Room to Read Blog

Preschool Teacher in Bangladesh Goes the Extra Mile to Help Her Students Succeed

Gorachora Government Primary School is one of thirty schools to have been selected in 2011 for the launch of our Reading and Writing Instruction program in Bangladesh. After a year of research, material development and program design, our team began to work with first grade teachers from all thirty schools—providing professional development, updated materials and hands-on support.

This year, as we continue to refine our first grade curriculum, the program has expanded to include the second grade classrooms at the same thirty schools. Already, many teachers have started to see the positive impact of their new teaching methods and materials, and they are not the only ones to have noticed.

Ms. Anwara Begun is the preschool teacher for Gorachora Primary. A fairly new endeavor in Bangladesh, preschool has been implemented by the government for all primary schools in recent years. In order to get a sense of what her students have in store for them next year, Ms. Begun decided to visit the first grade classroom and sit in on a few lessons with the Bengla Language teacher.

After experiencing the Room to Read lessons firsthand, Ms. Anwara decided to adopt some of the concepts for her own classroom. She closely observed the pre-writing and pre-reading exercises that the Bengla Language teacher had learned from Room to Read. Designed to help children develop fine motor skills, an awareness of print and book-handling skills, these exercises are perfect for a preschool classroom, and will prepare her students well for the first grade curriculum.

In order to teach these new concepts effectively, Ms. Anwara even replicated some of the materials on her own. She spoke with the Room to Read Field Facilitator assigned to her school and the first grade teacher, training herself on the updated teaching methods for literacy skills.

After employing some of what she’s learned in the classroom, Ms. Anwara is confident that this year’s batch of preschoolers will enter first grade better prepared than those that came before them. And with a teacher as dedicated to her students as Ms. Anwara, we don't doubt it.

Learn more about our work in Bangladesh.

A Principal in Bangladesh Finds a New Voice on the Pages of a Children's Book

Rahamot Ullah is the Principal of Kishalay Girls’ School and College in Dhaka. “I have always aimed to be a friend to all my students,” he says, distributing a bag of chocolates to several of the school's tenth grade students.

In addition to running the school’s operations, Rahamot Ullah is also an avid writer, having penned many poems and articles on education issues in his native Bangladesh. It wasn’t until recently, though—when he came across a newspaper advertisement from Room to Read in 2010—that Mr. Ullah thought to combine his passion for teaching with his creative pursuits.

The ad was a simple one, like dozens more placed each year in periodicals across the ten countries where we work, but it struck a chord with Mr. Ullah. “Room to Read is seeking submissions from authors for Bengla-language children’s books,” it said, and upon reading those words, the principal began preparing his submission almost immediately.

When he heard back from our team, it was not good news. They explained to the principal that the greatest need in Bangladesh for children’s literature lies in books designed for very early readers. His stories, while captivating, were clearly written with more mature students in mind.

Not one to be dissuaded easily, Mr. Ullah worked hard to produce new stories that were more appropriate to the reading level described by our team, and in 2011 he submitted his work again. This time, he was elated to find that his stories had been selected.

The first step for Mr. Ullah after getting the good news was to attend an orientation for all new writers and illustrators working with Room to Read. There, he learned about how our Book Publishing program supports literacy across Bangladesh and how to write with a gender lens. He also learned that his book, once finished, would be distributed to hundreds of school libraries in rural villages, which for some students, would be their only option for reading material outside of their government textbook.

Next, Mr. Ullah attended a three-day residential workshop to revise his manuscript, a unique experience partially because of the company he shared it with. Other first-time children’s authors included a police officer, several university professors and a handful of journalists.

After the workshop, each author’s final manuscript was sent out into the field to be tested by students in nearby schools, while their creators awaited a final decision about which ten books would be published in 2011.

In the end, Mr. Ullah got the answer he was looking for, and his book, In the Land of Angels, was published late last year. Using rhyme, the book teaches children about colors through the familiar backdrop of Bangladesh’s countryside. “I am happy to know that a new generation of learners will be reading my book,” he says of his latest pursuit.

Learn more about our Book Publishing.

Guest Blog from Bangladesh: Better Vision for a Better Education

This is a guest post from Zaki Hasan, country director for Room to Read Bangladesh.

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On a rainy morning in late September, a boat arrives on the shores of a small sandbar island in rural Bangladesh—filled to the brim with medical supplies, tools and doctors from a hospital in another district, which seems a world away.

