Mustard Seed of Baje Amli
Photography by: Misha McDonald
July 30, 2008
The following is written by our field partner, Misha McDonald, telling the story behind the T-shirt, “Mustard Seed of Baje Amli.” The shirt is being sold to raise funds for students of the Child Development Center in Baje Amli, Bangladesh, which was built with funds raised from the Sharkar Family T-shirt. Here is the story in Misha’s words:
Projapoti told me that she has experienced problems from being illiterate throughout her life. She explained that she could have been the program manager of her village’s poultry project if she were literate. Instead, working only as a small-scale poultry farmer, she is now unemployed because of recent bird flu scares across Bangladesh. She has no other job opportunities in the village. Her family of six must now rely solely on the income of her husband who earns his living pulling a rickshaw. She wishes that she could help her children with their studies in the evenings, but tells me she can’t because she is illiterate.
Last year, Projapoti paid the fees for two of her children, Nomita and Bhubon, to attend first grade at the local government school, an opportunity rarely available to children of the rural poor and undoubtedly a large sacrifice for her family. Each day after school, Projapoti would ask her children what they had learned as she was intent on making sure they, too, do not suffer a life of illiteracy as she has. She explains that after spending a year at the government school, her children were still illiterate despite the large sacrifices made by the family.
Things changed this year for Nomita and Bhubon and 28 other children in the village of Baje Amli in Netrokona, Bangladesh. This January, ROSA LOVES sponsored the creation of a Child Development Center (CDC) in partnership with the Institute of Integrated Rural Development (IIRD). As part of the goal to ensure the well-being and economic stability of the Sharkar family, ROSA LOVES made the promise to help the younger Sharkars gain access to an education. ROSA LOVES has now committed to sponsoring the education of 30 children of Baje Amli whose families are classified as living in extreme poverty by IIRD. I got to visit the small school recently and watched as the students, all between five and seven years old, practiced reading and writing Bangla characters. The children will also study English, mathematics, the social sciences and Bangla culture during their two years at the CDC, equivalent to first and second grade. Each day they will receive nutritional support such as a banana, boiled egg or a glass of milk. Though seemingly modest in amount, eyes lit up and smiles grew large when I announced this piece of news to the students. Many of them come from homes where they are lucky to have more than one meal a day.
While on my second visit to the classroom, I enjoyed listening to Kobita Sharkar recite a poem she learned the week before. The education provided by the CDC will prevent a future characterized by the cycle of poverty which plagued her family before ROSA LOVES and IIRD reached out to assist them. In two years time, her brother Shanto will also attend the CDC. Upon graduation, Kobita and the other children will be enrolled in third grade at the local elementary school. Graduates of IIRD’s Child Development Centers consistently perform far better than children who spend their first years in government schools.
After my time in the classroom, I was able to speak to several of the students’ mothers. Many admit that their children would not be in any school had not the CDC been built. One mother, Halema, whose daughter Ruma wants to be a police officer, pledges that she will now make it a priority to see that her daughter continues her education. The women are clearly proud and confident that their children are getting a quality education. Their only desire is to see more children in Baje Amli have this same opportunity in the future.
I went through the classroom asking every child what they would like to be when they grow up. It quickly became clear that many of them view their teacher, Fateha, as their foremost role model. Fateha, 19, giggles as child after child exclaims they, too, want to teach. She tells me that she is so happy and proud to set an example for her students. She also feels very fortunate to have such a fulfilling job. Having completed her Higher Secondary Certificate at age 17, Fateha spent 2 years looking for work without success. By teaching at the CDC, she is now able to support herself and her widowed mother.
Prior to attending the CDC, many of the children worked in the fields with their parents or supported the family’s income by some other means. Their parents work primarily as rickshaw pullers, small-scale farmers, tailors and day laborers. The students now dream of becoming much more. Bhubon and Nomita are fulfilling their mother’s dream of becoming literate. Projapoti proudly shares that the two are already teaching their youngest sister, Mishti, to read and write. Bhubon, whose name means “World”, shyly reveals that he wants to study to become an engineer. It is beautiful to witness these children learning. From my experience with other CDCs operated by IIRD, I’ve seen that confidence grows through this education and, as a result, so do goals and ambitions. With the help of those who purchase this T-shirt, the minds, spirits and aspirations of these children will be opened up to a whole new world of opportunities now unrestrained by lack of education and illiteracy. Your purchases will enable the ROSA LOVES team to raise the $2000 dollars needed for full sponsorships for 30 children to the Baje Amli Child Development Center for two years. This funding will lead to many more proud mothers like Projapoti and Halema. It will enable one grateful teacher to support herself and her family. Many more siblings will learn to read and understand the value of education through their brothers and sisters. And many more children will dream of becoming something much greater than they ever imagined.
