Caryl Stern's letter from Bangladesh
George Harrison is beloved here, and traveling with Olivia Harrison is like traveling with a rock star. Our day started at the UNICEF Office. The staff members who are old enough to remember George's Concert for Bangladesh expressed their gratitude to Olivia - we all cried.
George Harrison is beloved here, and traveling with Olivia Harrison is like traveling with a rock star. Our day started at the UNICEF Office. The staff members who are old enough to remember George's Concert for Bangladesh expressed their gratitude to Olivia - we all cried.
Caryl Stern is the President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. This is a note from her recent visit to Bangladesh with Olivia Harrison and other UNICEF supporters.
We are nearing the end of our second day in Bangladesh and I want to share some of what I am seeing, feeling, experiencing.
At first glance, Dhaka is a very dirty city--with throngs of people everywhere and traffic that barely moves and when it does move, ignores all traffic rules, signs, lights, etc.
But it is also a city of flowers and politeness and warmth -- great spicy food and phenomenal breads. We spent time at an open air school, where kids from the slums are taught basic alphabet and numbers in a 6 month program so they can go to regular school. Malnutrition has stunted most of them so it's is hard to tell how old they, are but I believe they were all under 12 or 13. Yet, many have jobs -- in factories, etc.
George Harrison is beloved here, and traveling with Olivia Harrison is like traveling with a rock star. Our day started at the UNICEF Office. The staff members who are old enough to remember George's Concert for Bangladesh expressed their gratitude to Olivia - we all cried.
As for the children to young to remember George, we take joy in seeing how his legacy continues to affect their young lives. For instance, at a UNICEF-supported center for street children. Kids from age 8 to teenagers come to the center because they are in Dhaka without a home or a safe place to sleep. They learn crafts here as well as music and dance, and they participate as peer educators and activists for children like themselves.
U.S. Fund for UNICEF/2011 |
Apple Records' Jonathan Clyde and children from a UNICEF-supported center in Dhaka. |
They sang for us. When they sang, "We Shall Overcome," my eyes filled with tears once again.
For us, George is a legendary member of the Beatles and a humanitarian who used his talents to benefit others. I have to remember that for Olivia he is the husband she lost, the Dad Dhani lost. It is a bittersweet trip in some ways as we watch Olivia experience it, feel pride, and, I am sure, also feel the absence of George.