Waiting patiently at a school nearby are over 100 girls from our Girls’ Education program, brought to the island from others in the region—each with an appointment to get their vision checked by a doctor for the very first time.

In this underserved part of Bangladesh, lack of access to basic medical facilities can severely hinder girls’ ability to attend school. Preventable or treatable diseases turn into chronic conditions, as most families are unable to afford the cost of transport to facilities in a larger city.

Recognizing the lack of health services as a real barrier to girls’ education in the region, our team decided to convene an “eye camp” at  one of the schools we work with, and connected with global health organization ORBIS to find the necessary supplies and personnel.

After hearing that none of the girls in our program had ever received a proper eye exam, ORBIS generously offered to fund the eye camp, and enlisted their partner—Mymensingh Eye Hospital outside of Dhaka, who agreed to handle the technical aspects.

The camp was scheduled to take place on an island called Solosoto Jangalia, but due to heavy rains, the medical team was forced to take shelter on another island along the way for most of the morning.

Luckily, 90 of the girls and their chaperones found themselves caught in the same storm, and waited out the rain on the same island.

Acting quickly, the lead doctor from Mymensingh decided to initiate “part one” of the camp immediately—setting up the equipment on the spot. When the storm let up later in the afternoon, the medical team, girls and Room to Read staff were able to complete their trip to Solosoto Jangalia, where over 100 more eager patients were waiting.

At the end of the day, 207 of our Girls’ Education program scholars had been examined by the medical team. Brand new glasses were provided to 12 girls, and 85 returned home with medicine for existing eye conditions in hand. For the seven girls in the group that will require further treatment, ORBIS has offered to provide the necessary care next month at their Pediatric Eye Care Center in Mymensingh free of charge.

It was a long day for all involved, but for the 207 girls who participated, one more barrier had been removed from the path to a quality education. As I headed home from the eye camp, I continued to reflect on the power of partnerships like this one with ORBIS to amplify the impact of our Girls’ Education program, and how one simple eye exam that day had changed some of the girls’ lives forever.

Learn more about our work in Bangladesh.

Show and Tell: Setting the Stage for Better Literacy Instruction in Bangladesh

This post is part of the ongoing series, Show and Tell, where we bring you photos and stories collected by Room to Read team members on the road. 

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Zaki Hasan, country director for Room to Read Bangladesh provided the photos for today’s Show and Tell, which features a recent round-table discussion on literacy that he and the rest of our Bangladesh team hosted in Dhaka last month. The discussion centered around the teaching of the Bengala language in primary schools and resulted in a list of recommendations from the participants regarding education policy, curriculum, material development, assessment, school culture and teacher training. Dhir Jhingran, Room to Read's chief program officer, attended the event as keynote speaker.

Guest Blog from Bangladesh: Traveling by Van, Boat and Foot to See Education in Action



Last week, Room to Read held its annual Country Management Conference (CMC) in Bangladesh. The CMC is a time when Room to Read’s senior staff from our country, regional and global offices get together to share, learn, provide input and make decisions on important strategic and operational matters facing the organization and make plans for the year(s) ahead. Pierre Towns, Room to Read’s Chief Talent Officer, attending this year’s CMC for the first time and sent us his thoughts on the experience.

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The hallways and common areas of our hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were filled with excitement and anticipation of the week ahead. As we gathered in the meeting room, I admit I felt a little jealous as I watched old friends and colleagues renew acquaintances and reminisce about old times at Room to Read. However, as with most Room to Read gatherings, it didn’t take long for celebrations and a festive atmosphere to break out—even during panel discussions. 

 
As I surveyed the composition of my new colleagues, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the mosaic of ethnicities, nationalities, attires and cultures. I have worked in international companies most of my career, but this is the first international organization where the leadership is truly international. It is an extraordinary and uplifting sight that I can already tell is a real asset for our organization.

The energy, participation and commitment to our work was exemplified by our sleepless schedule which included working weekends and attending early morning, dinner and late night side bar meetings. Luckily, after three days confined to our meeting room, we had the opportunity to visit our Bangladesh projects to see the work for ourselves! I chose to see our Girls’ Education program in Dogachi Chor, one of the most remote chars (sandbar island) in Sirajganj Sadar. Eighteen girls from this char go to three different schools and if you can believe it, their only means of transportation is by boat—some of them travel several hours a day to attend school.