Projapoti told me that she has experienced problems from being illiterate throughout her life. She explained that she could have been the program manager of her village’s poultry project if she were literate. Instead, working only as a small-scale poultry farmer, she is now unemployed because of recent bird flu scares across Bangladesh. She has no other job opportunities in the village. Her family of six must now rely solely on the income of her husband who earns his living pulling a rickshaw. She wishes that she could help her children with their studies in the evenings, but tells me she can’t because she is illiterate.
Last year, Projapoti paid the fees for two of her children, Nomita and Bhubon, to attend first grade at the local government school, an opportunity rarely available to children of the rural poor and undoubtedly a large sacrifice for her family. Each day after school, Projapoti would ask her children what they had learned as she was intent on making sure they, too, do not suffer a life of illiteracy as she has. She explains that after spending a year at the government school, her children were still illiterate despite the large sacrifices made by the family.
Things changed this year for Nomita and Bhubon and 28 other children in the village of Baje Amli in Netrokona, Bangladesh. This January, ROSA LOVES sponsored the creation of a Child Development Center (CDC) in partnership with the Institute of Integrated Rural Development (IIRD). As part of the goal to ensure the well-being and economic stability of the Sharkar family, ROSA LOVES made the promise to help the younger Sharkars gain access to an education. ROSA LOVES has now committed to sponsoring the education of 30 children of Baje Amli whose families are classified as living in extreme poverty by IIRD. I got to visit the small school recently and watched as the students, all between five and seven years old, practiced reading and writing Bangla characters. The children will also study English, mathematics, the social sciences and Bangla culture during their two years at the CDC, equivalent to first and second grade. Each day they will receive nutritional support such as a banana, boiled egg or a glass of milk. Though seemingly modest in amount, eyes lit up and smiles grew large when I announced this piece of news to the students. Many of them come from homes where they are lucky to have more than one meal a day.
While on my second visit to the classroom, I enjoyed listening to Kobita Sharkar recite a poem she learned the week before. The education provided by the CDC will prevent a future characterized by the cycle of poverty which plagued her family before ROSA LOVES and IIRD reached out to assist them. In two years time, her brother Shanto will also attend the CDC. Upon graduation, Kobita and the other children will be enrolled in third grade at the local elementary school. Graduates of IIRD’s Child Development Centers consistently perform far better than children who spend their first years in government schools.
After my time in the classroom, I was able to speak to several of the students’ mothers. Many admit that their children would not be in any school had not the CDC been built. One mother, Halema, whose daughter Ruma wants to be a police officer, pledges that she will now make it a priority to see that her daughter continues her education. The women are clearly proud and confident that their children are getting a quality education. Their only desire is to see more children in Baje Amli have this same opportunity in the future.
I went through the classroom asking every child what they would like to be when they grow up. It quickly became clear that many of them view their teacher, Fateha, as their foremost role model. Fateha, 19, giggles as child after child exclaims they, too, want to teach. She tells me that she is so happy and proud to set an example for her students. She also feels very fortunate to have such a fulfilling job. Having completed her Higher Secondary Certificate at age 17, Fateha spent 2 years looking for work without success. By teaching at the CDC, she is now able to support herself and her widowed mother.
Prior to attending the CDC, many of the children worked in the fields with their parents or supported the family’s income by some other means. Their parents work primarily as rickshaw pullers, small-scale farmers, tailors and day laborers. The students now dream of becoming much more. Bhubon and Nomita are fulfilling their mother’s dream of becoming literate. Projapoti proudly shares that the two are already teaching their youngest sister, Mishti, to read and write. Bhubon, whose name means “World”, shyly reveals that he wants to study to become an engineer. It is beautiful to witness these children learning. From my experience with other CDCs operated by IIRD, I’ve seen that confidence grows through this education and, as a result, so do goals and ambitions. With the help of those who purchase this T-shirt, the minds, spirits and aspirations of these children will be opened up to a whole new world of opportunities now unrestrained by lack of education and illiteracy. Your purchases will enable the ROSA LOVES team to raise the $2000 dollars needed for full sponsorships for 30 children to the Baje Amli Child Development Center for two years. This funding will lead to many more proud mothers like Projapoti and Halema. It will enable one grateful teacher to support herself and her family. Many more siblings will learn to read and understand the value of education through their brothers and sisters. And many more children will dream of becoming something much greater than they ever imagined.
