Our History

Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI) is a result of the life experience, values, passion and vision of two Doctors, Ehsanul Hoque and Brian DeBroff. Although they come from ostensibly different backgrounds, they share the common goal of empowering the impoverished through education and health.

Dr. Ehsanul Hoque grew up in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. He was born with congenital cataracts and, by the age of five, had already undergone eye surgery seven times. His parents were advised not to send him to school in order to avoid undue stress on his eyes, advice they fortunately rejected. By 1987 he had proven his excellence in academics and had become a medical doctor. In 1995 he completed his PhD.

Dr. Hoque's life work is defined and influenced by his early years. His experiences with congenital cataracts granted him a deep understanding of the difficulties faced by the visually impaired and the physically challenged. This empathetic knowledge governed his activities as a medical student.

While in medical school, Dr Hoque started organizing a number of very basic programs to improve the quality of life in rural Bangladesh, like teaching women about proper child nutrition and the importance of eating vegetables during pregnancy. He distributed vegetable seeds to villagers to plant in their homestead gardens and trained women in the villages to spread simple messages about health. He recruited his fellow medical students to work as volunteers, and Terre Des Hommes Netherlands (a charitable organization) joined his effort, buying seeds to give to the villagers and handing out incentives, such as food and clothing to motivate the locals to come to the meetings.

Through his work, he witnessed the suffering of many poor, under-nourished, and often orphaned children - children who had lost hope. He could not help but be moved by the stark contrast between his life and the lives of many growing up in Bangladesh. It became his unwavering conviction that the future of the country and its people could only be improved when its children received adequate education and health care. He continued his effort to work for these children, but he knew extensive help was needed to make any significant and lasting changes.

In 1990, as Dr. Hoque went abroad to further his education, he vowed to continue his mission to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for underprivileged children. During his years abroad, he shared his vision with colleagues and friends, many of whom would later support DCI.

In March, 2001, Dr. Hoque joined the Department of Internal Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, where he met Dr. Brian DeBroff, Vice Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science. As a result of his own experiences, Dr. DeBroff was keen to help orphaned and underprivileged children. Dr. DeBroff had lost his parents when young and since became personally invested in helping orphans and underprivileged children. As a specialist in congenital cataract surgery, and one who has pioneered multiple novel techniques to treat the disease, he was eager to leverage his skills to treat the disease in children, to prevent early blindness in children - a childhood phenomena that occurs all too frequently in developing countries like Bangladesh.

The two doctors discovered that they had much in common - both, for example, led lives of opportunity laced with hardship; both were concerned with bettering the lives of distressed children. They also had a common dream of preventing blindness in children.

Recognizing that their missions to improve the lives of impoverished children were one and the same, Dr. Hoque and Dr. DeBroff joined together to create an organization that would address the plight of impoverished children. On May 24, 2003, at a meeting at Yale University Medical School, Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI) was officially founded. On April 25, 2005, DCI received official recognition from the US government (Secretary of State, Connecticut). Its journey was formalized.

In January 2006, DCI started its Sun-Child Sponsorship Program, which now supports over 500 children. The Sun Child Sponsorship Program (SCSP) is designed to give the poorest and most vulnerable children of Bangladesh the opportunity to become independent and productive citizens, reducing school-dropout rates, fighting preventable diseases (such as early childhood blindness, cleft lip, cleft palate, HIV/AIDS), and actively promoting and protecting child rights.

Since 2005, DCI has received much support and encouragement from sponsors and the tireless effort of many dedicated volunteers. DCI's accomplishments in the areas of education, health care, and alternative income have earned recognition within a short span of time and has garnered assistance from other recognized organizations - such as the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (DAB), the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), the Association for Social and Health Improvemen-Fund Bangladesh (AFB), Ispahani Eye Hospital and Institute of Ophthalmology, Eye Surgery Associates, Connecticut Retina Consultants, Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World (REMEDY)-Yale, Families for Children (FFC), Bangladesh Medical Association of North America (BMANA), GRAM (Generating Resources, Achieving Mobility), SpaandanB, BADHAN (A Voluntary Blood Donors' Organization) and the Agriculture ministry of the Government of Bangladesh.

DCI believes that real joy comes not from social status or material comfort, but from recognizing our common humanity and helping those in need. Ending poverty is a monumental undertaking - it can only be accomplished one child at a time, with your compassion and support.

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