Children Park - a type of real social business-example of MOON PARK & MOON HOUSE

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by Md Shahadat Hossain

Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, of Bangladesh while addressing the prize giving ceremony of a painting competition at Dhaka Osmani Smriti Auditorium on October 18, 2010, has directed the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to recover all the children’s parks in the capital. The prime minister, according to UNB Dhaka, vowed to establish a safe and prosperous Bangladesh for every child.

Yes, there is no doubt that concerned authorities would try their best to recover all government children parks, no matter how successful they would be to maintain and keep the campaign according to given directives from the highest executive of the government. But I, like many others, am little wondered as to how much those local influential illegal occupants have gone regarding places like Children parks too. There is no need to emphasize the requirement of children parks for the over all development of a total Child. Considering their importance’s, government did their parts and hopefully would continue doing the best in this regard always. But we being the brothers and sisters, parents and relatives, teachers and lovers of every child also got to think and do exactly in the same way as our honorable Prime Minister thought and gave directives.

As the government can not establish more and more children parks all of a sudden for obvious reasons, and because we all have the equal morale and social responsibilities too for all the children, so, we got to do some thing too, either individually or being in a group. We may think of taking following measures to ensure so that more and more children get the facilities of Children parks:

1. Authorities of schools and other educational institutions may consider establishing children parks at their own premises, no matter how small or big those could be. They should also ensure the proper maintenances of all existing children parks.

2. Those who, specially at rural areas, can effort to make few items of children park at their own premises may also make such facilities available for their own and local children. There are few such items directly related to physical exercises which don’t need much of space, cost or electricity. Besides, such can be made with collective efforts too. Some one may also think of making the same at their roof top at city location too. The idea is so that every child gets the minimum facilities of Children Park.

3. Many rich people of our society already have hundreds and thousands of “Farm Houses” (Bagan Bari in Bengali pronunciation) of their own. Those are indeed their spare houses out side the city areas mostly for their personal leisure and pleasure. Of course, I am not trying to say any thing against their farm houses as many of those are also contributing as good green gardens, however, would like to humbly suggest so that they could also think of making those, whole or part of those, in to some thing like children parks for the local children and thus allow local children to play there either free of cost or with little ticket money. We always talk about social responsibilities and social businesses. Arranging such facilities for the children could be one of the best social responsibilities. Again the concepts of social businesses, often emphasized by our Noble Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, are known to the whole world and also widely discussed also. So, from that point of view too, some token ticket money may also be charged from incoming children, however, the ticket fee got to be within affordable limit of those rural parents too.

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Frankly speaking, I would not have suggested any of above if I won’t believe on those totally. I always use to think in the past for having these children park facilities for our rural poor children. That is the reason, being moved towards the real need of children, I tried to establish two such children parks according to my personal interest, planning, limited economic capabilities and efforts. Spending my pension money, I have established one Children Park named “Moon Park” at remote village PIRUJALI in General Area Hotapara, Gazipur, about 33 Km away from Dhaka Tongi Bridge. The park is in the same village where famous writer Humayun Ahmed's Nuhash Polli is located. The general area is really green and comfortable in all seasons.

moon-park Well, for this case, at first I tried to establish and experience by myself, and then, now trying to suggest some thing for the consideration of others. It is said in the religion also that one should try for himself to do the same first before suggesting the same to others. Whenever, I heard or read any thing about the concept of social businesses expressed by noble laureate Dr. Yunus, tried to think and identify as to how many types of social businesses could there be, specially for a country like Bangladesh? I also tried to think always as to what maximum social benefits can be offered with what minimum charges from different types of social businesses? Well, there can be many different types, but for me, I thought to do some thing related to children’s health, enjoyment, excitement, mental growth, physical exercise etc, and so, thought of establishing one children park for them as part of “so-well-discussed social business”.

Now at this stage, being little encouraged by the noble directives of honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, I have only one aim of mentioning this as an example so that others who are interested may also become encouraged to establish such children parks at different parts of our country. Besides, those who are already having their farm houses (Bagan Bari) may also become interested as well as feel responsible to tern their those farm houses, part or whole, into children parks for the local rural children of Bangladesh and allow them to play either free of charge or with little token ticket money.

“Moon House” is also another such park, same eco friendly green garden with children park facilities where children can not only play but also see life birds and fishes, colourful flowers, clean green trees with fresh fruits etc. No matter how many facilities children are enjoying inside but only taka 30 ($ US 40 cents only) is charged per person. It is designed to be a real safe house for the playing of children and that is why the word “house” is associated with it’s name.

It may be mention that the eco friendly green gardens of both Moon Park and Moon House are also started attracting foreigners and as such contributing to the tourism in Bangladesh too. Hope the scope of tourism in this sector would also increase in future.

It is expected that both Moon Park and Moon House would be able to contribute for children’s playing and good health in the long run as part of social businesses in real sense. It is also expected that many other child lovers having similar feelings would also try to do some thing even better for our children which are so necessary indeed for their total development. Children would carry us forward. They are our future hopes and so we must do our best to do best for them.

http://www.moonhousemoonpark.com

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