On July 14, 2024, I got stuck in a traffic jam on my way to office due to the ongoing situation in the country. I started to feel a little sick in the extreme heat, the jams, the unsettled state of the country. I was looking around for water as the bottle with me ran out. A tubewell was found a short distance away, but it was not possible to get down from the vehicle and fetch water because the vehicle could leave at any time. A traveling Vedic village is situated next to the place where my…

Bayazid & Shahida, (Field Facilitator, BRED).

In the Pechakola community, the group SALT with the youth of 18-35 years have come up with how to make their thoughts about their community a reality. The group SALT is made up of 11 members and divided into 5 groups.…

২ সপ্তাহ আগে ব্যাসপুর হিজলী পাড়াতে আমরা গ্রুপ সল্ট করেছি। দলের মধ্যে অধিকাংশের সমস্যাটি ছিল সেখানে দক্ষ শিক্ষকের অভাব। ছেলেমেয়েরা বিভিন্ন ভাবে পড়ালেখা থেকে পিছিয়ে পড়ছে। যেহেতু স্কুলে ক্লাসে যা পড়ছে তার সাথেও আলাদা করে বাসায় পড়ার জন্য কিছু গাইডেন্সের দরকার হয়। গ্রুপ সল্ট করার পর এই সমস্যা সমাধানে তাদের মধ্য থেকে বিভিন্ন উপায় বের হয়ে আসে। এক সময় তাদের মধ্য থেকে ৯ম শ্রেনীর একজন মেয়ে বলেন, তার অবসর সময়ে তিনি বাচ্চাদের পড়াবেন। এছাড়া এক মা বলেন তাদের খেলার সামগ্রী কিনে দিবেন যাতে তারা…

I am Mihsan Bin Maksud, working as an intern in Grow Your Reader Foundation. I took part in my first-ever SALT conversation in the month of March. I had a very pleasant SALT converse with one of my much esteemed coworkers. I was able to open up about something in that one specific conversation that I had never been able to accomplish in the millions…

Ashadhi is the Yatra of my village. Every year Ashadhi Ekadashi is celebrated in Nandwal this year too. But, this year Ashadhi Yatra was conducted with enthusiasm and joy. in this yatra a large number of people from other villages come to the Nandwal. 

A lot of toy shops and food stalls in the yatra so there is a lot of waste. The Gram…

Our GYRF facilitators in Gopalganj recently shared a report about a few small community-driven actions taken by the people of Byaspur.

What truly moved me when reading the report was how the mothers in the neighborhood united- sharing ideas and swiftly taking action to address problems within their community. They didn't just talk; they acted. Hearing that these ideas were not only discussed but also implemented filled me with admiration. I read how they are making an effort to…

- Manira Khanam, Facilitator, Grow Your Reader Foundation

কিছুদিন আগে ব্যাসপুর উত্তর পাড়াতে একটি গ্রুপ সল্ট করেছি। দলের মধ্যে অধিকাংশের সমস্যাটি ছিল ছেলে মেয়েদের মোবাইল ফোনে আসক্তির বিষয়টি। তখন অভিভাবক বিশেষ করে মায়েদের মধ্য থেকেই সমস্যা সমাধানের বিভিন্ন ধরনের উপায় বেরিয়ে আসে। অনেকে বাচ্চাদেরকে নিয়ে পড়ানোর ব্যবস্থা করার অভিব্যক্তি প্রকাশ করেন, কেউ বলেন তাদেরকে মায়েরা তাদের শৈশবের খেলা শিখাবেন এবং সাথে নিয়ে খেলাধুলা করবেন। যেহেতু খেলার মাঠ বাড়ি থেকে অনেক দূরে, তাই তারা বাড়ির…

(Adila Karim, Partnership and Fundraising Associate, Grow Your Reader Foundation)

In March 2024, my colleagues Sadia, Mariam, Mihsan, Razin, and I participated in an in person group SALT conversation at the organizational level. It was a two-day process focused on dream building for our foundation. The experience was very inspiring.

During our group SALT session, after sharing our personal story we all gathered around a big…

(Manira Khanam, SALT Facilitator, Grow Your Reader Foundation)

১৪/৭/২৪

ব্যাসপুর উত্তরপাড়াতে আজকের গ্রুপ সল্ট থেকে উঠে এসেছে ঘুরে দাড়ানোর একটি মুহূর্ত। একক সল্ট থেকে একই ধরনের সমস্যাগুলোকে আলাদাভাবে চিহ্নিত করে ৬ জনের সাথে যারা একই সমস্যা নিয়ে কথা বলেছিলেন তাদের নিয়ে গ্রুপ সল্ট করেছি। বিষয়টি ছিল মোবাইল ফোনে আসক্তির ব্যাপারটা। কথা বলার মাধ্যমে তাদের মধ্য থেকেই উঠে এসেছে মোবাইল ফোন থেকে কিভাবে বাচ্চাদের দুরে রাখা যায়।

(১)দলের মধ্য থেকে একজন শিক্ষার্থী ইচ্ছা পোষণ করে সে…

I am Adila working as an associate at Grow Your Reader Foundation. A few days ago, I learned about something called a SALT Conversation from my colleagues - Sadia, Mariam, Mihsan and Razin. I decided to try it out. I had a one-on-one SALT Conversation with them, and later we had one as a team at work. Reflecting on it now, my feelings are in a bit of a rush. 

After my individual SALT session:

* I felt lighter. It was good to share my story and have others listen and support…

For the past 11 months, I've had the privilege of being coached by Veena Pillai, a certified professional coach and Diversity & Inclusion Consultant in Mumbai. With 25 years of leadership experience and a global perspective, Veena's rich background adds depth to her guidance.

My time with Veena has been amazing. My learning curve went really high, thanks to her insights and support. As our formal coaching time comes to an end, I reflect on the profound impact this experience has…

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.…