For us to reach Dogachi, we traveled four hours—first by van, then boat and finally by foot. The drive from the city to the distant Jamuna River was both harrowing and exhilarating! The busy streets were filled with transportation modes of every type: livestock, domestic animals, and people of every hue. Their colorful dress combined with the activity on the crowded street formed a collage of machine and humanity.

After a few hours of driving, the noise and activity succumbed to a lush, tropical and tranquil countryside accented by rice patties, wheat fields, a mixture of palm and hardwood trees, makeshift huts and dwellings, and the occasional roadside commercial establishment. It is as though we traveled back in time to a simpler and less hectic life. Out the van window I could see clay bricks being pulverized by man and hammer to form every size of gravel imaginable; wheat being cut in the fields by hand using a sickle, then separated from the shaft by makeshift bamboo pitchforks and man as it is tossed into the air; people bathing in the river and lumber being milled by hand. As I observed the people go about their day, I couldn’t help reflecting on how difficult their existence seems to me yet how determined, prideful and unaffected they were as they went about their chores. 

By 6:30am, we had already been on the road a few hours and the initial van chatter died down and the quiet interrupted only by a cell phone ringing or a snore from a napping colleague. Determined to see everything, I stayed awake!   

At the Jamuna River we left the van to take the naota (small wooden boat) to Dogachi Chor. With four of my colleagues I boarded the naota and settled in for the 40-minute trip to the river island, trying to enjoy the breeze, sights and sounds while watching our boat’s first mate bailing water out of the boat! I did a quick check for the nearest life preserver.   

After arriving safely on the island, we braved the 35 degree centigrade (95º F) temperature and stifling humidity as we walked through sesame and jute fields on the way to the village.  At last we arrived and were greeted with flowers by the villagers and the girls who are supported through our Girls’ Education program. With a “welcome” coconut to sip in my hand, we were treated to a dramatic performance of “The Tale of Two Girls,” a musical produced by some of Room to Read’s Bangladesh staff. The play, performed not only for us but in front of most of the village, was about two girls born into the same challenging circumstances and how each of their lives took different directions because one received an education and one did not. Following the performance, we had the opportunity to visit with the girls and share questions and experiences. 

 As we strolled back to the river through the sesame fields, all of the effort, heat and harrowing transportation experiences became a distance memory, replaced instead by fond recollections of a very inspiring and motivated group of girls with ambitious plans for their future!

Now, as I write this, we are back in the Dhaka meeting room wrapping up the final days of the conference. But, thanks to a little village on a remote sandbar, in the middle of a river, and 18 Girls’ Education program superstars, all of us here approached our work with a renewed enthusiasm and commitment as we planned for 2012 and beyond!

Learn more about our programs in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Hits Lucky Number 13

Many of the details were the same: the same 13 girls, the same month, even the same day. But it was a new year, and the difference felt by the girls, their families and Room to Read's Bangladesh team could hardly be greater. Where there was disappointment before, there was now excitement. It was the second time this cohort of girls had taken the public exam to complete 5th grade but this year, they had passed!

  Room to Read has been supporting these 13 girls—along with 219 of their peers in the sandbar islands of the Sirajganj district in Bangladesh—since the last quarter of 2009 as part of the Girls' Education program. At the time, a little over half of the total 232 girls in the program were in 5th grade, while the rest were in 6th grade. The final exams for both grades were only two months away when Room to Read first started to provide the girls with tutoring support, and while the majority of them successfully passed and were promoted to the next grade level—13 of the girls did not.

It was an early blow to a program that was only in its first year of operations in Bangladesh. In 2009, the country team had inadequate time to support the poorly performing girls. But in 2010, that wasn't the case.

The first hurdle after the disappointing exam results was to convince the parents of the 13 girls to continue their daughters’ education. It was a struggle, since the parents had low confidence in their girls’ ability to pass on the second attempt. When the girls finally did restart their education in 2010, Room to Read assessed their academic performance and the results weren’t encouraging. Most of the girls were having difficulty with very basic early-grade mathematics, and the English language, for them, was synonymous with ‘scary ghost.’ Thus, the Girls' Education program team carefully designed intensive year-round tutoring support for the girls, and enlisted volunteer part-time educators to spend hours after school and during weekends to prepare the girls for their second chance at the exam.

