💡Doctor

Un doctor es un profesional de la salud que tiene la capacidad de diagnóstico, tratamiento y prevención de enfermedades. En el video, el sueño de la protagonista de haberse convertido en doctor se ve imposibilitado por las circunstancias de vida, lo que refleja las limitaciones que enfrentan muchas personas en situaciones de pobreza y falta de oportunidades educativas.

💡Fábricas de ropa

Las fábricas de ropa son lugares donde se producen prendas y textiles. En el contexto del video, estas fábricas representan el lugar de trabajo duro y peligroso para los niños y adultos que no tienen otra opción, y son el epicentro del tema de la explotación laboral en la industria de la moda rápida.

💡Condiciones laborales

Condiciones laborales se refiere a las circunstancias en las que se desarrolla el trabajo, incluyendo la seguridad, la salud, las horas laborales y las condiciones físicas. El video destaca las inhumanas condiciones laborales en las que trabajan los niños y adultos en las fábricas de Bangladesh, como trabajar sin protección en medios tóxicos y largas horas diarias.

💡Moda rápida

La moda rápida es un término que describe la producción de ropa barata y a menudo de mala calidad, diseñada para seguir las últimas tendencias de la moda. El video muestra cómo la moda rápida ha llevado a la explotación laboral y a la degradación del medio ambiente debido a la demanda constante de ropa económica y a la moda.

💡Bangladesh

Bangladesh es el país que se destaca en el video por su industria textil, que es una de las más grandes del mundo. Sin embargo, también es conocido por las trágicas condiciones laborales y accidentes, como el colapso del edificio Rana Plaza, que resalta la human cost de la producción de ropa barata.

💡Polución

La polución es la contaminación del aire, el agua o el suelo por desechos tóxicos o sustancias contaminantes. En el video, la polución es un tema central, mostrando cómo la industria textil de Bangladesh ha convertido ríos y aguas subterráneas en some de los más tóxicos del mundo, afectando la salud de las personas y el medio ambiente.

💡Trabajo infantil

El trabajo infantil se refiere a la situación en la que los niños trabajan en lugar de asistir a la escuela y disfrutar de su infancia. El video presenta casos de niños que trabajan en las fábricas de ropa, a menudo en condiciones peligrosas y explotadoras, lo que violan sus derechos y su futuro.

💡Expansión urbana

La expansión urbana es el crecimiento de las áreas urbanas debido al aumento de la población y la industrialización. En el video, la expansión urbana de Dhaka ha llevado al surgimiento de barrios marginales, donde viven los trabajadores de la industria textil en condiciones precarias.

💡Derechos humanos

Los derechos humanos son los derechos fundamentales a los que todos los individuos tienen derecho, independientemente de su nacionalidad, raza, género u otra característica. El video resalta la violación de los derechos humanos de los trabajadores de las fábricas de ropa, especialmente los niños, que son obligados a trabajar en condiciones inhumanas.

💡Organizaciones humanitarias

Las organizaciones humanitarias son grupos que trabajan para mejorar las condiciones de vida de las personas en situaciones de pobreza, crisis o desplazamiento. En el video, se menciona a ActionAid, una organización que ofrece apoyo a niños en situaciones de explotación laboral, proporcionándoles educación, atención médica y apoyo emocional.

💡Patrocinios

Un patrocinio es una forma de apoyo financierero o emocional que alguien puede proporcionar a otra persona o causa. En el contexto del video, el patrocinio es presentado como una solución para cambiar las vidas de los niños que trabajan en las fábricas, brindándoles la oportunidad de asistir a la escuela y tener una infancia normal.

💡Felicidad

La felicidad es un estado de bienestar y satisfacción. El video concluye con la pregunta de qué significa la felicidad para los niños que han sido afectados por el trabajo infantil y la pobreza, sugiriendo que actividades simples y inocentes como dibujar, cantar y jugar son lo que realmente les trae alegría, en contraste con las difíciles condiciones de vida que enfrentan.

