Living with the Gifted Ones!
Last three months for JAAGO Foundation is a story of hunting down extraordinary talent from a place that very few is ready to look into. We believe in the unusually gifted children we are blessed with and their natural flair, confidence and enthusiasm to learn, share and explore. JAAGO elicits its drive from these exceptional yet innocent individuals to fight and work harder in spite of the daunting experiences it has to face! It is passion and love for these deprived children that keeps us moving. We welcome everyone who shares this value!
The Portable School
Re-construction of Karail School
Running a school in slum areas in developing country implies agreeing to the reality of forced eviction from time to time. Facing such vandalism resulting in a smashed down Karail School September last year prompted JAAGO Foundation to come up with an innovative and sustainable solution that would let them go on despite such mayhems. With the design from Suvastu Development Limited and financing from GraphicPeople the organization put up portable classrooms this September in JAAGO Foundation School in Karail. With an uncomplicated design and available materials these classrooms can be taken down and re-constructed in only a few hours without any professional help or tools. The volunteers of Volunteer for Bangladesh, our concern organization was in charge of the whole process.
Corporate Volunteerism
Our Rapport with SCB Goes On
Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), Bangladesh is a long time supporter and well-wisher of JAAGO Foundation. Besides having their employees as our regular volunteers SCB has also contributed in constructing one of our reception classrooms, redecorating the library and painting the classrooms. In last three months our partnership has grown stronger through the generous donation of one-day salary of each SCB employee; their presented stationary items and small gifts like stickers, hair bands and chocolates; and providing of Safety Training Program for JAAGO kids on handling household dangers.
The Joy of Learning
Two More Sessions on Environmental Awareness
Our effort to make our children learn and love the nature still holds on! Ms. Remeen Firoz with her fun and interactive techniques conducted two more sessions in Rayer Bazar and Karail within last two months. Topics included weather and climate, food pyramid, preparedness for disasters, natural calamities such as earthquake, flood and rainfall, as well as issues like changes in migration and flowering pattern and the vulnerability of coastal areas. In an effort to make the session more effective Ms. Firoz encouraged the children to bring out their own experience and learning and connect them with the new information as well as blended colorful pictures, questions, and information to stir their imagination and enthusiasm.
Building Leadership
Celebrating International Day of the Girl Child
In October this year JAAGO Foundation partnered with Garden of Hope (GoH), a leading non-profit organization and a change-maker advocating the rights of the disadvantaged women and girls, in celebrating the ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ and ‘2012 Asian Girls Campaign’. The event to celebrate ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ opened for an avenue that helped bring out the incredible leadership talent among JAAGO kids. As part of the program a number of students in JAAGO Foundation were given to conduct three workshops for their counterparts in three other schools in the locality - SAFE School, Zafrabad Adorsho School and Chetonabikash. The workshops turned out to be a pride for JAAGO Foundation with its students showing higher skill for motivation and leadership as expressed in leading the session on girl child awareness. The program was later followed by a cultural performance by JAAGO children which basically was a musical drama on the theme of “Girls Life Transformation” that conveyed the same message on the rights of girl child earning higher appreciation.
Health Issues
Hand-Washing Campaign with Lifebuoy
The 'Lifebuoy Hand-Washing Campaign' with participation from 60 students of Standard-I was held at the JAAGO Foundation, Head Office on December 1, 2012. The campaign was divided into four segments: hands on learning about the proper way to wash with soap; a few hours of interactive quiz session; display of a special episode of ‘Meena’ Cartoon on cleanliness and hygiene; and special demonstration by volunteers. Members of Volunteer for Bangladesh, the volunteer wing of JAAGO Foundation, with help of a UV light demonstrated germs that cannot be seen with naked eye, in an effort to make the learning more effective and fun for the children. The campaign ended with awards for children participating in the quiz test and the students taking an oath, along with the volunteers, regarding washing their hands regularly with the proper technique.
Eye-Checkup for JAAGO kids
Special Eye Camp for the students of JAAGO Foundation School, Rayer Bazar Branch on October 11, 2012 and for the students of Karail branch on October 18, 2012 by specialist doctors was part of JAAGO program for World Sight Day. The children received regular-check up and medicines and spectacles were provided to those who needed them. The programs were facilitated by Standard Chartered Bangladesh (SCB) and Beximco Pharma.
Our Very Own Boogie-Woogie!