Finally, the day of the results had arrived. After much anxious waiting, the schools finally confirmed that all of the girls passed! In fact, one student, Aklima, received a first-division score, which is rare for girls studying in such remote locations of Bangladesh. The joy felt by the Room to Read team was further multiplied after hearing the news that each of the other 219 girls passed as well, advancing to 7th and 8th grade, respectively.

It’s a small victory, but one that our team considers a lucky one because, in Bangladesh, "luck" means a combination of preparation and opportunity.

Room to Read Bangladesh thanks everyone who has supported these girls as they’ve worked to improve the conditions of their lives through education—they're very "lucky" to have your support!

 Read more about our work in Bangladesh and our Girls' Education program.

From now through the end of May, all donations to our Girls’ Education program will be matched up to $250,000. www.roomtoread.org/MayMatch.

 

Cricket Players Come to Bat for Literacy: World Cup Stories from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka

 
Cricket is practically a religion in South Asia and cricketers are no less than gods. The adulation and fanfare must be seen (and experienced) to be believed, and it is difficult for non-cricket playing countries to begin to understand the rock star status of these players.

With cricket being the second most popular sport in the world, Room to Read was thrilled when the International Cricket Council (ICC) named our organization as their charity partner for the 2011 ICC World Cup. Additionally, through a unique initiative, Reliance Life Insurance, one of India’s top private sector life insurance companies, committed to a 25,000 rupees donation (approximately US$550) for every “sixer” or boundary that the cricketers hit. So far, 132 sixes have been hit which translates to over 3.7 million rupees donated (US$82,000). With each six, you can imagine the cheers coming from our country offices in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka -- countries hosting the World Cup games!  

In an effort to draw attention to Room to Read's work and encourage donations, the ICC coordinated special events with both cricket players and students participating in Room to Read programs. Reliance Big FM, with a special "Hit Illiteracy for a Six" segment, Big Cinema, Big CBS and various other Reliance ADA Group platforms are being used to promote these interactions widely.

Reena Luke, Room to Read Asia Regional Communications Manager, attended the events and shares some of the unforgettable moments. For these children, meeting and spending time with their sports heroes was a dream of a lifetime. And even for the millions of children unable to attend these events, the support of ICC, Reliance Life Insurance and the global cricket-loving community will fulfill their dreams of becoming educated young adults.

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Tigers Celebrate International Mother Language Day in Bangladesh

  When the World Cup opened in Dhaka, Bangladesh, our Room to Read Bangladesh country office was ready to pitch! Just after their big game with India, the Tigers (the Bangladesh team’s nickname) were ready to take a break, and Room to Read invited them to celebrate International Mother Language Day on February 21 with hundreds of young children at the Pora Khela Utsob (Reading Festival) at the Kishalay Girls School and College in Dhaka.

The names of the players were kept secret until the last minute, and the entire community gathered to greet them at the gates of the school which was decorated with tents and colorful bunting. The invited students managed to squeeze their way past the adoring crowds and, after a security check, anxiously awaited the arrival of their favorite players. Each time the huge iron door creaked open, there was a collective gasp of anticipation, and children pulled out their autograph books and ran towards the gate.

Finally, after a couple of false starts, in rolled a cavalcade of cars with police escorts. Three cricket stars—Zunaid Siddiqui, Mahamudulla Riyad and Shariar Nafees—stepped out and immediately faced a wall of waving autograph books eager to be filled. Without wasting much time, the young heroes took to the field and ran with the children, took part in “Read and Run” games, signed more autographs, posed for photographs, visited all the booths, talked to the kids, and flipped through Room to Read’s local language children’s books. Shahriar Nafees even managed to give a brief pep talk to his young fans, “I want each of you to focus and read better. Reading requires practice like cricket, and to excel, one needs to practice.”

All too soon, it was time to say good-bye. The cricketers handed over prizes to the winners and gifted the school a full cricket kit. Said Mahamudulla, “It was a good experience, and I enjoyed the afternoon with the kids. I am happy to see that these young children are getting such good books to read.”

Eighth-grader, Zoya, exclaimed, “I will never forget this day. Imagine—I got to shake Zunaid’s hand!”

