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YOUR BANGLADESH ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE

Bangladesh Tour 2022

Bangladesh Tour - 16th to 26th September 2022

Join Muslim Charity’s volunteer family, TEAMMC, on its 7th annual volunteer deployment trip to Bangladesh. Soak up the cultural delights while you participate and immerse yourself in all Bangladesh’s Children of the World projects.


Join Muslim Charity’s volunteer family, TEAMMC, on its 7th annual volunteer deployment trip to Bangladesh. Soak up the cultural delights while you participate and immerse yourself in all the Children of the World projects in Bangladesh.

The trip is in no way a holiday rather it is an emotional roller-coaster that will challenge your purpose and feed your soul.

The trip has been very carefully organised with experienced staff from the UK and Bangladesh and fully inclusive which means you don’t have to worry about anything.

To join the tour, we simply ask that you book your own flights and pay £480 towards your hotels, food, PCR test in Bangladesh (if required) transport and internal flights.

We also humbly ask each participant to raise a minimum of £2,000 excluding any gift aid towards the projects that we will interact with during the tour.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOUR


Sylhet

Your Bangladeshi adventure with TEAMMC starts in Sylhet.  Home to lush green paddy fields, beautiful tea estates, and home to the diaspora Bangladeshi community in the UK.

 

‘Slum’ schools

Sylhet town hosts some of the most expensive real estate in Bangladesh. However, it’s also home to some of the most deprived communities. This community is primarily the hidden work force of Sylhet and made up of low-income families.

Most of the families in the slum are disengaged from the mainstream and therefore find it extremely difficult to admit their children to mainstream schooling. The expectation is that once the children are 8-10, they will also contribute financially to the family.

Muslim Charity, with your help has started a new school to support these children. It gives access to pre-primary education and prepares them for mainstream schooling. We use informal play techniques to give young people the confidence and social skills they need to benefit from an education.

You will spend time volunteering at the school shadowing and playing games under the supervision of our champion teachers.

 

House building and livelihood project

Our latest project in Sylhet division is livelihood support to needy families also supporting some families with decent home building.

You will have opportunity to visit some of the families in different villages of Sylhet and get to understand first hand the impact your donations can make to the lives of needy people in countries like Bangladesh.

 

Cox’s Bazar

Cox’s Bazar is the home of the longest unbroken beach in the world and one of the most beautiful areas of Bangladesh.

 

Children homes

It’s here that we have initiated building the first permanent children homes. These are homes for former street children who have no family, no home otherwise.

This oasis is where their healing process will begin and where children can finally be children again. Here you will volunteer for a day working on the project site with our team on the ground and start understanding the rehabilitation process of street children.

 

Dhaka

One of the most densely populated cities in the world but filled with history, culture, and amazing street food.

 

Street children 

You will spend time with outreach workers on the ground shadowing them and learning more about detached work with street children.

You will have the opportunity to speak to the “street children “ at the various access points and attempt to rescue these vulnerable children

We will visit some of the sites where children congregate where you will learn more about their lives as well as their struggles.

You will visit our Transitional shelter where the healing process begins for rescued children

 

Daulatdia

Our time in Dhaka will also include a day visit to Daulatdia, the 4th biggest brothel in the world. Here you will meet children of the brothel who we support through our day care centre and youth club.

We will finish the tour visiting a home where children can finally rest and restart their lives as children again.

REGISTRATION


Tour Fee: £480 (£80 deposit at registration)

Fundraising Target: £2,000 (excluding international flights)

 

The tour fee can be paid in 2 instalments but must be paid fully 4 weeks before travel.

Please check your dates and availability as we cannot offer any refunds on the fees.

 

What’s Included

This amount will cover all transport, hotel, food, PCR tests in Bangladesh and accommodation costs whilst in Bangladesh and is based on 2 people sharing one room. Muslim Charity will manage and arrange all of the logistics in Bangladesh including pick-up and drop-off to airports.

 

What’s Not Included

UK PCR test – Participants will need to arrange their PCR test in the UK before departure and ensure the test is taken within 72 hrs of landing in Bangladesh (and also comply with any other Airline/Travel requirements).

