My name is Aleksandra, I am a 54 year old woman living in Exeter, UK (originally from Croatia, moved to UK 30 years ago).

With the help of kind and generous friends, as well as complete strangers from all over the world, I have been helping Sujata Orphanage for nearly 3 years, and the wonderful people who joined me on this journey as strangers, soon became friends and a part of the big Sujata Orphanage family.

I first learned about the Sujata Orphanage through helping another Buddhist orphanage in Bangladesh. Venerable Uttama, the Buddhist monk who is also in his 50s, has established the Sujata Orphanage without having any material possessions or means. He just had a strong compassions and desire to help children and young people in the remote hills of Bangladesh - all of them are from ethnic minorities, believed to have migrated from Myanmar, many decades, or even centuries ago.

Venerable Uttama established a monastery on a donated land, and he first took in few children. Few soon become 5, 6, 10... and now he is looking after around 80 young people and children. Some of them decided to become Buddhist novices.

Some children have one and even both parents, but their parents are so poor that they are unable to provide nutritious food, clothing and education for their child. Some children no longer have parents.

The area where the Sujata Orphanage is based, very rural, remote hills in the Khagrachari district, is poor. The locals live from agriculture, their crops are often destroyed by severe weather, and very sadly, because they are from ethnic minorities, they are often targeted by the indigenous extremists. So on top of not having a family, or not being able to live with their family, the children of the Sugata Orphanage a facing more than one difficult circumstance.

Despite this, they study hard, and they strive and they cultivate kindness and great human qualities in their hearts. Every evening, they perform traditional Buddhist chanting, and they send metta (loving kindness) thoughts and wishes for welling of all donors, and all beings.

When I first started helping the Sujata, I was a "one off" donation. But as I got to know a bit more about them, and I saw their very difficult circumstances and their great need for help and support, I could not turn my back on them. I am continuing to fundraise, and I offer my own money too, whenever I can.

It would be wonderful if you could join me in providing warm blankets, robes and warm clothes for everyone in the Sujata. I currently have £60, donated recently, and I and everyone in the Sujata would be very grateful if we could collect enough, to help everyone keep warm and healthy through the winter. It does get very cold in the hills where the orphanage is.

Every single penny goes to the Sujata, and I am always happy to answer any questions. I save the screenshots of the bank transfers, and keep record of all transactions.

Venerable Uttama is a very busy monk, and he does not spend much time on social media or taking photos, so I don't get many photos very often, but you can see quite a few beautiful photos from the Sujata Orpanage on one of my Facebook pages - Pemasiri Metta Foundation

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080117602624&sk=photos

Thank you very much in advance! May you too be warm, happy and healthy this winter! :)