Girls' Education Scholars Practice Their Interviewing Skills in India

 
Across the border, in India, the ICC arranged several opportunities for Room to Read India to showcase their work to cricket lovers. Several match venues had Room to Read booths, filled with books and displays inviting book lovers to sponsor our reading programs. Aside from the matches, the big event of the World Cup was when four of Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program participants—Ishan, Ruppu, Renu and Moushmi—got an exclusive interview with Virat Kohli, India’s upcoming star cricketer and the nation’s heartthrob.

For these young girls, all from the Sarvodya Kanya Vidyalaya school in Tuglakabad village in Delhi, a trip to Bangalore by flight just to meet their favorite Indian cricketer was stuff that dreams are made of. And Virat made sure that they would remember this day all their lives by playing cricket with them, signing autographs and, of course, getting photographed with them. He even promised that once he was over with the hectic match schedules, he would visit their school and help to champion Room to Read’s cause. Said Virat to his young fans, “I am happy I got this opportunity to promote Room to Read. I would like to continue doing whatever I can to promote literacy and reading.”

Virat wasn't the only cricketer the girls got to meet. In the evening, the girls were taken to the stadium to watch the England cricket team practice. A sudden rain shower proved to be a blessing, for the players had to run for cover, and the girls knew how to grab an opportunity. Soon the English team was signing autographs and talking to the girls. Ishan even dared to ask the English captain about his strategy to defeat the Indian team! The captain threw up his hands and ducked to the nearest exit!

The BBC crew filming the event took the opportunity to meet the girls and learn more about Room to Read, and within minutes of the cricketers’ departure, the girls and the crew were fast friends. In fact, after a quick broadcast lesson, the crew found themselves on the other side of the camera being interviewed by the teenaged amateur camera-persons and reporters!

 

Shane Watson, Room to Read's ICC Ambassador, Teaches Fielding and Encourages Reading in Sri Lanka

March 3 is a day 10 children from central and northwestern provinces of Sri Lanka will never forget—for that is the day that they spent several hours with Australian cricket star, Shane Watson.

  Shane has been named Room to Read’s official ICC brand ambassador and, between World Cup matches, led a coaching session with the excited group of children at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo. The children, all participants in Room to Read programs and all very avid cricket fans, received individual coaching about fielding from Shane, and one exclaimed, “We can’t even believe that we are practicing with Australian cricketers. Our worry is that no one would believe that we got such an opportunity!”

 
Reading has been a big part of Shane’s life since childhood, and he is anxious to help other children discover the joy of books. He humbly explained, “The cross section of people that cricket reaches means that we are able to reach a lot of people and promote the work Room to Read does. It is very special that we have the chance to impact people’s lives away from cricket. Hopefully we can touch as many people’s lives as possible and provide them with a chance to benefit from some of the things that we have been lucky enough to have.”

The end of the afternoon held another great surprise, as each child was given a personally signed photograph of Shane and a ticket to watch the match between Pakistan and Canada. Shane, too, was equally as moved when the children presented him with a picture they had created for him.

The event was covered by Yahoo, ESPN and Star Cricket. ICC also posted a short video that was screened pre-match on March 5. 

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Room to Read will be featured on billboards, scoreboards and other events throughout the 2011 ICC World Cup which culminates with the finals on April 2. Visit our website to learn more about Room to Read’s World Cup partnership.

Read more through the ICC press release and Reliance Life Insurance's Facebook page.

International Mother Language Day: Room to Read Keeps the Language Movement Alive in Bangladesh

On February 21, 1952, a large gathering of students and activists in Dhaka, Bangladesh, marched in protest of the declaration by the then Central Pakistan government that Urdu would be the national language of Pakistan. Fearing the loss of their mother language of Bangla, the people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), fought to save this critical piece of their culture, and in doing so, set off a movement for independence from Pakistan. February 21 was named Language Martyrs’ Day to commemorate this initial protest and it was renamed International Mother Language Day by UNESCO in 1999. This guest blog from Zaki Hasan, Room to Read's Country Director in Bangladesh, is a powerful reminder of how a community’s language can unite a culture.

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It was the day before National Martyrs’ Day, a day that carries special meaning for all Bangladeshis. I was in secondary school at the time, and like most of my classmates, I was from a family on a very limited budget. If we wanted money for anything extra, like ice cream or other treats, we had to be innovative and entrepreneurial in raising it ourselves. 