 

International Flights

The fee does not include the UK to Bangladesh return flights.

The flight you will need to book is:

Outgoing: UK – Dhaka – Sylhet

Incoming: Dhaka – UK

 

Muslim Charity staff are on hand should you need any advice on booking your flight. We ask that all participants arrive by Friday 16th September and be available for the evening introduction meeting at 7pm at the hotel. Once we know your arrival time a representative will be waiting at the airport to pick you up.

 

Visa

As foreign nationals you will need to apply for a visa from the Bangladesh consulate. The Bangladesh visa services are available in London and Manchester.

 

Please apply for a tourist visa: www.bhclondon.org.uk/tourist-visa

 

If you have Bangladeshi heritage you can apply for a ‘No Visa required’ visa stamp. This entitles you to visit Bangladesh without obtaining a visa. There is also a visa on arrival service in Dhaka where you can obtain a visa for your stay.

Please bear in mind that we cannot guarantee your visa or entry. Please seek advice from the embassy before you book your flights and pay your registration fee. If you need any help Muslim Charity staff are on hand to advise and guide you through the process.

 

Travel Vaccinations

Please check with your GP what vaccinations you may require.

 

Entry to Bangladesh

Passengers arriving from the UK will need:

  • A medical certificate indicating a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of travel (for passengers aged 10 or over)
  • Confirmation of your vaccination status, with vaccination course completed 14 days before entry, if you are relying on a completed COVID-19 vaccination course for quarantine exemptions (See Quarantine requirements)
  • A completed Health Declaration Form and Passenger Locator Form provided by cabin crew.

You may be subjected to additional health screening measures at the airport.

You should not use the NHS testing service to get a test in order to facilitate your travel to another country. You should arrange to take a private test.

HOW TO REGISTER?


All you require to guarantee your place is to pay the non-refundable £80 registration fee and a further £400 4 weeks before you travel.

When you have registered you will be redirected to your JustGiving fundraising page where you can customise your story for your donors and supporters.

To help with spreading the cost of the tour you can pay the remainder in 2 instalments. Please let us know if you would like to take advantage of this initiative when registering.

 

For more information please call Moheen Uddin, Community Engagement Officer who will be happy to help with any additional questions or queries by emailing [email protected] or calling 07999 471 176.

Frequently Asked Questions


Anyone interested in experiencing the impact of Muslim Charity’s work in Bangladesh and wishing to explore the beauty, sights and sounds of this wonderful country. Participants must be 18 years or older before the date of departure and be of good health to travel.

The fee for travelling on the tour is £480 per person. This amount will cover all transport, hotel, food, internal flights and accommodation costs whilst in Bangladesh and it is based on 2 people sharing one room.

This fee does not include;

  • International Flights – UK to Bangladesh (Sylhet) return flights.
  • Ground Transport in the UK
  • Visa Fees
  • Pre-Travel PCR Test Fees in the UK

At the time of publishing the tickets from UK to Bangladesh are as follows.

UK – Dhaka                              = £450

 Dhaka – Sylhet                       = £50

 

Total International Flights – £500

 

Please note that you need to book your flights from UK – Dhaka – Sylhet

And coming back Dhaka – UK.

 

The costs for the total tour;

International Flights             £500

Tour Fees                                   £480

Total                                             £980

 

 

Remember you can pay your tour fees in 2 instalments of £200 (after deposit).  All final payments must be made 4 weeks before travel.

We will stay in comfortable 3-star hotels. These have been carefully selected for their service, comfort, and safety. All hotels have been vetted by our staff and evaluated by our volunteers on previous trips.

We will let you know the exact hotels when we release the final itinerary 4 weeks before travel.

We highly recommend you take travel insurance for the duration of your stay. In the event of any injury we will have no choice but to take you to a hospital where they will charge you for any medical attention or advice.

We suggest you check with your insurance provider to see if your already covered if not you can always get a quote online.

You will have access to clean toilet facilities in hotels. However, when we travel these may not be very clean. You will need to be a little intrepid and adventurous and may have to go ‘where no man has gone before’.