Amra Shobai Raja, Amader ei Deshe
With their indomitable spirit, JAAGO kids promise to dance all the fears away and hail everything novel and beautiful that the six seasons have to offer. Nritto Dhara has been with them in this journey. JAAGO Foundation, along with Nritto Dhara, arranged a dance program titled “Amra Shobai Raja Amader Ei Deshe” on Friday, October 12, 2012 with participation from more than 90 students from JAAGO Foundation. Supported by the American Center, the dance program paid tribute to six seasons of Bangladesh. The little dancers with their talent dazzled the audience including the renowned Dancer Munmun Ahmed.
Bringing Rhythm to the Food Fest
After the “Amra Shobai Raja Amader Ei Deshe” program and 2012 Asian Girls Campaign musical drama performance, the little dancers from JAAGO Foundation again mesmerized the audience with their extraordinary flair for dancing in Bangladesh Food Fest 2012. The three-day festival brought all the favourite restaurants of the capital in one place with the sumptuous and mouth-watering food and served along with it the startling cultural performance of JAAGO kids.
A Last Note!
JAAGO Foundation is always grateful to those whose generous support and donation keeps the flame of our spirit alive! And we welcome more people to be part of our family. If you feel to believe in the cause we work for and want to help, you can visit our ‘Sponsor a Child’ and ‘GlobalGiving Project Report’ page and decide on your ways of contribution. You are even welcome at our home in Rayer Bazar, Dhaka and meet these wonderful children!
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JAAGO sails ahead!
Despite hundreds imperatives JAAGO is determined to forge ahead. Within last three months, it has opened up two more schools and launched ‘DigiClass’, a pilot project to provide the students with state-of-the-art technological vantage aimed at making their learning process more effective and interactive. Apart from embracing new students, JAAGO Schools are taking novel steps to give the underprivileged children exposure to new experiences that they could not otherwise imagine! We are resolute to provide the best education to these children. Your engagement and benevolent contribution, in this course, will support us each step of the way to help them have a better life.
New Ventures!
Two New Branches!
Within last month JAAGO expanded its family to include two more branches of its school – one in Rajshahi on September 2, 2012 and the other in Chittagong on September16, 2012. This added 167 new children to JAAGO family making the total figure around 1200. We are working hard to reach more and more underprivileged children throughout the country and will soon open one more branch outside Dhaka to render quality education to the deprived.
JAAGO Goes Digital
‘DigiClass’, which is a syllabi-compliant, multimedia-based, interactive teaching tool, was inaugurated in the Rayer Bazar branch this month on September 10. It contains all educational contents designed for K-12 education and will transform the archaic blackboard-and-chalk classroom environs into a communicative milieu with help from this multimedia hardware. The venture will ease up explanation of complex concepts to the students through use of audio-visual contents and ensure active participation of all students. Launched as a trial scheme, JAAGO team is planning to soon bring over the project to its other branches.
The Rapturous Class Party and Bounce for a New Session
At the end of June students and teachers of three JAAGO schools joined in panoply to organize a class party full of glee, joy and bliss. Students, with their colourful clothes and party cap, were looking like butterflies dancing and singing in a chirpy mood the whole day. With help from their teachers the students decorated their classroom with balloons and colorful paper and prepared to dive for a new session from July this year.
Corporate Volunteerism
SCB Volunteers Spend a Day in JAAGO School
Encouraging and accommodating corporate volunteerism makes a unique feature for JAAGO Foundation Schools. This break supports community service proposition of the staffs under Employee Value Proposition (EVP) concern of the corporations and portrays them as role models for our students as well. Last month, as part of rapport building effort from both the organizations, employees from Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) volunteered in painting JAAGO classrooms. They also contributed in constructing one of our reception classrooms as well as redecorating the library.
Exposures
Learning English with Neel and Clay
The JAAGO students had two wonderful months with Neel Patel and Clay Hackney learning and enjoying the ‘Conversation Class’ with interactive sessions and fun-stuffs. Neel Patel and Clay Hackney, friends of JAAGO and students of University of North Carolina came to Bangladesh as our guests and became part of JAAGO team fabricating the concept of a ‘Conversation Class’. The idea was aimed at making the students deft at communicative English through an innovative and playful learning experience.
Batighar Comes to JAAGO
As part of boosting motivation of its students, JAAGO Foundation Bangladesh organized a two-day workshop for students between 9-12 years at its Rayer Bazar branch from July 12-July 14, 2012.First margin of the workshop was designed with a meditation session named as ‘Anandajatra’. The meditation session to be followed by two exercises – one ‘Ekta Buro Angul Nore’ and the other based on Tagore’s ‘Tasher Ghor’- and drawing pictures was schemed and conducted by Batighar, an organization dedicated towards child mental health development. The next day Batighar was joined by ‘Brotocharee’, a cultural movement, to make the day frisky with sharee gaan, briticharee, rhymes and again drawing pictures. JAAGO Foundation plans to make more such arrangements to provide its students as best the emotive boosting as possible.