National Martyrs’ Day honors the "language martyrs" who gave their blood in 1952 to protect the right of Bangladeshis to speak in their mother tongue language of Bangla. Each year, thousands of people gather at and bring flowers to the monument of Shahid Minar to show respect for the millions who died to maintain the Bangla language. Knowing we would have a sizable group of prospective customers, my entreprising friends and I devised a plan to produce and sell “alphabet badges,” painting a Bangla letter on a small piece of wood and attaching a safety pin to the back. To our surprise, our simple badges became the “buy of the day,” and we quickly sold our entire inventory of 100 badges in less than an hour!

Not only was this a lesson in supply-and-demand, it also illustrated the immense admiration for the people who participated in the language movement in 1952.That language movement ignited the urge for freedom in Bangladesh and led to a nine-month war for liberation in 1971—a war that cost the lives of three million people and injured millions more. Over the years, new generations continued to honor the great sacrifice of these brave pioneers and more and more people gathered at Shahid Minar. We were especially delighted when, in 1999, UNESCO declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism around the globe.

However, despite the increased awareness of the actual commemorative day, it is discouraging to see how little we, in Bangladesh, are actually emphasizing the effective teaching of Bangla, the language spoken by the majority of the population and used in primary school instruction. It appears that learning the Bangla language has become less important than learning English, mathematics or science. Parents are interested to know how well their child has scored in all the other subjects except Bangla, because getting low scores in Bangla is perceived as normal. Bangla language learning happens with such casual focus that our children are completing primary education with low levels of accuracy, fluency and comprehension skills in the language. The ultimate result is an overall impact on the quality of primary school education which ultimately influences the quality of education at upper levels.

At Room to Read Bangladesh, we are working to develop a generation of independent readers well-versed in their mother tongue. As leaders in this Bangla language literacy movement, we are supporting programs to improve Bangla language teaching, providing supplementary materials for early readers and establishing libraries in classrooms to address reading skills and promote reading habits. Fortunately, our work is well-received, and it seems that it doesn’t take much effort to remind people about the importance of mother tongue literacy.

Bangla is challenging to learn and to teach, and so we are trying to be innovative in introducing the language to students in ways other than standard grammar rule memorization. In 2010, we organized a Language Fair on International Mother Language Day, and used games, rhymes, songs and other activities to get students interested in learning. This year, in addition to our language fair, we will partner with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Reliance Life Insurance during the ICC World Cup in a global campaign to raise awareness of literacy. In various media events, national cricket team players from Bangladesh will meet with some of our students to promote reading and learning.

Like the strong connection to the Bangla language that my friends and I witnessed as we sold our alphabet badges so many years ago, I am again seeing a revived swell of pride in maintaining our mother tongue that we fought long and hard to keep. While having resources and processes are important for promoting literacy, the most important of element of any successful literacy program is to have people’s passion around the objective. Thankfully, in Bangladesh we have that in incredible amounts. We believe our ability to read and write Bangla with fluency and accuracy is a great tribute to the "language martyrs" and the dream that cost them their lives—a nation where people are free from injustice, inequality and poverty. 

Read more about our work in Bangladesh.

I Cried, Twice: Guest Blog from Bangladesh

Home to 3.5 million of Bangladesh’s poorest, the "char" is a remote region of river islands subject to constant threat of flood. In collaboration with our NGO partner, SHARP, Room to Read has launched operations in this region and now reaches 234 girls through our Girls’ Education program. This firsthand account is written by Mala Saha, a contractor from SHARP, who works closely with several of the girls and has developed strong relationships with them and their ever-challenged community.

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The first time I cried for the girls living in the char was just after the flooding. I have been working with Room to Read's Girls' Education program for more than a year, and the 39 girls with whom I work have become part of my life and dreams. Two weeks prior, when I met them for our regular weekly education session, some of the girls were extremely upset. The mighty river Jamuna was taking a cruel shape and quickly eroding the riverbanks.The girls were worried about their homes. They had heard from their parents about their families’ past displacements and miseries caused by the loss of home and land to the river, but most of the girls have not had firsthand experience in their 10 – 12 years of life.

The older residents of the area recognized the signs all too well, for almost every decade, they are forced to relocate their families after the ravenous river engulfs and demolishes their homes of tin and bamboo. This time, ten girls from our Girls’ Education program were victims of the river, forced to find more stable ground and build their homes anew.

