There’s nothing more innocent than a teddy bear.
A stuffed animal to calm fears, to play with, and to hold close when a child’s world feels uncertain.
Three year-old Nazir excitedly showed us his house—a room no bigger than a double-size bed that hosts his mom’s clients throughout the night. Sitting on top of the grungy comforter was his teddy bear.
He grabbed it, proudly showing us his button eyes and how the teddy bear can sit on the bed upright. He chattered away in Bengali, certain that we could understand him.
I had almost forgotten that we were in a brothel, but was quickly jolted back to reality when a daytime brothel customer brushed past us, hiding his face as he followed Nazir’s neighbor into her room.
Every night, Nazir’s home is transformed into the only reality he knows. Throngs of men, intoxicated and on drugs, seek sex in exchange for pennies. Nazir watches his mom desperately try to lure as many customers as possible onto the same bed that Nazir keeps his teddy bear on.
We are officially opening NightCare in Bangladesh in January 2018. Soon, Nazir will have a safe place to sleep, people to love him, a warm meal, and friends to play with.
He and his teddy bear will be safe.
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Find out more about how Saving Moses is bringing light to the darkness in Bangladesh HERE.