Highlights

El sueño de Giuseppe era ser médico, pero ahora trabaja en fábricas de ropa para pagar la educación de su hermana.

Trabajadores en condiciones insoportables, sin protección y desnudos de pies en líquidos tóxicos.

Giuseppe viaja por el mundo buscando respuestas sobre la felicidad en el proyecto 'PROJECT HAPPINESS'.

La producción de ropa se ha convertido en una carrera por la velocidad y eficiencia económica.

Bangladesh se centra en la industria textil para satisfacer la demanda occidental de ropa barata y de moda.

El río Buriganga, una de las aguas más contaminadas del mundo debido a la moda rápida.

Los residentes de las barriadas sufren enfermedades graves debido a la contaminación.

Las fábricas de curtido son entre las más tóxicas del planeta, procesando cueros para exportar.

Trabajadores expuestos a sustancias tóxicas, lo que reduce significativamente su esperanza de vida.

El uso de niños en la producción de calzado, a menudo con condiciones inhumanas y bajo salarios.

La glu que se usa en las fábricas también se utiliza como alucinógeno por niños callejeros.

Jui, una niña de doce años, cuenta su historia de trabajo en las fábricas para ayudar a su familia.

La vivienda precaria y las condiciones de vida en las barriadas de Dhaka.

La historia de Jui y su deseo de ser médica, ahora truncado por las circunstancias.

La organización Action Aid ofrece programas de patrocinio para apoyar a niños en situaciones de explotación.

El refugio 'Happy Home' provee un espacio seguro para niños de las calles, transformando sus historias.

La importancia de la sponsorship para cambiar vidas y devolver a los niños su derecho a la infancia.

Las respuestas de los niños sobre la felicidad, contrastando con las duras realidades de su vida diaria.

Transcripts

My dream was to become a doctor, but since I can no longer do that,

I work in clothing factories to pay for my sister's education

so she can become a doctor.

It's unbearably hot. They have to work every day

in these conditions, without being able to go to school,

without being able to envision a future, a different dream than this.

They work without any kind of protection, barefoot.

immersed in this... in this extremely toxic liquid.

I work there until 10 PM. Often, I go to bed at 1 or 2 AM.

Mom gets angry because since I started working at the factory, I can't sleep well anymore.

They don't want us to get close here.

They keep taking us to this side, so

I can already tell you that on the other side

there are children working in this facility, on the clothes that reach our stores

and that we often wear ourselves.

My name is Giuseppe

and I have a mission

to travel the world to meet the most extraordinary people on the planet

and ask them a simple question: What is happiness to you?

Welcome to PROJECT HAPPINESS.

It's exactly from factories

like this one

that the shirt you're wearing right now most likely comes from,

and the less we paid for it, the higher the human price has been.

Because as you can see, the workers around me are mostly children.

The goal of this mission, here in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is to discover

who makes the clothes that often end up in the West, understand

in what conditions they work and find out how I can help these children.

But let's take a step back.

Once upon a time, fashion was synonymous with exclusivity and luxury, but at the end of the 20th century

a combination of technological innovation, cultural changes, and globalization

upended everything.

Clothing production became a frantic race towards speed

and economic efficiency.

Companies literally started flooding the market with new garments,

generating faster and faster trends, followed by more and more people who want

to dress in the latest fashion to express who they are or who they want to be.

Thus, fast fashion was born, and it was precisely at this point that one country in particular

promised to satisfy the Western demand for trendy and cheap clothes:

Bangladesh,

which, to meet a massive global demand for clothes, concentrated

all the productive efforts of a nation almost solely on the textile industry,

but at too high a price paid only by the workers. Women, men, children who have now

become the new slaves of the 21st century and the environment poisoned by chemical waste

released by unscrupulous industries, slowly poisoning the land and the water.

I have never seen anything like this in my entire life

Our journey to the origins of Fast Fashion begins right here, in front of the Buriganga riverbed,

or what remains of it, because today it has become one of the most polluted and toxic rivers in the world,

precisely because of Fast Fashion.

