Project Khulna

Background

            Objective

            Status

Goals/Challenges

Background

Agami’s local partner in this project, a local non-profit called JMTF (Jaklen Muoi Tuyen Foundation) has been successfully working in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF in the public health sector, providing health care education and treatments for the underprivileged people in the remote areas of Khulna district. Agami saw this as an opportunity to jump in and add the only missing link for a holistic solution, the basic education. Agami and JMTF joined hands to create village centres where local marginalized people can get health care and their children can get basic education.

In the project areas of the southern Khulna district of Bangladesh, school age children are involved in income generating activities instead of attending schools. Government schools fail to keep children in school as these institutions cannot be flexible enough to accommodate the income generating activities the children are involved in. Agami’s goal, under this project, is to establish 64 flexible basic education centres that allow children to achieve basic education while continuing to contribute in their family’s income generating activities.

A flexible basic education system that can work around the economic activities where children participate is the only way to provide some fundamental education for the children of the region. Agami-funded education centres enrol children dropping out of the traditional education system and provide them an opportunity to get basic primary education and be prepared to continue further education in the traditional system. Though Agami intends to establish 64 such education centres along with JMTF’s healthcare facilities, Agami and JMTF have agreed to establish one centre at a time, see it through some success, and move on to the next centre.

Agami believes that rural Bangladesh needs a holistic, sustainable development approach that just does not provide temporary help; it takes them through a planned basic education, healthcare, and economic emancipation program. People affected by the Agami/JMTF joint project should be able to stand on their own feet and make a decent living through sustainable economic activities.

Some Facts about the Local Population:

•  Male: 80% - 90% working in agriculture, 5% - 15% in fishing, 5% in other  professions

•  Female: 94% - 98% in homemaking, 2% - 6% in fishing industry

•  Actual children’s literacy rate ~33% (though govt claims 75%)

•  Girl to boy ratio: 1:1

Objective

The Khulna projects marked an evolution in Agami’s approach. Agami’s other initial projects in Comilla and Madaripur started as low impact ‘dot’ projects that helped us refine our procedures and business processes. Though our ‘dot’ projects have evolved since the initial stage and are making bigger impacts, the Khulna project signified a major shift in our thinking where we not only developed a holistic approach but also applied a flexible structure that allowed us to attract an otherwise ignored, underprivileged and economically disadvantaged segment of the poor rural community. Since the launch of the Khulna project, we have started working on other similar projects in urban slum and poor rural communities. These projects include our Pearabag project in a slum of Dhaka and the project in a rural Natore district. Objectives of these projects are three-fold: sustainability, scalability, and reproducibility.

The vision for the multi-purpose village centres being established in Khulna project is to establish a basic education centre, a healthcare centre, and an economic activity centre within the same compound. Agami is committed to fund and manage the basic education centre, whereas, JMTF is funding and managing the healthcare centres. Agami is also working towards establishing the economic activity centres. This project is the first of its kind in fulfilling Agami’s goal of providing a holistic solution in support of providing basic education.

Agami would like the Khulna project to eventually encompass all 64 villages identified for the project area. We wish to have a large and significant impact on the whole district. It is our wish that by creating a successful education model in Khulna and having quantifiable metrics, other districts will choose to follow our model. This is tacit recognition that the task of educating all the children in Bangladesh is simply too monumental. However, we believe the success of Khulna project will become a model to follow for ourselves and other organizations working in the basic education sector. Ultimately, success of  the Khulna project will benefit an entire generation of underprivileged children in Bangladesh , setting the country on a path of social emancipation.

Right now, we are focused on making the three new school initiatives we have undertaken in this project in Bedkashi, Patharkhali and Amadi villages a complete success. The bulk of Agami’s funding for these schools goes towards students’ books, supplies, and school dresses, teachers’ training and salary, and other teaching aids. We have made an effort to hire women as teachers and currently all our teachers for these two schools are trained women instructors.

Agami’s goal is to bring those children falling through the cracks of the traditional system back to the classroom and keep them in the school throughout their primary education years. In the future, when Agami is able to secure more funding, the economic activity centres will provide further economic support not to only the students but also to the community. With the emancipation in education, healthcare, and local economy, Agami strongly believes that vibrant micro-communities can be developed. These micro-communities will ultimately help develop a vibrant Bangladesh .

We believe this project has the potential of becoming a national and international beacon in the field of basic education and holistic development. Agami is currently working on a curriculum that will include, among other subjects, health & hygiene, environment education, public safety & security, and racial & religious tolerance. We feel, given the availability of necessary funds, we can make a huge positive impact in the lives of the poor population of Bangladesh .

Status

As mentioned above, Agami currently has three education centres open. The adjoining JMTF health centres have been established. The village of Bedkashi relies upon shrimp-farming to provide a source of income. Patharkhali’s income generation comes through rice-farming. In Amadi, 60% is engaged in rice-farming, and the rest in fishing. While the projects are still in their infancy, we are already able to see some success in retaining students from one year to the next. Additionally, the village community, who were initially very skeptical of Agami’s commitment, have now started to believe in our long-term commitment and not only are they praising our efforts but also providing support and help.

Funding for CY2008:

** Note: All expenses in Bangladesh Taka. In summary, each school requires ~$5000 of funding per year.

Student totals in 2008:

Goals/Challenges

We see this as a pioneering project for Bangladesh. Agami is ready to invest any amount of effort needed to make it an exemplary success. Agami has just started to make an impact. But a significant amount of our time and effort is being spent on raising funds that have been committed to our projects. A certain level of secured funds will allow us to concentrate and focus our efforts on the real work of planning, selecting, and executing our projects. Any help in securing some guaranteed funds will help us reach our goal that much faster.

Agami is also in need of volunteers to help us carry out this enormous mission of 
promoting basic educating in the remote and underprivileged population segment of 
Bangladesh. Please come forward and help us with whatever time you can commit to 
this cause.
   

Impact Story