Adult Literacy Classes and Village Primary Schools

Thank you for responding with compassion to the needs in Bangladesh. Your partnership with RED and HRDP’s community development work of providing access to education is opening up new doors and giving hope for a child, and going beyond to impact the whole family. Here is one young girl’s story.

“My name is Rupa. I am eight years old. In my family we are two girls. I am disabled and an orphan. My father died a few years before. I really miss my father. My mother is very poor. She works as a day labourer. However, our situation changed when HRDP set up a school near my house and provided all that was needed for me to attend school. Last year, I started my education at HRDP’s primary school and it has been very helpful for me. Now I am in Class 2. I am writing this with my left hand because my right hand is disabled. Now, I can read books, calculate maths, sing songs and dance too. I can read and write all of the English alphabet and I also learned many English poems. I love my school and my school teacher. My mother and grandfather are so happy for me to study at HRDP’s primary school.”

With a wide network of HRDP students, the teachers and school supervisors meet every few months for training and development. This allows teachers to collaborate and to hear stories of the student’s progress in their studies. Even local primary school teachers are impacted through their work with our organization.

“My name is Mst. Nazmun. I am married and I have a baby girl. My husband is a teacher at a different school. I am really proud to be a teacher with the HRDP primary school here in my village.

Every day I prepare my lesson for my students. I follow the study guide, which I got from HRDP for teaching my students the right way. My students are now able to read Bengali books and also they can speak some Bangla, which they were taught in the school. Students can calculate simple math, like addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication. All students have regular attendance in the class and they enjoy my teaching in the classes.

One year ago, my life was not valuable and I was not very special in the society, but now I am an important person and people honor me in my village because I am a teacher.

Now I have a dignity and honor in the society, even also in my house. My husband helps me a lot with for my present job. Through my job as a teacher, I can also help my family financially. Now we have a happy family. I am really thankful to HRDP for opening a Village primary school here and selecting me as a teacher.”

Stories like these encourage us in our development work, though needs are vast and challenges continue. It is a privilege to be involved in changing lives and communities in Bangladesh through education! We continue to seek worldwide partners who desire to make a difference through education and literacy in some of the most needy places. Thank you from RED and our partner for your support through GlobalGiving!

A new challenge ahead

Monsoon rains and floods have swept many South Asian nations, including Bangladesh. The situation in the north of Bangladesh is declining as water from all the country’s major rivers is flowing together, causing waters to rise.

Two of HRDP’s village primary schools have been flooded and families in the communities where HRDP works have been affected. In some regions education is interrupted; in others teaching continues. As a response, HRDP staff are aiming to raise funds to provide basic emergency food and medicine for 200 families in several districts across Bangladesh; families, who were already poor, have now lost everything.

If you would be able to support this project please follow the link below and also share it with your friends. This is the worst flood Bangladesh has had for twenty years and the results are devastating. Thank you for helping bring hope.

Links:

• Bangladesh Flood Relief

Each day children crowd into HRDP’s various Village Primary Schools to learn. For many this is a dream come true as education previously was not a reality on their horizon. Now children can learn to read and write and grow together as a primary school group. Though they laugh and play at school, their young lives have been filled with much sadness. Each student has his or her own story.

Rasel’s story

My name is Rasel and I am nine years old. I have two younger sisters. My mother works as a maid to support our family financially. My father does not have a job. We do not have our own house, but we live at our grandparents’ house. The money that my mother earns is not enough to support us for our education. I saw many of my friends going to school with smiling faces, but I could not go to school because of our family’s poverty. My mother does not have enough money to provide me with books, pens or school uniforms, so my family decided to send me to another person’s house as house keeper.

Meanwhile, the organization HRDP did a survey in our area to start up a village primary school for children who dropped out of school and needy students. HRDP provides all the books, pencils and even school uniforms for us. The staff of HRDP talked with my family and encouraged them to send me to their primary school. They assured my mother that they would provide for all kinds of needs I have. Finally my mother and grandparents agreed to send me.

Now I am very happy because I can go to a school. I can read, write and also I have fun with my classmates. Now my dream is to be a successful man and serve the community and my country.

As a family, we are so thankful to all HRDP staff, teachers, supervisors and especially those who are supporting us.

With thanks 

Rasel, Primary School Student

To help reinforce the importance of education for children, in many villages where HRDP’s primary schools are run, we also teach reading and writing for adults. Throughout the year, HRDP run 15 adult literacy classes for men and woman separately in three districts of Bangladesh. Classes run six days a week for nine months. The adult literacy classes teach men and women how to read which protects them from being taken advantage of in their business dealings. One of our workers recently gathered the story of a HDRP literacy student.

Bina’s story

My name is Mst. Bina. I’m 25 years old. My parents arranged for me to be married 7 years ago due to poverty.  My husband is a day labourer. We do not have any land of our own. In our village there is some unused government land beside the main road, where we built a tin house with a bamboo fence. We have a son who is four years old.

Sometimes I need to visit some local offices for work. They would ask me to write my name and give my signature, but most of the time I hesitated and felt shame because I was illiterate. Since my childhood I always dreamt of becoming an educated woman. But it was not possible as my family was poor. Also there was no school near our house. I understood the importance of education as I grew up and faced many difficulties in life. I could not find any place or resources to help me literate. I deeply desired to study so I could be able to read and write and so that people cannot cheat me when I sign business documents.

In March 2015, Human Resources Development Project (HRDP) did a survey to open an adult literacy centre in our area.  When I heard about this, I met with the staff of HRDP about the opportunity to study at their literacy centre. In July 2015 we started our literacy journey where I’m a regular proud learner. Our class is still running. Now I can read, write and even do calculations. We are also learning about social awareness issues along with our regular study. For example, now we are learning about the disadvantage of child marriage, the effect of the dowry system, basic hygiene and also the bad effects of drug addiction.

I am very thankful to the HRDP organization for giving me this opportunity and the life I am leading now. I am very grateful to the people who supported us in our journey, and hope that they will be blessed so that they can also help many other illiterate women around the world.

Thank you

Mst. Bina

Thank you again for all of your support for this project through RED International and HRDP. You are helping these women and children to rewrite the stories of their lives with hope for the future!

Please share this report with your friends and wider networks.

Matched Funding Opportunity with Global Giving - See your donation increased by 50% on 15th June 2016

We would like to encourage you to share this project with your friends, colleagues and wider networks. Global Giving have a matched funding opportunity in both the US and the UK on 15th of June 2016 when donations will be matched by 50%.

On June 15th, GlobalGiving.org (in the US) will be holding a Bonus Day with $110,000 available in matching funds. RED International has attained the "Superstar" reward status which means donations to our projects will be 50% Matched. Donations of up to $1,000 will be matched. This is only applies to donations made online between 9:00:01 EDT and 23:59:59 EDT on June 15th (time in your city).

Also on June 15th GlobalGiving.co.uk will be running their own Bonus Day for UK donors!  There will be £10,000 matching funds available  and all donations given to RED International's projects on GlobalGiving.co.uk  will be matched by 50% as long as the funds last. Donations of up to £1,000 will be matched. Again this only applies to donations made online between 14:00:01 BST on June 15th and 4:59:59 BST on June 16th (time in your city).