Faiza finds home

The newborn, rescued by a stray dog last month, has found a new home.

She was taken from Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) to Chhotomoni Nibas, a government-run shelter for lost or abandoned children at Azimpur in the capital yesterday.

The child, now 28-days-old, has been named Faiza by physicians at the DMCH where she was being treated since being rescued.

"She has withstood a lot and survived. So, we named her Faiza which means victorious," said DMCH Director Brig Gen Mizanur Rahman.

The Chhotomoni Nibas authority was overwhelmed by the number of people pouring in to adopt the baby.

"We are telling them to go to a court first for adoption approval as we don't have the authority," said Deputy In-charge of the children's home Selina Akhter, who took over Faiza from the DMCH authority.

At the DMCH seminar hall, Faiza was formally handed over to Selina around 1:00pm.

At Chhotomoni Nibas, Faiza was doing well. She had her milk and giggled on a number of occasions before falling asleep, Selina told The Daily Star yesterday evening.

On September 15, locals found the newborn wrapped in a polythene bag at the end a runway of the Old Airport in the capital.

Some children were playing there when they heard the crying of a baby. When they started looking around, they saw a stray dog dragging the bag with the child in it towards them.

A woman, named Tania Begum, then rushed the baby to the DMCH as she had suffered injuries in the nose, upper lips and fingers, possibly while being dragged to safety by the dog.

Despite media reports, nobody came to the hospital to claim the child. Tania said she would adopt Faiza if the law permitted her to.

Meanwhile, DMCH Director Mizanur said they would conduct reconstructive plastic surgeries on the baby when she is three months old.