Child Protection Bangladesh Project #21141

Save a Girl from Child Marriage with a Scholarship

by World Concern

Project Report | Jul 6, 2017
Look What Your Gifts Are Doing!

By Jonathan Steck | Senior Editor

Thank you, THANK YOU!

As you can see, these girls are SO excited to be together and in school. YOU made this happen by giving them a scholarship gift. Now they can learn safely and avoid becoming child brides.

In Bangladesh, so many girls (some as young as 10) are pressured into getting married. Families are in such poverty that they simply can't afford to send their girls to school, and are instead marrying them off to older men. When this happens they are open to abuse, and worse.

So when your gift arrived, these two best friends couldn’t believe it—they couldn’t stop giving thanks! Thanks to you they can now go to school and not be frightened of marrying a complete stranger.

You have done a remarkable thing , I hope you know that. More than sending girls to school and saving them from the pain of having children before they're ready, you've brought these two friends hope. Your compassion tells girls they are valued, and have the ability to do great things.

Indeed in many of the villages where World Concern works, girls that have been saved from child marriage are now advocating for other children. They are becoming empowered and bringing hope to their communities. Some are even bravely going from door to door to speak out against child marriage.

This is what your gifts are doing in Bangladesh!! YOU inspired these girls.

Thank you for helping. So many people just look past what's happening here but you didn't—it’s truly amazing. Your gifts bring courage, and tells girls at risk that they are loved, and deeply cared for.

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Apr 5, 2017
You Spared Her from Child Marriage!

By Jonathan Steck | Senior Editor

She's Staying in School Thanks to YOU!

This remarkable story from Bangladesh shows you the kind of impact your gifts are making. Dipa was on the brink of being married off, but thanks to you she is now pursuing her educational dreams!

Like so many girls in the poor villages of Bangladesh, Dipa grew up with very little opportunity. Her father was the only person in the family who made any money and as a seasonal fisherman, it was barely enough to feed them. When things got really difficult, Dipa and her brother and sister would go without food for days at a time.

These dire situations led to her parents making a difficult choice -- to marry off Dipa's older sister to ease the financial burden. With her older sister out of the home, Dipa feared that she was next. She did everything to change her parents mind, but without the income to support her schooling, they had little choice but to consider marrying Dipa off also.

Her mother was devastated to pull Dipa out of school, especially as she was such a good student. Her grades were near the top of the class and she had dreams of becoming a teacher. Her mother (a child bride herself) knew that marrying her girls off would affect them for the rest of their lives.

Days before Dipa was due to be taken from school, your gifts arrived and were able to give Dipa a scholarship to stay in school. Thanks to you, this precious girl is now safe from child marriage and is once again chasing her dreams of becoming a teacher.

"I am really grateful," Dipa says with a smile. "Without your support I would not have been able to continue with my studies!"

And you'll be pleased to know that Dipa's mom has now been supported in buying a small sewing machine, that she is now using to boost the family income and make sure that her kids stay in school, and that food is on the table.

Thanks to you, Dipa and her family have a new hope for the future -- thank YOU!

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Jan 8, 2017
Saved Thanks to YOU!

By Jonathan Steck | Senior Editor

She's safe and at school thanks to YOU!

When we first found Oyshi she was in great danger.

Living in Bangladesh, and in extreme poverty, her parents could not afford to keep her in school. At only 12 years of age, staying in school was not only important for her future, but also for her safety.

Sadly, it’s common in rural villages for girls like Oyshi to be married off early to remove the financial burden on the families. And as her father was only a simple day laborer, and her mother a housewife, Oyshi was at great risk of becoming a child bride.

Thankfully, your gift arrived just in time.

Your gift was used to enrol Oyshi in a local school, and having quickly found the friendships and stability she needed, she’s now excelling at her classes and confidently facing her future. Gone are the fears she had of becoming a child bride and being married off to a complete stranger. You've saved her from something horrible. Instead, you’ve given Oyshi hope, and the opportunity to study and earn her way out of poverty.

Her teachers are very impressed with Oyshi’s commitment, and are equally excited that your gift is beginning to set an example for others in the community. We're excited to let you know that word is now spreading to neighboring villages about the importance of educating children like Oyshi, and not marrying them off. If this positivity continues, you could really be helping to change the shocking culture of child marriage in Bangladesh.

I'm sure you'll agree that this is truly wonderful news, and Oyshi and other girls in these poor villages have you to thank for this remarkable change!

Oyshi is understandably overjoyed at what you’ve done for her, explaining what life would be like without your help, “I would grow up as an illiterate woman," she says. "Now in the future I want to be an ideal teacher to teach the poor children in my community.”

Thank you for giving girls like Oyshi an education, and saving them from the horrors of child marriage.

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