A village has been built as Shyamali, outside the bangladesh capital of Dacca, to provide a home for children orphaned as a result of the 1971 War on the Indian Sub-continent. The problem of orphaned children, who had either lost their mothers or were abandoned as illegitimate, has been a serious one for the bangladesh government, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Prime Minister, appealed to international organisations for assistance.

The village covers over 50 acres (100 hectares) and has 15 three-storied buildings. So far, 100 children are there, but there is accommodation for a further 50. In each house, there are ten children, cared for by a "mother" whose duty it is to bring the children up in a family environment. Besides a school, the village has a community centre, providing recreation for the orphans.

The sponsors of the new community hope the children, who would otherwise perhaps become beggars and vagrants, will become valuable assets to the young nation.

SYNOPSIS: This new village outside the Bangladesh capital of Dacca is home for a hundred children parentless as a result of the 1971 war on the Indian sub-continent. The village, Shyamali, was built after an international appeal launched by Prime Minister Mujibur Rahman three years ago. Now, the village is open, hosing both orphaned and illegitimate children.

There is still room for a further fifth children in the village -- five houses are still unoccupied. The orphans come form all over Bangladesh.

Each house is supervised by a matron who acts as mother to her ten children. Every attempt is made to make life as much like that of a family as possible. The children attend a local school, and will continue their education until they reach high school level. Then they will have the chance to receive technical and other training. In the village, there is a community centre, which provides for all the recreational needs of the children.

There were fears that unless the children were not cared for, they would become beggars and vagrants. Now, the village's sponsors hope they will be an important asset to bangladesh in the future. The people who look after them are proud of the care and attention they are giving the children, whose upbringing is of utmost importance.

And for these refugees of the 1971 war at least, there is a future to look forward to.