The Dhaka Project

[aurora]

wonderful work..feels good to read about good people

[angelmorn]

@ Force Recon : Im from Scholastica.

Seriously, eshob bepare porte jemon bhalo lage, eder jonno kichu korte ARO ONEK bhalo laage

[PraNTiK]

GREAT job!!!

ami shobshomoy e eshob miss kori, boro kichhu kokhonoi kora hoy nai, tumi and tomar TEAM korechhe dekhe valoi laglo!!

BRAVO!!!

[angelmorn]

Article out on The Rising Stars, today.

The Dhaka Project- A Journey
By Anika Tabassum

What starts as a simple endeavour often ends with profound realizations. Such was the case when a group of students from Class-XI A from Scholastica visited the Dhaka Project to donate books, and ended up realizing how everyone can make a difference no matter how rich or poor.
The Dhaka Project is the brainchild of Maria Conceicao, a Portuguese Emirates flight attendant who was moved after observing the miserable lives led by many during her first stay in Dhaka. She had been taught that when she saw something was wrong, she should not only empathize but also attempt to correct it, and so began the journey of Dhaka Project,an institution striving to bring a change to the lives of the poverty-ridden.
Initially losing track and wandering in the oli-golis of Uttara before finally finding their way through to the institution at Gawair, Ashkona, the students of Scholastica were pleasantly surprised when they were welcomed by a large group of very small children standing neatly in lines. These underprivileged children are provided with all the basic needs which their families cannot afford, such as schooling, books, food, stationery and healthcare.
The Children's Education Development Programme of Dhaka Project takes care of these children. They have a library where the students have special book classes. The preschool has a very large collection of toys, and the kids have a room where there are costumes for drama, guitars, musical instruments and a TV with a DVD player which basically guarantees them quality time to spend.By the way, these tiny tots speak very good English at a very young age.
Under the Women's Skill Development Programme, women who did not have a source of income before are trained.They learn English, tailoring,computing and skills of beauticians. A day-care center takes care of their children while they work. One room is for the amateurs who are just beginning to learn their trades while the other contains working women who have already completed their training. With simple sewing machines,these women make beautiful frocks and fatuas which are later put up for sale, while some are even exported to Dubai.
The Men's Development Programme trains men on driving and provides them with English lessons. The institution has a fleet of rickshaws which these men can rent out to earn money.
Medical care is available for all,and there's a dental chamber set up with new chairs and modern equipment,a cookery faculty,an internet cafe and a salon.All the children attending have been vaccinated against Polio, Typhoid and Hepatitis, and adults are also taught hygiene, etiquette and general knowledge besides the basic reading and writing skills.
The best part is that Maria supports a family of 6 siblings besides looking after the Dhaka Project, and yet she has created so successful an organization that is truly making a difference in the lives of people the society chooses to ignore. The children love her- every time she arrives they keep chanting her name like a slogan and she refers to the approximately 700 children as her own children.
With more funding, the Dhaka Project could improve many more lives. For anyone who's interested, people of the Dhaka Project can be contacted at: The Dhaka Projector enquires@ The Dhaka Project

Thanks to: Scholastica and Firoz sir for organizing this memorable trip, Maria and the other members for showing us around, and the numerous children for being their cute own selves.

People, I urge you, to come forward and volunteer at this place, because seriously its worth all the energy that you'll pour in.