Faridpur, Bangladesh
We give the children of women in forced prostitution a safe home, schooling and care. And we help women find a way out of the brothel.
A few years ago I shot the documentary WAS TUN in Faridpur, Bangladesh. While filming, I saw the terrible conditions the women and children in the brothels there have to live with.
When I asked for donations on Facebook, the response was overwhelming. It allowed us to open a small home for the children. We also support women who have left forced prostitution in building a self-determined life outside the brothel.
Every time I'm at the Bondhu home, I'm moved to see how the children blossom, grow, play, learn, and become more confident and open.
Michael Kranz, founder and chair
Two homes are at the heart of our work. On top of that, we fund training and fast help when someone falls through the cracks. On the ground we work closely with the local charity Shapla Mohila Sangstha.
A safe home for the sons of women in (forced) prostitution: round-the-clock care, three meals a day, clothes, tutoring and regular schooling.
A home for the daughters of women in forced prostitution, who would otherwise grow up in the brothel. Since 2025 it has been funded mainly by the Bondhu project.
We help women who have been freed from forced prostitution to learn a trade and build a self-determined life.
Fast, unbureaucratic help when people fall through the cracks: in medical emergencies, in cases of child marriage and to escape sexual slavery.
The documentary
The Bondhu project grew out of this documentary. Michael Kranz filmed it in Faridpur from 2015 onwards. In the film he searches for Nupur, and it also shows how the project began.
WAS TUN (German for “What to do”) premiered at DOK.fest München in 2020 and was then shown in cinemas and on TV, including on ORF and in the ARD Mediathek.
English version (voice-over by Journeyman Pictures). Not available in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
English version (voice-over by Journeyman Pictures). Not available in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
Original German version with German subtitles
Original German version with German subtitles
Original German version with German subtitles
The Bondhu project in Bangladesh made a deep impression on me. Inspired by the film WAS TUN, I wanted to be part of it, and that decision has enriched my life. Working with the children, who were so open and warm despite their difficult circumstances, was full of emotions that are hard to put into words.
2025 was the year it mattered. Thanks to your support, the Shapla girls' home has been saved. It is now funded mainly by the Bondhu project, and so it will remain a place of …
You have made this year a record year. Although the documentary film WAS TUN is no longer shown in cinemas or on TV (it is, however, still available in the ARD Mediathek until …
A few impressions of my time with the children on my last trip.
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Here in Germany we are all volunteers, and there's no marketing machine behind us. Instead, we put our whole heart into the project.
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