Free-of-cost School for Underprivileged Children

One can only imagine the losses that could have been due to a fire breakout.

The day of 14th March, Saturday, started just like any other quiet weekend at our schools until a fire broke out at Rayer Bazar slum around 9 am. The flames quickly spread to adjacent areas. Large sections of the slum were completely destroyed. The fire also reached the JAAGO Foundation School at Rayer Bazar, burning 5 classrooms. Till now, we have learned that a huge amount of books, shelves, benches, desks, walls, rooftops along with the classrooms have been burned in the aggression of this horrifying fire.

The slum is also home to many of the students, whose homes were damaged in the fire on that horrific day like a nightmare. It is not still clear what caused the fire. We thank the Almighty that it was a holiday for the school and students were not present on the premises; otherwise, there could have been a serious number of fatalities.

We appeal to all our sponsors and well-wishers to stand beside us and our students in this time of need and provide assistance to us so that we can ensure that the children can get back to their homes and their classrooms as soon as possible. Your help and contribution will help these children and their families to go back on their feet.

A Search for New Prospect:

Right after the trauma of fire incident, the whole world faced the new trouble of COVID 19. The world currently is facing probably the deadliest infectious virus- COVID 19 or Coronavirus as we widely know it. Countries all around the world are taking necessary steps to combat this virus which has affected and taken thousands of lives. There is a deeper problem rooted in this we believe. Coronavirus spreads rapidly through community transmission and to avoid spreading the disease the Government of Bangladesh has declared closing down all educational institutions.

Since JAAGO Foundation has a major project called “Education Program” to bring the light of hope through education among 3500 underprivileged children across 11 schools in Bangladesh, In line with the government's request to close all schools, JAAGO Foundation schools were shut on 17^th March 2020. Prior to the closure students were giving lessons on hygiene and preparedness for Coronavirus. We continue to stay in touch with the School communities around Bangladesh through SMS and phone calls. Many of the parents of these students are not able to work and as shops shut down and people are no longer using rickshaws the situation for them will get worse for them. During these difficult times, we have started a relief fund. This fund is helping the families of the students with food and essentials for families and most importantly support toward healthcare.

It is very hard to fight the unknown but we can definitely slow down the spread of the virus and the misery. We are fighting with an invisible force and it requires huge motivation, willpower, hands full of support and hearts filled with empathy to get things done during this crisis period. JAAGO Foundation is working solely to help the community in this crucial moment. We are also aiming to raise funds to distribute food and other precautionary items to day laborers, including slum dwellers.

Life before Pandemic:

The students from JAAGO have always been very fond of their school. The activities besides their academic syllabus fascinate them to be more attentive towards their studies. Followed by different events arranged by our partners and donors our students often get to be a part of many amazing experiences. These events and visits keep our students inspired to move ahead with their dreams of breaking the cycle of poverty through education.

Flight of Fantasy:

One of the major experiences that our students have earlier this year that one of the country’s leading private carriers gifted 20 students of JAAGO Foundation school with the experience of an exceptional pleasure trip called "Flight of Fantasy".

“Flight of Fantasy” took the children away from the hustle and bustle of Dhaka to the world’s longest unbroken sea beach in Cox’s Bazar. The delights continued with a visit hosted by Bangladesh’s biggest aquarium, Radiant Fish World authority only for the JAAGO students. Afterward, the children were taken to lunch and presented gifts before being flown back in the evening.

Friendly Football Match (JAAGO Vs AISD):

Following month the JAAGO Foundation School’s football team was invited to be a part of a “Friendly Football Match” arranged by the leading international school of the country AISD. Team JAAGO has sealed the match by 10-2 goals against the AISD middle school team.

A Day with AISD Service Learning Team:

Apart from this the AISD High School Service Learning team also invited our students to spend a day with them where the students got to play, explore and learn more about chemistry experiments and sports. The day was finished with a dinner where the bonding of friendship among the students was worth being observed.

Gratitude Note:

We are grateful to individuals, our NGO partners, corporates, donors and supporters for their generous support on the “Free of Cost School for Underprivileged Children” project. On behalf of all the students and parents who are related with JAAGO, we would like to express our heartiest gratitude. Without your contribution and support, our journey would not have progressed and prospered in changing the lives of these children who came from an economically disadvantaged background. We request you to continue your love by supporting this project of “Free of Cost School for Underprivileged Children”.

JAAGO Foundation believes quality education is one of the strongest keys to unlock an individual’s mind liberating them from the confinement of ignorance. Focus on quality education holds the most important place for developing countries like Bangladesh where poverty and illiteracy reign over sustainable socio-economic development. To transform Bangladesh’s huge human resources into skilled workforces, providing access to quality education to the underprivileged is imperative and JAAGO Foundation dedicatedly works towards achieving this goal. 

This year our JAAGO Foundation school students participated in the Primary Examination Completion Examination (PECE) and Junior School Certificate (JSC) Examination. In Bangladesh, after the completion of primary education- class 5, students need to take PECE, in order to evaluate what they have learnt in the past years. JSC is also an examination that needs to be taken in class 8 which helps to assess the understanding about the skills and knowledge of the students about a particular subject matter. In November 2019, the first batch of PECE candidates and the third batch of JSC candidates of JAAGO were handed over their admit cards. We are expecting these children to successfully complete their exams with good grades.

