Army hosts 'special' children from Bangladesh

For the first time, four special children from the Bangladesh Army-run welfare school - Proyash - are being hosted at the Indian Army's Eastern Command Headquarters here under an exchange programme between the two countries.

The 'goodwill ambassadors' - two boys and two girls - arrived here Aug 25 on a four-day trip, a defence ministry statement said.

The children visited the Eastern Command's 'Asha School' here during the day.

The Bangladesh delegation was felicitated at the school and interacted with its students and staff to acquaint themselves with the opportunities provided here for self-development of the children and help them become useful members of society.

The four special children from Bangladesh are accompanied by the Operational Project Officer, Proyash Schools, Maj Zakir Hussain and support staff, including four teachers.

The goodwill visit under an exchange programme is part of the ongoing India-Bangladesh army-to-army interaction.

A reciprocal bilateral visit by children from Asha school, Kolkata, is scheduled next month.

"It will further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship and co-operation between the two nations," the statement said.

Asha School is a pioneer school for education and development of differently abled children of service personnel and civilians run under the aegis of Eastern Command Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) as a welfare venture.

The Bangladeshi children would be visiting various landmarks and places of interest, including Victoria Memorial and Alipore Zoo.