A Visit to Harijan Palli: Unveiling the Harsh Realities

On 6th July, 2024 Shahida and I, from the BRED team, recently visited Harijan Palli in Tan Bazar, Narayanganj. We were accompanied by representatives from SALT implementing partners in Bangladesh, including Ritu and Mr. Newaz from Global Fund for Children (GFC) under the arrangement of Alokito…

In our fast-paced world, it's easy to forget the power of genuine human connection. The SALT approach- Stimulate, Appreciate, Learn, Transfer- reminds us to slow down and truly engage with others. While focusing on developing these positive interactions, it’s equally important to recognize what not to do. Here I'm sharing some key "don'ts" while doing SALT that I've learned from 'Addressing Root Causes' cohort in Bangladesh. These practices are…

 When we think very generally, we think that the community consists of illiterate poor people, unhealthy environment, beset with various problems.  But I would like to say that there is a treasure in the community where everyone lives happily with each other.  They also have a good and beautiful mind.  The indomitable power to do something within the mind.  But as they struggle in life to survive, they lose that power.  Their dreams and power are buried…

 Same days back Banna went to Basfore.community to do SALT conversation.  Here she found a girl go against the community and walk towards her dream.

Sanjita is a girl from Basfor community. What will happen to the humane way of educating girls in the Basfor society full of prejudices?

They have to give in marriage, do housework after marriage,…

Joining the ARC Initiative alongside five other organizations has been a transformative journey for me and the team at Alokito Kori. While some organizations have moved ahead in SALT conversations, baseline analysis, and community engagement, every organization shares a unified goal: to instill a sense of ownership…

For years there has been a sustainable need for more cultural activities for young people in Zeist, a village in the center of the Netherlands. Despite good education and excellent sports facilities, young people miss places where they can meet each other. Stadslab Zeist (a social project agency) increasingly heard that young people longed for more…

Transforming Communities: A Story of Resilience and Hope In 2016, our community faced a stark reality: only 20 toilets serving 700 households. It was a place where the prevalence of diseases like dysentery and severe diarrhoea cast a shadow over daily life.

As a newcomer to the area, I was struck by the challenges and the urgent need for change. However, amidst these hardships, our community, blessed with abundant natural resources yet lacking essential skills, stood resilient.…

My colleague and friend, Syjo & I did not know what to expect when we started for the visit. This would be our first effort to using SALT in the community.  When we reached, I noticed that the neighborhood was quiet and physically close-knit, offering little privacy. The home was neat and minimalistic, containing only essential, functional items, with nothing to make it particularly pleasant or welcoming—no TV, for instance. The sole caregiver and the sibling of the client was in the…

On the morning of June 6th, Byaspur village in Gopalganj hosted a project inception meeting at Jaynagar High School. This meeting was organized by Grow Your Reader Foundation (GYRF), with funding from the Global Fund for Children. GYRF aims to improve children's education and community well-being through changes in the school ecosystem and the community's…

Some events are remembered forever in our life. A similar incident was experienced by SALT.

Visited a family to take SALT as usual. At that time there was a woman and her two children (boy and girl) in that house. At first we discussed a little. He gave information about his started business. In this he gave information…

I could not go to Vashi village for some days because of the research work in Nandwal village.…

Energy Booster The Ajinkya..

Yes, the energy booster Ajinkya. The name of the person I meet today is Ajinkya. Ajinkya (Invincible) is one who cannot be defeated, (Ajinkya) Invincible is one who has not yet been defeated. Invincible means one who cannot be defeated. Invincible means one who cannot be conquered. And just like its name (Ajinkya), no one can conquer it and no one can defeat it. And this Ajinkya became an energy booster for me today. And that…

Despite being married off by her family at a young age, Shorna apu remained passionate about her education. With the support of her husband and through her own efforts, she has managed to continue her studies and is now a second-year degree student. This achievement is a source of great pride for her.

Apu is concerned about a common issue in her…

সাবিনা আন্টির দুই মেয়ে কোন ছেলে নেই আঙ্কেল কৃষি কাজ করে। মেয়ে দুজনকে নিয়ে তিনি গর্বিত। বড় মেয়ে অনার্সে পড়াশোনা করে। ছোট মেয়ে এই বছর এসএসসি পরীক্ষায় উত্তীর্ণ হয়েছে। মেয়েদেরকে লেখাপড়া শেখানোর তীব্র ইচ্ছার আন্টির তিনি চান মেয়েদেরকে ছেলের মত মানুষ করে তুলতে। যাতে করে তারাই একসময় তাদের বেঁচে থাকার অবলম্বন হতে পারে। আন্টির মেয়েরা সব শান্ত পড়ালেখায় মোটামুটি ভালই পড়াশোনা করাতে তার কোন কষ্ট হচ্ছে না বা মেয়েদেরকে জোরাজুরি করতে হয় না এজন্যই তিনি তাদেরকে নিয়ে গর্বিত।

ছেলে…

The story of Hena Aunty was in the context of the Great Liberation War of 1971. Aunty was around 10 to 12 years old during the war. The war of liberation had started in the country and there was a panic among the people first in the cities and then in the villages. Pakistani forces launched a surprise attack on the sleeping Bengalis in the late night of March 25, 1971. Bengali accepts a brutal death. Within a few days their brutality spread from village to village. Burned down numerous…

My name is Prakash Biswas. Today I am sharing my story here for the first time.

Nasim bhai has been good at studies since childhood. Apart from sports, he is also very good at playing cricket. He feels proud of the fact that he obeys the orders and advice of his parents. He scored 100 and 35 runs in the semi-final of the cricket tournament at the Jayanagar ground. He is very happy and proud of this too.

All the qualities I have noticed in him is that he is a well-educated…

Realizing the strengths of Our Office Accountant

As the head of DHARA, an organization in Bangladesh, I had the opportunity to learn the principles of SALT in November 2023. During a meeting with my office staff to discuss SALT, I had a touching interaction with one of our team members, our office accountant.

She shared a story from her past when she was 17 years old. As the eldest daughter, she had managed her father's tea shop when he fell sick. The earning helped to get her…

Assalamu-alaikum. 

This is Razin Mahmud Khan of 22, currently studying BA at Jashore University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh.

I co-lead a free school for unprivileged children named "Skuler Baire Shekha" after school program of Grow Your Reader Foundation and I am a junior coordinator there. At the beginning of our journey, a few…