Just think, the Bangladeshi government estimates that every day in its waters are

release about 21,000 cubic meters of untreated industrial wastewater every day.

In fact, the residents of the slums suffer from severe

skin, intestinal, and respiratory diseases.

Precisely because of this devastating pollution.

The city of Dhaka has more than 5,000 slums inhabited by

about 4 million people.

The impact of pollution

generated by the textile industries is devastating on the lives of these people.

Everyone here is very curious to see me

inside this community, we are in Korail Bosti

which is one of the largest slums in the entire country.

In reality, there are many like this because from the 1990s to 2000,

the city of Dhaka especially,

transformed, or rather deformed because slums were born,

shantytowns were built

for the workers, millions of people poured into the city to respond

to the increasing demand for clothes, clothes, clothes.

Clothes that the West demanded, that is, fast fashion.

These workers now live in dilapidated houses like these tin houses

where safety and sanitation are truly a mirage.

It's not difficult to find factories in the slum, they are everywhere

but there is a particular area, namely the tanneries,

which hold the sad record for being among the most toxic places on the planet,

for processing those leathers that will then be exported to various European countries,

especially Italy.

It is estimated that tanneries like this release about 6,000 cubic meters

of toxic substances and ten tons of solid waste into the city's groundwater every day.

These are all workers who work without any kind of protection,

barefoot immersed in this, in this extremely toxic liquid

because it actually comes from these washing machines behind me

which are filled with raw leather

and for 24 hours they are run with lime powder and sodium sulfite inside

to make the leather softer and prepare it for the next step.

The final step before... before selling.

Except this process is extremely toxic.

In fact, we have been here for half an hour and already I feel

I feel like I can't breathe, like I have a headache.

I don't think I'm being influenced, because in reality

these people get sick very easily, very quickly.

This is one of the extreme inhumane working conditions.

I have never seen anything like this and to think that these people have grown up here.

They have always worked here.

The more powder we put in, the more color the leather takes on.

This way a better product comes out to sell.

Exactly! If you put in less, the color is less visible.

Even if I don't want to, I have to do it to survive.

I own nothing, that's why I am

forced to work. I have a family to feed,

we need to live. Where else could I earn money if not here?

These workers and also the children I wasn't allowed to film,

are destined to die before the age of fifty

due to inhaling highly harmful chemical agents.

For what?

To produce a jacket or a pair of shoes that will then be sold

for a few euros to people who don't really need them.

One of the managers is taking us upstairs,

where the leather we just saw is processed to become elegant shoes.

And even here there are...

There are many child workers.

There is one very young right behind me.

I don't know if you can see him.

In the blue shirt, he must be seven or eight years old.

They are preferred over men because they have slimmer hands,

are more precise, and of course, they cost very little.

The gentleman is telling me that the shoe this child is gluing

will become

a loafer that will be sold in Italy as Made in Italy and handmade.

Handmade yes, but made by this child, but made in Bangladesh,

using child labor that violates every human right.

It is precisely the glue that this child is using now that is used

not only to glue shoes, but also outside this factory as a narcotic.

It is used mainly by street children.

The children who work here,

the more naive workers steal it to sell it to other children.

They use it as a drug, which causes irreversible brain damage.

But in these places, reality is often harsher than words.

Just as we left the factory

where that child was gluing shoes,

right in front of us is a child sniffing the same glue

they use in the factory.

What I would do for some rice!

My throat hurts.

I long for some rice. I just want some rice. Rice. Rice.

The glue, with its ephemeral

promise of relief, is only a symptom of a much bigger problem.

It is the symbol of a system that treats children as expendable pawns

in the game of profit.

I managed to enter

one of the thousands and thousands of factories in "Old Dhaka,"

the old part of the capital.

The conditions are always the same,

extreme.

There are dozens of children employed in reproduction work,

mainly shirts.

In this factory, there are usually ten-year-old children on the ground

working.

This is another room.

Even here

most of the workers are just children.

