The Story of Badal:

Badal's life story is one of tragedy, loss and courage.  Bangladesh was granted independence from Pakistan in 1971. Bangladeshis were at the mercy of the Pakistanis and many were killed and tortured. Shortly thereafter, war broke out along the Indian front. While the war only lasted for 11 days, many more Bangladeshis were caught in the crossfire. Among those killed were the parents of Badal and his two sisters. Now, orphaned, Badal and his sisters faced a perilous future. One day after many months of searching for food and water, they were miraculously saved by the neighboring nuns.

Life in Bangladesh:

Life was hard in the village - homes were made of sand. Many living in the village had their sand houses continually washed away in the monsoons. Badal and his sisters were told they could build their own sand house on the property of the church. Their basic needs were attended to by the nuns. For many years Badal took care of the church property until he was of the age to move to America.

Badal comes to America:

Father Francis of Bangladesh, took Badal under his wing, and encouraged him to go to America so as to make a better life for himself and his family. His name was put into a lottery and after many years of waiting, Badal received a permanent Visa and a Green card pending American Sponsorship. Our own Aunt Dolly and Uncle Pete graciously offered to sponsor Badal. Badal moved in with our Aunt and Uncle 16 years ago. They set him up with a job so Badal could support his two sisters. He worked 12 hour shifts at $6.50 per hour in order that his sisters back home in Bangladesh could afford to buy rice and seeds to plant vegetables. He continued to go back and forth from Connecticut to his village in Bangladesh to help his family.

The Story of the Baskets:

After several years, Badal came up with a new idea to help support his family. He sold everything he had to buy baskets from his village to sell in America to support his sisters. He left his job and decided to import the handmade baskets.

For seven years Badal sold his baskets and sent the proceeds back to Bangladesh. With the proceeds from the baskets, he was able to afford to build cement homes, buy seeds and rice and even drill wells for clean water. No longer will his family need to build new sand houses only to be washed away in the monsoons. No longer will his family drink from the filthy ponds where animals and villagers bathe. His nieces and nephews will, hopefully, never have to experience the poverty and hunger that Badal did over 30 years ago. Badal has made a difference in the lives of those in his village.

"Badal's Baskets:"

This year, we took it upon ourselves to start "Badal's Baskets" from our homes on Cape Cod, Mass. We hope to not only share with the world the beauty of these handcrafted baskets, but also to share in Badal's mission.