In any case we will make regular stops on long journeys and prompt you to use the facilities where available.

 

The total duration of the tour is 10 days so please bring with you enough clothing for that duration.

 

We recommend small luggage so it’s easy to transport as you will be living ‘out your suitcase’ as the tour is fast paced.

 

 

Suggested Essentials:

 

  • Mosquito repellent
  • Basic medication such as pain killers
  • 2 Pin adapters
  • Mobile charging bank
  • Sunglasses
  • Baseball cap
  • Comfortable summer clothing
  • Hoodie/light jacket for evenings
  • Closed comfortable footwear and flip flops

Please do not carry large amounts of money with you. We will be using your tour fee to cover the costs of boarding, food and other travel expenses on your behalf. We request you to carry not more than £1,000 or equal amount in Bangladeshi Taka. The ATMs work in cities and you will have a free day in Dhaka to explore and shop.

If you wish to exchange money, please do so at the airports. In general, they give best rates.

We will advise you to bring clothes appropriate for temperatures between 22°C to 32c. Although September is the end of monsoon season, we can still get short and sharp showers.

Please bring clothing that is comfortable and appropriate for the country. We ask all participants to respect local cultures and customs while in Bangladesh as we are guests in their country.

While the cities are very cosmopolitan and no one will care what you may be wearing the rural and remote places are very conservative.  So, we ask all participants to be aware of this situation and where possible wear clothing that is comfortable and appropriate for our destination.

Layers

Please think of layers when travelling so you can add and subtract easily as the weather changes. Also, we will be close to the sea in Cox’s bazaar and the hills of Bandarban where the temperature can drop dramatically so please bring warm fleece or comfortable jacket.

Footwear

Comfortable closed toe shoes are a must. Please think of the various terrain such as the sandy beaches and possibly mud. So please bring shoes that are comfortable and not new. Similarly, some comfortable sandals or flip flops are ideal for the evening and when we are travelling between destinations.

Loss or Damage

Although we will make utmost efforts to ensure the safety of your belongings but will advise you not to carry expensive and luxury articles with you as we cannot take any responsibility for loss or damage while on tour.

A Muslim Charity or hotel representative will pick you up from the airport and drive you to the hotel.

Most of the time participants will book themselves on the same flight and you will get to know each other before hand from all the conversations we will have on our WhatsApp group and meet ups before we travel.

You will also have a mobile number for our team lead from the UK and Bangladesh should you need to contact someone in an emergency.

You can purchase a SIM from Dhaka airport using your British passport as ID. Please refer to their packages for calls and internet.

Please bear in mind that it can take up to 20-25 minutes to get a SIM card and factor in your travel time to the domestic airport.

In any case we will make all the efforts to facilitate communication by staying in hotels with Wi-Fi facilities. The quality of the Wi-Fi services may vary according to areas and is subject to availability of electricity.

We request all our participant to be friendly but aware and respect local faiths and culture by adopting appropriate clothing and behaviour.

When interacting with children we ask that you seek permission before holding and interacting with them. We will fully brief you before each visit to make sure that we follow the ground partner guidelines and adhere to all Muslim Charity policies with regards to child protection.

Failure to comply with our child protection policy will mean that you will be excluded from that activity.

During your travel you will also meet vulnerable families and communities therefore, we request you not to offer cash or any other gift to any person.  If you wish to help someone please talk to a Muslim Charity representative who will advise further.

Muslim Charity has arrangements made only from 16th to 26th September 2021. Please make any further arrangements either before the tour or after.

Due to the nature of the tour we cannot let you break away from the itinerary.

No. Unfortunately due to a tight travel schedule, participants will be asked to stay in Muslim Charity provided accommodation/hotels. Muslim Charity will ensure that selected accommodation/hotels are secure and safe and also comfortable for participants.

Yes. Single-sex accommodation will be provided and each hotel room will be shared by two participants.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer single rooms.

We are on hand to offer advice and guidance on all aspects of the tour and your kind fundraising activities.

For any assistance relating to this tour please contact;

 

Moheen Uddin

Community Engagement Officer

T 0207 100 4930   M 07999 471 176   E [email protected]

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