Making Bond with Nature
After the celebration of ‘World Biological Diversity Day’ with IUCN, the students of JAAGO Foundation School - Karail Branch, attended a lecture on Environmental Studies. The session familiarized the students with the map of Bangladesh and Dhaka City; the main rivers of Bangladesh; and different types of flora and fauna. The session encouraged the students to love and be respectful towards their nature and environment. Students also participated in planting 200 trees in the school yard of its Rayer Bazar and Karail branch on World Environment Day 2012 under JAAGO’s ‘Green Dhaka: BE PART OF IT’ campaign.
Culture We Indulge In
Drawing the Olympians
British Council Bangladesh and JAAGO Foundation teed up an art competition for the impoverished children studying in JAAGO schools. The competitors aged between 5 to 14 years drew pictures taking ‘sports’ as the theme in order to celebrate London Olympics 2012. A number of best artists will be selected from these art works and called on to attend a final competition to be held at British Council.
A Thank You Note!
We graciously thank all our sponsors for the wonderful difference they have made into the life of hundreds deprived children. Your contribution means a lot to us. Every penny you donate will change the course of a life merged in dire poverty. By contributing only a minimum amount of USD $20 per month under JAAGO’s ‘Sponsor a Child’ program, you can also be a part of our family. Your donation will bear the educational expenditures of one particular child. If you intend to become a donor, please hop in to our ‘Sponsor a Child’ page and then visit our ‘GlobalGiving Project Report’ page to start donation! Every child is precious and with your help we can make a difference in their life together. Thank you so much again for supporting us in our cause!
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Thanks!
Your donation to help further the education of underprivileged children in the slums of Bangladesh means a great deal to all of us. Not only are you a donor to JAAGO’s education mission; you are part of it. We will send monthly newsletters like this one to keep you updated with our efforts as well as provide you with many more ways to become directly involved in the lives of the children you are graciously supporting.
News and Events
Exam Week
This week, students at the JAAGO School completed their final exams for the year. After many group study sessions and review classes, the well-prepared students took their exams. On June 28th, the students will receive their report cards for the last quarter as well as for the whole year. The students have all worked hard to get where they are, and this is the last step before they can move up one standard!
Biodiversity Day
The ‘International Day for Biological Diversity 2012’ was on the 22nd of May 2012. Members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), visited the JAAGO Foundation’s Rayer Bazar School. Our guests talked to the students about ‘Conserving Marine and Coastal Biodiversity’ – which was also the worldwide theme for the day. They explained about the life of various marine animals and the dangers to their species. The members of IUCN also organized an Art Competition where the students were asked to draw their favorite aquatic animal.
Spelling Bee
For the second time since its inception, JAAGO Foundation School hosted its Annual ‘Spelling Bee’ on the 23rd of May, 2012. The competition was held in all the classes (except Reception), and one winner was chosen from each class. The students were asked to spell some words based on the Grades they study in. The teachers themselves were the judges of the competition. The winner of each class was awarded a certificate of merit.
Student Spotlight
Md. Lelin Ahmed is in this month’s Student Spotlight! He is in Class 2, and he won this year’s Spelling Bee. Lelin loves playing cricket and hanging out with his friends, JAAGO volunteers, and even his teachers after class. He is very proud of his victory in the Spelling Bee. “Spelling is very difficult for me. I convinced my [English] teacher, Tahmeed, that I would win. I tried very hard. There were many rounds, but I did not give in. My motto is never give up.” Lelin also sees JAAGO as an important part of his life. “I think JAAGO is my second home. I love JAAGO very much. My family is poor. My parents think that, when I grow up, I will be a rickshaw puller. My father is a rickshaw puller. I want to be an engineer, and JAAGO has given me that opportunity.”
Want to do more?
Once again, thank you so much for your support. Your donations have already done wonders to help JAAGO’s education goals. As the JAAGO Foundation has grown, we have seen that children, not only in Dhaka but also around the nation, are in more need of help than ever. Starting this July, we are recruiting 800 new students, raising the number of underprivileged children in our schools from 600 to 1400. Recruiting these students, however, means that we will need the same number of new sponsors to support their education. By contributing a minimum amount of USD $20 per month, a sponsor covers all expenditures for one particular child. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, check out the child sponsoship page on JAAGO’s website. Then head to our GlobalGiving Project Page to start your sponsorship! The kids at JAAGO have worked very hard to get where they are now, but they could not do it without the help of caring and engaged sponsors.
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