On my way to the sandbar island upon which the girls and their families had taken shelter, I saw families aboard boats laden with building supplies, once their homes, desperate to find a new safe location.  As I reached the island, one of the girls saw me and ran into the village to gather the other girls. When I entered their new neighborhood, families were busy building their homes. Only one building was complete -– the tin shed in which we held our weekly education sessions!

The parents had determined that their daughters’ education was more of a priority than their own homes. They had lost their homes, but not their dream of getting educated. I couldn’t utter a single word, as once again I was crying -– but this time for joy!

Read more about Room to Read's Girls' Education program and work in Bangladesh on our website.

 

Guest blog from John Wood: Postcards from Bangladesh

In celebration of Room to Read’s 10th Anniversary, John Wood is on an extended journey with some of our most ardent supporters to visit every Room to Read country. The first stop on this three-week mega-trip was Bangladesh and it included a visit to the “char” area, a remote region of river islands which are under constant threat of flood by the Jamuna River. For most people living in this isolated corner of Bangladesh, John and his co-travelers were the first foreigners they’d ever met. 

Until recently, during the four months of the annual monsoon season, the girls who live in the char area had been stranded and unable to get off the islands to attend school. Thanks to the brilliance of our Bangladesh team and our partner NGO, SHARP, the girls can now travel across the ever-changing river aboard the exciting new “Boat to Read.”  In addition to visiting with girls in our Girls’ Education program, John and guests celebrated Room to Read’s first decade by attending the Reading Festival and playing literacy-themed games like "Read and Run” and “Read Relay” with several hundred children at one of our libraries. John sent this descriptive postcard from Bangladesh and shares some of his unique experiences from the other side of the globe.

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If you are born as a poor, rural, female, to uneducated parents in a resource-deprived country like Bangladesh, you have five strikes against you from Day One. If your family can’t afford good land, and has to live on the marginal and silty land of the chars, add a sixth strike. But this is not a story of pity or sadness. It is one of hope.

The air was incredibly thick with humidity as we made our way to the boat launch. This year, the monsoon season has lasted even longer than the usual four months, and the water level is extremely high. What was once a dry plain is now a river seven kilometers wide. Where all this water comes from, we don’t know. All we do know is that it prevents residents from leaving their shifting sand islands for months at a time. There is no electricity on these islands, and fuel is incredibly expensive, so once the sun sets, so do all activities outside the home.

I hopped onto one of the large, flat boats sporting a colorful “Boat to Read” banner and filled with Room to Read Girls’ Education program participants wearing white Room to Read-logo’d hats made especially for our visit. My guide for the day, a 14-year-old scholar, introduced herself shyly, eyes aimed downwards in deference. Because our team has designated the hour-long journey as reading time, she and I decided to do just that -- and for this special occasion, I presented her with a copy of my first children’s book, “Zak the Yak With Books on His Back.” No deference here -- she looked Zak squarely in the eye, and a smile stretched across her face. Since the book is in English, I offered to read it to her first, but she was quite adamant that she could handle Zak. 

We were lost in the second reading of Zak’s adventures to bring books to children when the boat docked and cheers from our welcoming hosts filled the air. We had traveled to the other side of the river to attend the Reading Festival, a veritable reading Olympics, including reading relay games, live music and a general feeling of celebration. All along the shore, the children were lined up to greet us and escorted us to the site of this very special event.

Despite the extreme heat, there were chills as I watched and heard children from one of the most remote corners of world, reading and obviously loving their new skill. These were children from communities that are essentially off the radar of most NGOs and the government as well. Thanks to the dedication and ingenuity of our amazing team on the ground here, these children will thrive and have a brighter future.

I leave Bangladesh with many compelling images and stories. This is a people with virtually nothing permanent in their lives, and yet they recognize the importance of educating their daughters and sons.

This was eloquently summed up during the team celebration by a well-known local professor, who shared his interpretation of the tale of the genie in the bottle:

"Now, how is it that this genie could grant any wish, and yet he could not get himself out of the bottle?  What was it that was missing in the bottle that thwarted his powers? I will tell you. It is light. Light is the power. Once in the light, the genie was capable of anything. Education is like the light. With it, one can do everything. Bangladesh can do everything with education."

"Boat to Read," "Read and Run," and the magic light of education.  I leave Bangladesh a happy man.

Room to Read Bangladesh was established in July 2008, and in two years, over 150 libraries have been established and 234 girls are participating in the Girls’ Education program.