The following are the winners of the Drishtipat
20K grant challenge
Shujon: $1,500
Project Name: Competent Candidate
Database
Project Description: Helping Shujon
(shushaoner jonno nagorik, http://www.shujon.org)
create a database of candidates' profiles in the
election and publicize it among the voters. The
goal is to have the most competent candidates getting
elected will full disclosure to the voting public
to make an informed decision.
Key Benefeciaries: the voters
in Bangaldesh.
Sponsor: Shujon and change Bangladesh
Project name: ANDHARMANIK GIRLS
HIGH SCHOOL, BAGERHAT , $7500
Project Description:
This school was founded by Anil Krishna Gharami,
a freedom fighter and local peasant leader, with
his life savings. It is managed by a private trustee
board including local leaders (eg Mrs Naseema Khanam).
Headmistress is Mrs Debirani Ghosh,
KEY BENEFICIARIES Due to the deteriorating
law and order situation over the last few years
in Kachua and surrounding areas, many girls living
a distance away feel unable to return home each
day after school, especially as they become older.
There have been numerous documented incidents of
assault against females on their way to and from
school, including acid attacks, kidnapping and rape.
Many families have felt forced to withdraw their
daughters from school as they become older, a trend
repeated in remote areas across the country, crushing
the individual’s self-esteem and future independence.
Two classrooms in the school have recently been
converted into dormitories, to allow girls to spend
the night if necessary, resulting in tremendous
pressure on the already cramped space. An average
of 3 girls sleep in a single small cot each night.
Probini has actively worked with the school for
many years, keeping with its mission of supporting
education for disadvantaged communities in South
Asia. Probini was recently approached by the school
to help raise money to build a dormitory so that
girls have an option to spend the night if unable
to return home. The grant is going towards building
that dormitory.
Project Sponsor: Probini Foundation,
New York, USA
Project name: Amio Bolte Chai
$1,000
Project Description: ‘Amio
Bolte Chai’ is being developed by Drishtipat
with an intention of raising awareness among the
youth of Bangladesh as well as providing them with
a sense of responsibility towards their country.
This project has two goals:
To provide the youth of Bangladesh with motivation
to initiate action to solve incumbent problems.
To build a constructive youth network across Bangladesh
The project will provide the younger generation
of Bangladesh a reason to speak out and take action
in a productive way. A successful completion of
this project will be marked by a growing awareness
among the Bangladeshi youth of the leadership role
they must adopt to make a true difference in further
development.
Key Benefeciaries: Younger generation
of Bangladesh
Sponsor: Drishtipat Canada
Project Name: EMPOWERING WOMEN
THRU EDUCATION $1000
Project: Description:
This project will work with fishing villages in
Mirzapur, Bangladesh and will be coordinated with
Peoples’ Development Society (PDS) of Bangladesh.
The demographic pattern of this community doesn’t
reflect predominance of any mainstream religious
group and the community is not directly involved
in the market economy. Fishing is the predominant
occupation in this community although they don’t
own any water body or ponds; they don’t have
enough resources like fishing-nets, boats, containers
for preserving fishes and supportive environment
to sell their fish.
The education rate, especially for women is very
low in this community. Violence against women is
also common. Women of fishing community not only
suffer within their community but also outside the
community. In order to end violence against women,
PDS has already taken different types of motivational
initiatives. For empowering women this project aims
to create an environment to increase the education
rate of the girls of the community. Lack of awareness
and poor economic condition prevents the girls from
going to the schools. However, a very little percent
of girls have started going to schools but may not
continue higher studies due to the early marriage
and socio-economic environment. We feel that if
some of the girls or women are educated, they can
become the role models for the society and with
that the participation rate of girls in education
will be increase.
Goal:
To increase the rate of participation of women in
higher education and workforce.
Objectives:
To increase the participation of marginalized and
disadvantaged women in higher education
To motivate people about the need of higher education
for girls
To involve women in the mainstream workforce.
Key Benefeciaries:
Women from fishing communities especially minority
groups from marginalized religion, indigenous (tribal)
groups.
Women from broken families where single mother
is the only earning member
Women from the low income families
Women from fishing community who have shown a good
educational performance.
Sponsor: Ferdouse Oneza
Project Name: Senior Center $5,000
Project Description: Create a
Senior Citizen (age 50+) Center in Kalma village,
PS. Lahogonj, Vikrumpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. This
center will house and feed Senior Citizens who can
not afford to live by themselves and who do not
have any support from their own people like children.
Key Benefeciaries: Senior Citizens
of Kalma village, PS. Lahogonj, Vikrumpur, Dhaka,
Bangladesh
Sponsor: M. M. Chowdhury and Change
Bangladesh
