Support children's education in Bangladesh
The town of Tongi is located 20 km from the multimillion capital of Bangladesh – Dhaka. The proximity of a huge agglomeration means that there are many factories and industrial plants there, but it is not easy to find a job there. Those who find it work for low wages, most often as a seamstress or seamstress. Most of them live in the slums of Ershad Nagar, where ADRA volunteers and employees have been serving the community in the field of education and humanitarian aid for many years.
School in Tongi and our help in Bangladesh
The school run by the ADRA foundation has been operating since 1972 and aims to provide high-quality education for slum children and provide them with basic school equipment. It provides a friendly environment to stimulate their creativity and interest in education, which will reduce the percentage of early school leavers in the future.
School run by ADRA Bangladesh:
- It is a chance for the future for 175 children from the Ershad Hagar slum;
- It works as a foundation and educates parents on the following topics: education, health, protection of women’s and children’s rights, sexual abuse, domestic and gender-based violence, drug abuse, early marriage and other issues (the educational campaign is aimed at 220 adults);
- Provides two hot lunches a week for all students;
- It has been operating since 1972 and has lifted thousands of children and their families from poverty;
- It has a great reputation among parents, educators and children.
What does science look like in Bangladesh
Even though the Bangladeshi government provides free primary school education, materials such as books, uniforms, shoes, bags, and food represent a huge barrier for irregular-income parents from informal work sectors such as: domestic help, seamstress, rickshaw driver, day laborer etc. When the parents’ income does not meet their immediate needs, the children work to contribute to increasing the household budget.
In this part of the world, going to school has another important aspect. Children who attend them are, in a way, protected from the reality of the street – forcing children to do unworthy jobs such as garbage collection, begging, theft, working at stalls. In such an environment, abuse, drug addiction and violence become part of their lives.
Wages and living standards in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world – where the official minimum wage is less than PLN 370 per month. In turn, the average salary of a low-qualified person is about PLN 260, and a highly-qualified person is only about PLN 480. A family of four – even when two low-skilled parents work – must live frugally in order to survive.
Mahidul and his story
Here is Mahidul. The boy was quickly put to the test by a hard fate. He lost his mother at the age of four. His father, working as a rickshaw driver, unable to support his family, gave his five-month-old brother Mahidul to his extended family. Soon after, Mahidul's dad had a stroke and was bedridden. She's the boy's grandmother ever since
he must support the whole family on his own. For
For Mahidula, the only chance for a better future is education . His family doesn't
can afford to pay for the school. Since 2015, thanks to the donors, Mahidul has been attending
the ADRA school that provides education to the most needy children
from the slums. Mahidul does not miss any lessons, he tries his best
follow the teacher's instructions. Thanks to the Donors, the boy is assured
school supplies and aids, daily snacks, and lunch once a week. This
allows him to grow stronger and gain strength to learn. After school, Mahidul returns home
and helps his father learn to walk again. She says, "When I grow up, I'll be a doctor,
who serves the poor and the sick. "
Aid to Bangladesh
Add to the cost of maintaining the school run by ADRA Bangladesh.
