The afternoon at Pechakola began quite simply. A few elderly men and some youths sat together in one place. No one had papers in hand, and no one was trying to prove anything. It was merely a space created for speaking and listening.

At…

Yesterday, the first day of 2026, began at the office in a truly unique way. From the morning, faces were filled with warm greetings, smiles, and a quiet sense of hope for the new year. There were no formal ceremonies or outward glitz, there was only our own initiative and a sincere desire to spend time together. At the start of the day, we all took…

Some conversations start slowly with my own feelings. This conversation with Tamim Hossain of the Pechakola community was like that. He fell silent as soon as the topic of masculinity came up. It wasn't easy to start. He wasn't very open about this topic at first. That's when I realized that this discussion takes time and trust. However, as trust…

On December 8, 2025, a health awareness campaign was organized by the Pechakola community. The entire event was completely community-led. A month before the campaign, a SALT conversation was held with the community’s medical assistant, Sirajul Islam.…

On December 15, 2025 we were very happy and excited to go to Byaspur Community in Gopalganj to participate in the Grow Your Reader Foundation Community Knowledge Fair. From Bangladesh Rural Economic Development (BRED) Organization, I, Ashiq Bhai, Humaira Apa and Rowshan Apa started our journey at 5 am.

After a journey of about…

SALT-এর আলোয় গল্প বলা: পেচাঁকোলা কমিউনিটির যাত্রা পডকাস্টে

গত ২৫ নভেম্বর ২০২৫, আমাদের BRED team আলোকিত করি এর অফিসে একটি বিশেষ নিমন্ত্রণে অংশ নেওয়ার সুযোগ পেয়েছিল। SALT প্রক্রিয়ায় দীর্ঘদিন কাজ করলেও এ ধরনের পডকাস্ট সেশনে অংশ নেওয়ার অভিজ্ঞতা আমাদের জন্য সম্পূর্ণ নতুন ছিল। তাই দিনটির জন্য ছিল অন্যরকম…

November 26, 2025 was a special day for us.

That day, we went on a BRED team exposure visit to the Alokito Kori team community, which is located in the Taltala area of ​​Munshiganj district.

We…

November 19, 2025, was International Men's Day. To make the day meaningful, the children, adolescents, youth, and elderly members of the Pechakola Community decided to organize a joint discussion. Initiated by the young men of the Masculinity Team, the event gradually turned into a celebration.

Everyone chose the area in front of the Pechakola…

One afternoon in Pechakola community, the smiles of three young men told a story of profound change. Sani (19), Arafat (14), and Siam (12) now spend time together like close friends. Their warm relationship is filled with mutual respect, understanding, and sincerity. However, just a few months ago, an invisible wall of age based superiority and…

As the morning breeze gently sweeps through Pechakola village, the air is filled with the sound of laughter from young children heading towards Pechakola Government Primary School (No. 73). Among them is a girl named Dilruba Khatun (Nipa), only 11 years old. Born with a physical disability, she colors every day of her life with a new…

The second Knowledge Fair 2025, organized by Bangladesh Rural Economic Development (BRED) and supported by the Global Fund for Children (GFC), was a day filled with learning, inspiration, and connection.

The main objective of this event was to share the stories of learning, experiences, and positive change…

In the Pechakola community, the two neighborhoods—Eidmath Para and Sarkar Para—used to see each other as rivals. The youth wasted time on mobile phones, showing little interest in studies or sports. Among them prevailed a toxic masculinity—showing off strength, competing to defeat one another, and believing themselves to be the best.…

In today's Blog, I would like to talk about two young men who have not only listened to the topic of healthy masculinity, but also sincerely understood it. Their perspective made us think a lot. Ariful and Ibrahim, discussed personal masculinity. Later, we had a group SALT session with them, where healthy masculinity was discussed. In the session, they shared their perspectives and thoughts.…

In earlier days, there were some sensual ideas in the society for example, men does not mean crying, cooking is women's work, outsider's responsibility is man's. But times have changed, people's thinking is also changing.

Now the definition of masculinity is being revised through initiatives like the SALT process with a healthy, balanced and sympathetic approach. Today we are writing new history.

Toxic masculinity has emerged as a deep social problem in modern society. The…

A quick conversation with Alamin Hossain of the Pechakola community about healthy masculinity brought up many important points. Alamin is a young father with a young son, and his wife is a school teacher.

During the conversation, he said that when he found out that his first child would be a boy, he was so happy that he decided to distribute…

On 28 June, 2025, place: Nakalia Monjur Kader Degree College Hall Room, Bera, Pabna, Bangladesh

30 years – to hear just a number. But to us it is a reflection of a moving journey. There are countless stories of faith, love, learning and changing in this journey. Our relationship with BRED is not just a project-based work – it's like a life-long…

The group sessions involving the Tiger Team and local youth in Pechakola are part of an ongoing community-building initiative. These sessions are held regularly to provide a safe and open platform for young people where they can freely share their real-life experiences, opinions, and dreams.…

The youth team named Team "Tiger" has already become a source of inspiration for others by joining the community through SALT in the Pechakola community. Seeing their activities, some other youths in the community find their inner strength.They start believing "we can".

It is from this confidence that a new group "let's go ahead". After the formation…

A few days ago, I was having a SALT discussion with my friend Tanmay about masculinity. During the discussion, two other young children came and sat next to us. We listened to them too. Their thoughts were very simple, but there was a great deal of understanding hidden in them. One child said— My father sometimes cooks, and my mother says he can cook well.…

When I started working on Masculinity at SALT, I thought that these discussions were only needed for the community. But gradually I realized — change was needed first within myself and around me.

How was I before?

Without knowing it, I often made decisions without giving importance to the opinions of female colleagues in the…