What surprises me, however, is that they are boys and not girls, because usually

in the production of textile clothing, more girls are employed

because they are more precise, more patient.

In this factory, there are only boys because I was told that later the girls finish

removing all the excess threads.

I will also take you to the bathrooms, which are probably

As-salamu alaykum. The boys are washing up so

I will leave them alone.

But I was explaining to them that after a work shift

the best moment is taking a shower because it must be 40 degrees.

Maybe you can also see the sweat on my face, but this is

half an hour inside the factory, while they work every day in these conditions...

I believe...

Even you would never have imagined

that the clothes we wear are produced in these conditions,

but what we have seen so far

is just a small fragment of the fast fashion business in this country.

Because to meet our compulsive purchases

and produce garments designed and made to be cheap and short-lasting.

Bangladesh has built nearly 5,000 mega-industries like this,

where millions of people, mostly women and children, work in unison,

becoming almost a part of these sewing machines.

Usually, these factories are off-limits to cameras,

especially after the Rana Plaza tragedy on April 24, 2013,

when a complex similar to this one collapsed, killing more than 1,100 textile workers.

And that was the first time the Western world truly realized

the cost of their clothes.

After a long interview, however, the managers of this factory

decided to let us visit one floor of their building.

It was almost a miracle to get into this structure

because all the producers, all the textile factory owners,

no longer want to let journalists or cameras into their facilities.

Because the story of Rana Plaza,

the world, all the world's attention was focused here in Bangladesh.

Not enough, because in reality

on the other side of the room

we noticed that there are still children, especially girls, working.

But they don't want us to get close, they keep taking us to this side

so this is the only wing of the building that we will be able to document.

But I can already tell you that on the other side there are

children working in this structure on clothes that reach our stores

and that we often wear ourselves.

Most of the workers here are young women

from rural areas, which are the poorest parts of the country.

In fact, they move, leaving their families at a very young age

for the lowest wage in the world, €0.20 an hour.

But I did not come all the way here to do another report on fast fashion.

The real goal of this mission is, in some ways, more challenging:

to find the girls and boys who work in these factories

and listen to their stories.

After days of searching, thanks to the help of a woman who works for the community,

we manage to meet Jui, a wonderful twelve-year-old girl who has been working

in the factories for a long time to help her family.

Hello

Hello

My name is Giuseppe.

My name is Jui.

We have arrived at Jui's house

where this girl will have the pleasure of speaking with us.

She has invited us to her home because she wants to tell us her story.

This is actually a typical house in the slums of Dhaka.

As you can see, it's very small. The lady was already explaining to me that here

Jui lives with her parents and her siblings in that bed.

The bed is tiny, but they all live and sleep here.

Another curious thing is that they have a refrigerator,

they have food in the house, but it is shared with all the neighbors.

And this, this is the kitchen.

Here they cook, here they store food.

As you can see, there are also grates to prevent rats from entering.

There's another very interesting detail

that helps me understand the lives of these children better.

The bed is elevated with these bricks to first

create a sort of storage space.

But also in case there are floods,

so they are not soaked, or rather flooded by the water that would enter the house.

Clearly, the conditions are precarious.

But especially the factory workers around here live in these conditions

and we are privileged to enter one of these houses and listen to

Jui's story because I am sure it will be similar to many other stories of many girls

and boys working in these factories.

This is me, this is my younger sister, and that is my brother.

Is this you? Jui?

This is me.

Ok, ok.

Who lives here with you?

My sister and I stay here, and my parents sleep on the floor.

And where are your parents now?

My mother is at a clothing factory, while my father... I don't know where he is.

Why aren't you at school now?

I had to leave school because my mother was in debt.

When I was in fifth grade, I was so happy.

I had many friends, we laughed and played together.

But now that doesn't happen anymore. I miss it a lot.

Only because of money problems,

I had to start working. My aunt advised me to work

to bring home some money. And so, they took me to the factory.

I earn almost €4 a day. At first, I even liked it,

but now I always feel tired because I work all day.

For the first 5 months, I held on, I kept working, but now I feel lonely.

and I don't like it.

