DHAKA, Bangladesh – As Lent calls on Catholics around the world to pray, fast and give alms, many of the faithful in Bangladesh are taking up a fourth practice this year: ministering to the country’s street children.
On a recent Sunday at Dhaka’s Tejgaon Church, Brother Lucio Beninati, a missionary with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), invited parishioners to join the Potho Shishu Sheba organization, a volunteer-run ministry he founded nearly 20 years ago to help children sleeping at railway stations, bus terminals and on city sidewalks. His appeal reached dozens of people. In the weeks that followed, more than 50 Catholics submitted their names to begin a weekly service.
“You can see children lying on the sidewalks almost everywhere in Dhaka,” said Mukta Rosario, a Catholic volunteer who joined the ministry for the first time this Lent. “I always wished I could do something for them. Today, I finally played with them, talked to them and felt very happy. I hope to come back every week.”
Catholic volunteers sit with street children during an activity session in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 14, 2026. Credit: Sumon Korraya
The ministry works with some of Bangladesh’s most vulnerable children – girls and boys who have fled violence at home, been abandoned by parents, or have moved to the city alone in search of work. Without guardians, many sleep near train tracks or market stalls, survive by begging, carrying burdens or engaging in petty crime, drug trafficking or exploitation.
Another new volunteer, teacher Maria Baroui, said the time spent with the children transformed her Lenten journey. He said, “For me these are not ‘street children’. These are children living in helplessness.” “If even one of them returns to a stable life because someone cared, that’s a blessing.”
Volunteers gather at railway stations – particularly Kamlapur in Dhaka – to provide informal lessons, games, art activities, storytelling and emotional support. They also provide basic health care, transport sick children to hospitals, and help reunify those who want to return home. If returning home is not possible, the team arranges shelter in orphanages or rehabilitation centres.
“In the eyes of society, these children are often rejected,” said volunteer Samuel Mondol. “But serving them is pure joy. It is selfless service, and I want to continue it long after Lent.”
A mission rooted in love
Beninati, a 70-year-old Italian missionary, has spent decades working with abandoned children. Before coming to Bangladesh, he served for seven years in Brazil, where he first learned street-child outreach. He later spent 24 years in Bangladesh before relocating again in 2022. From January 6 to March 3 this year, he returned to Dhaka to strengthen the volunteer network.
“When parents leave them, there is no one left to take care of them,” he said. “But love can change lives. Good behavior, compassion and consistency – these are the tools that bring a child back to a normal life. Without love, no one can return.”
The organization operates without foreign funding. Every cost – from medical emergencies to sports equipment to educational materials – is borne by the volunteers themselves.
Brother Lucio Beninati during an outreach session at Kamalapur railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 27, 2026. Credit: Sumon Korraya
One of the most poignant testimonies comes from Tamim, a young Muslim who once worked as a porter at Kamlapur railway station. He lost touch with his family and met with a serious accident while deboarding a train, which resulted in the amputation of one of his legs. Volunteers helped him receive treatment at a paraplegic rehabilitation center, where he also received a prosthetic limb and enrolled in mobile phone repair training. Last year, he played with his team in the National Wheelchair Basketball Championship – and they won.
“If it weren’t for Brother Lucio and the other volunteers, I would still be sleeping at the station,” Tamim said.
Another child, Muslim Rakib, ran away from home at the age of 8 after being beaten by his stepmother. Now aged 10, he regularly meets volunteers at the station. “Here we play and draw,” he said. “We get medicine. As long as they’re here, we feel safe.” He hopes to go home soon.
A ministry for all religions
Although the ministry was founded by a Catholic missionary, about 90% of its volunteers are Muslims. The service has become a bridge of harmony in a country where Christians are a small minority.
Muslim volunteer Shafiqul Islam said interfaith unity is one of the group’s greatest strengths. “Serving these kids feels like serving God,” he said. “Here we are Muslims, Hindus and Christians. We respect each other’s faith and work together for the welfare of children. Our harmony has increased through this service.”
Bridget Correa, a Catholic teacher who joined the ministry 20 years ago, said her inspiration comes from her own story. “I grew up in an orphanage run by the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM Sisters),” she said. “I was loved so much. I repay that gift by serving street children.”
Changing Lent through service
For many Catholics in Dhaka, this Lent has taken on new meaning through their encounters with children. Playing, teaching and simply listening have become acts of penance, charity and spiritual renewal.
“Lent is not just about sacrifice or fasting,” Beninati reminded the faithful. “It’s also about serving – especially those who have no one.”
As more volunteers join the mission, the ministry hopes to expand its work across Dhaka. But its heart remains simple: one meeting at a time, one child at a time, honoring those the world often ignores.