Financial Inclusion for All

The World Bank has highlighted the increasing importance of financial inclusion as a key enabler in helping to reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity. Together with Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) in Bangladesh, JAAGO has introduced a new program called ‘MTB ANKUR’ (translating to MTB Seedlings), allowing students in our JAAGO Rayer Bazar and Banani schools to open their own savings account without the usual required service or maintenance costs. 

‘MTB ANKUR’ will allow our students access to banking and give them a chance to learn about the importance of saving and how it may be used to facilitate everything from long-term goals (such as University) or unexpected emergencies as well as day-to-day living expenses, therefore improving the overall quality of their lives. 

During the launch of the ‘MTB ANKUR’ program, when parents were asked how this opportunity could change their lives, Tarni* was elated, explaining that growing up the way they had she would have never imagined that she would be able to see her daughter grow up to be able to have access to a place such as a bank. As in Bangladesh, the men of the families are often the only ones that have a voice when it concerns how and what money is spent on, ‘MTB ANKUR’ provides a chance for our girls in particular, to gain a little more control over their lives.

‘School of Five’, Letting Kids Thrive

Lifebuoy's renowned ‘School of Five’ program has been implemented into our Banani school. Through the introduction of 5 superhero characters, Unilever’s Lifebuoy ‘School of Five’ are encouraging students in schools to wash their hands 5 times a day, to help prevent infectious diseases, such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, the two leading causes of death for children under the age of 5. Since the launch of their program in 2006, Unilever has seen a global 36% reduction in childhood deaths from diarrhoea from 2008-2016, which is equivalent to over 265,000 lives saved. A team from UNILEVER came to our JAAGO Foundation Banani School and taught kids the importance of handwashing through games and storytelling. They also distributed Lifebuoy soap bars among our children. The introduction of the ‘School of Five’ will teach JAAGO students as well as their families the most effective way to wash their hands and the importance of proper sanitation. 

Science and Innovation for a Powerful Perception

In a fast-paced country like Bangladesh, the children need to be aware about the importance of science behind rising environmental crisis, sustainability and other such issues. To combat such arising issues, a four day Science Film Festival (SFF) was organized by Goethe Institute Bangladesh in collaboration with JAAGO Foundation, Children’s Television Foundation of Bangladesh, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, and PASCH-Schools: Partners for the Future, South Point School and College, Oxford International School, Maple Leaf International School and Mastermind International School. 

The main aim of SFF was to acknowledge the youngsters about the different approaches of science and how scientific issues can be solved. Therefore, science communication was highlighted through this platform and science literacy, technological & environmental issues were focused through film and television content. Competitions were held in different categories, and the students of JAAGO participated as well, in which one of the students won the first prize in Science Film Festival Costume Competition. 

The students of JAAGO take great interest in participating in various extracurricular activities and hence, the students presented their respective projects and experiments at the Science Fair, in which they showcased about topics that speaks out to them. In addition, they have also participated in numerous reading, speaking and art competitions. 

Information Center on Nuclear Energy arranged an educational event related to science and nuclear energy where they demonstrated scientific experiments and taught them about nuclear energy. They also distributed souvenirs among the students. The students of class 6 participated in the event. They were very enthusiastic to learn about new experiments of scientific materials.

ICT Division and Norwegian Embassy Visit to JAAGO Schools

In April 2017, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the scheme titled "Digital Island Moheshkhali" that connected the Moheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar to Dhaka. This project was launched to improve the quality of public services through proper utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in a region of the country, where it is difficult to reach.In 2016, the Government of Bangladesh, Korea Telecom and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) jointly started implementing the “Digital Island- Moheshkhali” project at Moheshkhali lsland in Cox's Bazar district. JAAGO joined the project as an implementing partner in April 2017. Recently officials from the ICT Division visited our JAAGO Foundation Rayer Bazar school where they visited the Digital Moheshkhali Project Center. They observed our digital program and its operations. It was a great experience for us and also them to know about our education program 

Diplomatic relations between Norway and Bangladesh have been established in 1972. Since then the Norwegian Embassy has been supporting development works of the country. During the last quarter of the year, the JAAGO Foundation Rayer Bazar School was visited by the deputy head of mission Ms. Kristin Waaeringsaasen of the Norwegian Embassy. In the visit, interactive sessions with the students took place and a cultural program was held where the students performed a drama and recited rhymes followed by an art competition. 

Self Protection for a Safer Future 

Needless to say, we are living in a dangerous time where feeling safe and secure seems like an unlikely state for a person. Women more likely than others are victimized from the heinous crimes that take place. Also, it is important for children of any gender to gain self discipline and control and keep themselves physically active for emergencies and self protection purposes. In order to boost their confidence and in control of any difficult situation, JAAGO conducted a ‘Self Defense Workshop’, in which the children, especially female students were taught proper techniques to defend themselves and make them more self-reliant. 

Thank You Note

JAAGO Foundation started with only 17 students in a single room 12 years back. After all these years when we look back, the achievements seem incredible! With 2019 coming to an end, we just wanted to thank all our donors and sponsors for the generous contributions that have been made to the ‘Free-of-Cost School’ Program. Together we have been able to completely change the lives of 3,500 children living in slums in Bangladesh. We could not be here today if not for your support over the last 12 years! Our endless gratitude to all our supporters!

*All the individuals whose names and identity have been used in the narrative have given us their consent to publish their names and story prior to the writing of this report.