Hashi and Khushi are the names of the twin girls who inspired this book. In Bangla, Hashi and Khushi mean 'Happiness and Laughter'. Together they make up a common Bangladeshi expression that means joyful.



During a public health graduate project in one of Dhaka's 5,000 slum clusters, Kem met Bilkes and her twin daughters. In his struggle to understand why the children in this slum and his own niece and nephew in the United States would have very different futures, he was driven to document a day in the life of these children.



Kem hopes that his work will influence many to see the beauty and worth of every child they encounter, whether in their own home or in remote parts of the world. This book is dedicated to all children.