Membership news:

Farewells to

May UNWA Volunteer of the Month, Dr. Sara Bennett (Canada) is leaving Dhaka with her husband Herb Wiebe after nearly 10 years. Sara was been involved in her daughters' activities at Grace School and started the weekend Theatre Nuts group. Sara was the original editor of the e-mailed, web newsletter, Bangladesh International Community News, and faithfully wrote news despite frequent water, forestry and environment consultancies in Bangladesh and Vietnam. Sara was well known on the tennis court, an active member of the Dhaka International Church, frequently hosting events as well as fundraising for the ICDDR, B cholera hospital. Her home had frequent guests; especially graduate students and volunteers from the Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed who came into Dhaka on weekends.

Leocardia Byenkya (Uganda) leaves in June for her husband's new posting as UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Cambodia.  They have four children at AISD and a daughter at home. Leocardia was very busy with the PTA at the school, and with her children’s after-school activities. She was a wonderful friend to other UN families settling in Dhaka, encouraging them to join UNWA, taking them to the markets, and offering a listening ear in times of trouble.  Leocardia served on the UNWA executive committee this spring as First Vice President. We will miss the Byenkya family and we hope everything will go well with them in their new home.

Marianne DeWier, US Embassy Nurse and UN Ball raffle ticket seller par excellence, is moving to Arkansas with her two sons and ICDDR, B husband George Fuchs. Earlier during her six years here, Marianne worked as a consultant with SDC and UNICEF in their water and sanitation reviews and publications. Marianne assisted in many ICDDR, B Hospital Endowment Fundraisers and was part of a group of women who helped newcomers settle in Dhaka, especially at American holiday times.

Dr. Rizwana Hashmi will be reposted to Pakistan this summer with her husband who has been a financial consultant with CDC (Capital Partners).  Rizwana has devoted her time in Dhaka to her three children but is looking forward to resuming her medical practice in Karachi. Rizwana has beautifully hosted several UNWA teas in her Baridhara home.  Rizwana's continuing e-mail will be hashmis20@hotmail.com

Midori Kanda, Assistant Programme Officer for World Food Programme, is leaving Dhaka this summer for Indonesia. Other WFP families reposted are Bep Fleuren to Thailand, Katrin van Mosel to Rome, and Syrukn Sutter to the USA.

Unicef is moving Sempe and Ellen Lhalungpa and family to Nepal. Ellen served on the UNWA Social Welfare Committee and Executive Board, volunteered at CRP in Savar and assisted in many Dhaka Community events while living here. We will remember many acts of kindness from Ellen, especially those healthy puppies from Ellen's Labrador that have become part of many families here in Dhaka.

After a month in Tanzania, Ruth Winkelmann and John will be settling back into their home at 904 St. Andrews Lane, Parksville, BC, Canada V9P 2M5, on Vancouver Island.

Welcome to our new members from UNICEF:

Tazeen Naazeem Rahman from Pakistan is rejoining her husband in Dhaka following some travels in June.  Tazeen has been attending monthly meetings and getting acquainted with UNWA activities.

Fatima Sesay is from Sierra Leone, West Africa. Her husband, Murtada, is with UNICEF Supply Division. They arrived in December with their 8-year old daughter, Khadija, who is finishing second grade at the American School. A 16 year old daughter studies in the UK.