About the Charity

Who are the trustees?

Originally Italian from Rome Bruna was involved in various humanitarian projects in Africa and South America before going to Bangladesh and falling in love with the country and the people. And never before had she come across anyone else with Ali’s approach to helping the disabled.

Bruna has worked in many fields – PR, teacher, fund-raiser  – and in many countries. She loves cooking (the Italian connection), travelling and reading.

Bruna is always on the move and is known as “The Girl with the Suitcase”.

Dinah has run her own literary agency for over 20 years.   Her clients include the scientist David Deutsch, historians Malcolm Billings and Daniel Snowman, novelists Wendy K. Harris and Marcia Willett. She had always loved India, then became interested in Bangladesh after reading the travel memoir of Ann Hamilton, one of our new trustees, who she now represents.

For some time Dinah had felt the need to “give something back”. This inspired her to do a sponsored walk for charity along the “camino”, the pilgrims’ road to Santiago de la Compostela in Spain.

She had recently met Bruna Colombo-Otten who was bubbling over about the remarkable Ali and what, with her support, he was doing for the children of Bhola. Dinah voluteered to visit Bhola with Bruna in November 2006 and immediately knew she had found her cause.

Dinah chairs the trustee meetings and runs the charity day to day from her office.

Barnaby is married with two children. He works in London as a fund manager.

Barnaby previously had no direct connection with Bangladesh, but his mother Dinah’s enthusiasm for Bhola did not exactly go unnoticed. He was touched by Ali’s story and saw the opportunity to extend the family involvement in the venture.

Sandy’s family already had deep connections with India (before independence), East Pakistan/Bangladesh and Burma when he met his future wife (an Indian born in Burma).

All three children of one of his cousins were born with cleft lips, so Sandy counts his blessings in having two sons with no disabilities.

Sandy works as an economist providing consultancy and research services on government policy issues in particular relating to taxation and pensions. He is a qualified chartered accountant.

A further four people were appointed trustees from 29 April 2008.

José Luis Andarias - José Luis Andarias y de Prado has been actively involved in this project from the very beginning. During a stay in Morocco, he met Bruna Colombo-Otten who talked to him about the work she was starting in Bhola. Her project captured his attention and, since then, José Luis has made two visits to Bhola with Bruna. Jose’s great strength among all the trustees is that he has a good basic knowledge of signing.

Jose Luis lives in Madrid and, before becoming a marketing manager, his career was in the film industry.

Anne Hamilton - It could be said that, were it not for Anne Hamilton, Bhola's Children as a charity might not exist. When she was thirty Anne spent several months in Bangladesh, working for an NGO. She subsequently wrote an enchanting travel memoir, A Blonde Bengali Wife, and sent it to Dinah who took her on as a client and has been trying to find a publisher ever since. But, as Anne said, it has served its purpose in that it inspired Dinah to go to Bangladesh and meeting Bruna some months later sent her to Bhola Island. Anne is now about to self-publish A Blonde Bengali Wife, all proceeds goingto Bhola's Children. Anne lives in Edinburgh, where she works for the charity Children 1ST, which cares for children in need in Scotland.

Jessamy Morris - Jessamy first heard of Bhola's Children from Dinah, her aunt, and was immediately impressed with what was being achieved at Bhola Garden, and the passion and commitment of those involved. Already working as a fundraiser for a UK music charity, she was happy to get involved with Bhola's Children, and to help in any way she can. Keen to move towards working full time for humanitarian charities, Jessamy is delighted to have the opportunity to fundraise for such a wonderful cause. A keen traveller, Jessamy looks forward to visiting Bhola Island one day soon, to see first hand what has been achieved.

Sally Sutton - Sally Sutton: age over 3 score and ten years: three daughters and 7 grandchildren.
For many years she worked as a Personal Assistant to the Chairman of Philips Electrical, Sir James Goldsmith, during which time she travelled extensively; she organised the European Office of EMAIL, a very large Australian company and was involved in marketing equipment for the refrigeration of sea going containers. She was promoted to the Marketing Manager for the whole of Europe and then set up her own company visiting clients in all major ports and terminals, arranging exhibition stands and appropriate entertaining all over the world.

Sally lately worked for REACT, a charity for terminally ill children - fund raising and organising events. She is now Honorary Secretary of The Kew Society.

The trustees are not the only people to have given generously of their time and skills to Bhola’s Children. The trustees wish particularly to acknowledge the work done by

Who are the trustees?