My £6 Difference

"My £6 Difference"

A staggering 27 million children between the age of 6-12 remain out-of-school in South Asia. More than 4 million children are out-of-school in Bangladesh as of (2015), it is said that figures would be much higher if we updated our data frequently. Children are the cheapest source of labor for employers and by belonging to families that remain below the poverty line often times they are forced to send their children off to work than to school.

Recently, I went to visit a local school in the district of Rajbari. Nestled next to the Padma River and Dauladia, this small district is home to the poorest of communities. What I observed was an eye-opener. Out-of-school children mainly belonging to marginal families are asked to join this small school. Mainly run by female teachers, the school approaches such distressed families and convinces them to attend their school, completely free of cost.

This school is neither run by an NGO or by the Government; they run independently, it has been a few months that their initial resources have worn out, leaving them with the state now. The school (shown in the image) has a worn out library that also serves as a teachers'r room.

Upon interviewing them, they told me that the biggest problem they face is retention of students. If the students are not looked after by the school, they are often seen to skip school. And while many of us are fortunate enough to have parents who constantly encourage us to achieve our dreams, these children are rather discouraged from going to school.

So I asked how we can help them. The headmistress of the school mentioned that students are in need of food and uniform. These two things will make these children want to return. While providing food to 130 children brings out a question of sustainability at this stage of campaign, I thought we could first tackle the issue of providing them with uniforms.

The school has 130 children and for each child the cost of his/her uniform is only £6. Not only this, this uniform will last them three years!

So, I reach out to everyone and anyone reading this; when you contribute £6, you contribute to the hugest difference in their lives for the next three years!

The school year begins from January 1st 2018 and my aim is to surprise them on that day with new uniforms!

If you have donated, shared or even read my message so far; I would like to Thank you because even without the monetary incentive, you've done your role in the community by being aware of the situation millions face in developing countries. Something as simple as a £6 worth of uniform, that will last them three years and that will make them come to school are the reasons we need to continually address the issues of equality in education and its sustainability.

Here's your chance to make YOUR £6 DIFFERENCE!