I work there until 10 PM. Often, I go to bed at 1 or 2 AM.

Jui, what is your biggest dream?

If I had been able to continue studying,

I could have helped my parents with a good job and been independent.

I could have saved my family. It would have been nice if it had gone that way.

My dream was to become a doctor, but since I can no longer do that, My dream was to become a doctor, but since I can no longer do that,

I work in clothing factories to pay for my sister's education

so she can become a doctor.

How can a twelve-year-old girl

be so resigned and aware that her dreams will never come true?

It's not fair.

Jui is part of that million children whose future is stolen

to exploit them in factories.

A number so large that it almost makes you lose hope that anything here

can ever change.

Yet there is someone who, with unwavering commitment,

has always believed that by uniting the generosity of people around the world,

we could give them back the right to be children.

In Dhaka, I met with the leaders of the humanitarian organization Action Aid,

who, through their sponsorship programs,

can ensure that

children like her receive the assistance they desperately need.

And I am not just talking about education and medical care,

but also crucial emotional support to overcome the scars

of exploitation, as happens in this center called Happy Home,

a shelter for street children where they can feel safe and finally transform

their stories of suffering into tales of hope and rebirth.

If I hadn't come here,

I would certainly be working in a factory now, or I would be

working in other people's houses like my mother.

I see many poor children begging for food,

and this makes me very angry, but I can't do anything about it.

I would have ended up like them if it weren't for this place.

Here I can eat all my meals, but before it wasn't like that.

Here I have my sisters and friends who give me food and make sure I am well and eat.

Before, no one took care of me.

This home makes me feel good.

I had a terrible past, and I hope so much that other children do not have to suffer the same.

I hope they all come to live here to feel as good as I do

and that they can study. I couldn't before,

and neither can the children who are still outside.

I have received so much support here

that I wish it could reach them too.

Before leaving...

Sanjida, one of the leaders of ActionAid in Bangladesh, wants to give me a unique moment

with the children sponsored from afar to realize what it means for them

to have a distant friend who loves them unconditionally.

What are you drawing, Meem? What is this?

It's a house.

And this?

This is my friend who helps me from afar.

And who is this?

This is me.

And this one?

My younger sister.

What are you doing?

We are drawing.

Drawing? Okay.

You know, this is not just a drawing.

This is trust.

This is a bond

between her and her friend

who lives far away

and who supports her through sponsorship.

These children have

many opportunities,

and they are getting the chance

to draw, to study, and to go to school.

But you know, there are,

...you have seen it...

there are so many children

who do not have that opportunity.

We try to provide a safe space for all children here.

Our mission with ActionAid,

and also my personal mission, is to leave no child behind.

You know, we go door to door every day to see

if there are children who need our support, who need us.

It's unacceptable that children work in those places

you have seen.

They work in factories like machines just for food.

It is our responsibility to give them

a life, a good and happy life.

I don't know how many people are watching this video, but they must believe

that with sponsorship, they can change the lives of these children.

Sanjida is right, sponsorship

can really change a life, because not only do they receive material support,

but also an invaluable treasure, the certainty of being loved and valued.

And at this point, the most important question of this mission

is for them: what is happiness?

Singing!

Drawing!

Traveling!

Playing football!

Chatting with my mother!

Putting on makeup.

Playing with balloons!

Driving in a car!

Playing with dolls!

Playing cricket!

Toys!

Planting trees!

Singing songs!

Pizza.

Coloring!

This is how happiness should be for a child.

Simple, carefree.

Unfortunately...

On this journey, we have seen that it is not like this for everyone

and in the end,

we cannot delude ourselves into thinking we can change the system these children are victims of.

But all of us, even if far away, can do so much for them

and for many other children who are victims of the same injustices in India,

in Cambodia, in Vietnam.

We can sponsor them from afar

and protect their right to healthcare, education, food, and play.

But most importantly, we can give them back their childhood,

because no child should be denied it,

and none of them should be forbidden from dreaming.

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