Medication has to be paid for by the patients themselves, food has to be brought in by family or friends and doctors are hard to find (since they are not or hardly paid, they leave for private practices or hospitals and only come into the state hospitals a few hours a day or not at all). Children are often brought into the hospital with an unclear or incorrect diagnosis of their illness. Children with cancer, for instance, often have had antibiotics injections, that their parents have struggled to pay for, sometimes selling their possessions to get this wrong medication. 
Children who have been diagnosed correctly as having cancer can be treated, but it is a long and costly process. If the family of the child lives far from the hospital, they have no other option than to camp on the street outside the hospital - trying to find and prepare food - during their child's stay. This problem also results in a lot of no-shows for follow-up treatment of the child.

Ashic is a centre for children with cancer, founded by Salma Choudhury, who lost her own son to cancer. Ashic tries to support the children and their parents. The small organisation - mainly funded by Mrs. Choudhury's family - has created playcentres in two hospitals. In the playcentres, all children from the children's ward (and often their brothers and sisters as well) can relax and play for a while. Brightly painted and furnished rooms form a kind of happier little world next to the very busy and crowded wards with their stressed atmosphere. A full time "teacher" is present to supervise and play with the children. 
Ashic also runs two shelters where the families of children staying in hospital or having to visit for a follow-up can stay for free. In the kitchen they can prepare their own food. In the shelters Ashic also organises meetings of parents with doctors to give the parents the opportunity to get more information. They also try to work on improving the doctors' knowledge by inviting foreign specialists to the hospitals and organising seminars. 

Moments of Joy has paid for part of the furnishing of two playcenters in two hospitals (one in Dhaka, one in Sylhet), for local anaesthetics for painful treatments and for a monthly outing for those children who are up to it. 

Ashic has been asked by another big hospital in Dhaka - Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) - to set up playcentres. Two rooms on different sides of this hospital could be used. Furnishing them with toys, chairs, tables, books and a television and VCR would cost 3300 Euro. 

Ashic would also like to organise two mini holidays (trips of two or three days) for the children and their caretakers. Two trips for 40 people each would cost around 2000 Euro

Reaction on the outing sponsored by Moments of Joy

President of Ashic: "At last the long waiting for the children of Ashic was over. From early morning it seemed it was a different day, because nobody was found lying on his bed. Everybody woke up early with a view to leaving for an unseen destination and the area was vibrating with joy. Pasel, Shahin, Tasmin, Eti and others were waiting for the beginning of their journey, The time seemed not to move forward. However, it moved slowly and the clock struck 2 pm. By this time Poushi, Moon, Arman, Masum and Sumaiya reached the shelter. Rony was not feeling well but seeing others in a jolly mood, his condition also improved and he mixed with the others to share the joy with all children. Such gatherings of children are rare. When news of the arrival of the bus reached the shelter everybody started dreaming the unknown journey. The whole bus was filled with joy and the CD player played popular Bangladeshi songs."

"The most significant part of this journey was Rony, a twelve year old boy. Rony was a relapse case and doctors advised his parents to taken him home. He used to stay at our shelter, Instead of going home, he desired to go to Chittagong. We took him and his parents and organised special attention for him. Some of the pictures show his delight. On the third day he became very sick and we had to admit him to Chittagong medical college hospital as per pre-arrangement. After treatment he was sent home by a specially organised ambulance. Rony's father reported to the shelter that Rony was feeling better and very happy. Unfortunately he died the next day. Though the news was painful we were very happy that al least his last wish to travel to Chittagong was fulfilled. We share this happiness with Moments of Joy Foundation which made it possible.The sweet memories of this journey will ever remain alive in the tender and innocent minds of the children."

Total € 5300,--

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