How it all began
Since 1991, the Bengali coordinator Mr. Aminul “Babul” Hoque has been setting up various schools for slum children. He himself comes from the poorest of backgrounds and grew up in the slum, which is why he knows the problems in the slum and its inhabitants trust him. In addition to medical help, Babul sees the importance of education in order to escape the poverty trap and be able to make decisions for themselves. He therefore wants to offer the children in the slum the opportunity to attend school in order to give them the tools for a better future. In our elementary school and one high school, over 1300 children are now receiving a basic education. In some cases, lessons are held in shifts to enable even more children to attend.
Malnutrition and malnourishment often lead to children being impaired in their mental and physical development. That is why we provide our pupils with a hot meal every school day to prevent malnutrition and the resulting secondary illnesses. The exemplary story of Rabya Doly shows that there is hope: The now 20-year-old grew up in the slums of Dhaka and attended our school there. Rabya also knows how valuable daily meals are: “There wasn’t always enough to eat in my family and I was very grateful that I was given lunch at school. As an employee of German / Austrian Doctors, I now teach the mothers of many children how they can feed their families cheaply and healthily at home.” After graduating, she now has the opportunity to study at the state university. She has managed to escape the cycle of poverty, illness and hopelessness.
Organizational profile
The local NGO responsible for the Manda School is the “Glory Future Model School”. The school is located in a six-storey rented building and 28 teachers teach 1300 children in three shifts. The educational program ranges from pre-school classes to tenth grade. There is a monthly teachers’ meeting, as well as consultation hours for parents and regular home visits for children with problems. The drop-out rate is very low, as many parents can be persuaded through home visits to send their children to school instead of to work. The pupils are provided with school materials and a school uniform, but have to make a small financial contribution as school fees.
Lessons
The examinations for the Primary Education Certificate (PEC), the Junior School Certificate (JSC) and the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) are held in cooperation with the Bangladeshi Ministry of Education. In addition to the traditional school subjects, vocational courses are also offered for the older pupils. For example, they learn the basics for a career as a hairdresser, beautician, seamstress or in the IT sector. Some of them are already able to earn their own small income through these additional qualifications. This is very important for the young women in particular, as it enables them to become self-employed. There are also very talented dancers among the students who perform at various cultural events or on occasions such as visits by politicians, sponsors or social workers to the school. This increases the young ladies’ self-esteem enormously.
Official recognition
The school is officially registered and is therefore subject to an external audit once a semester. The curriculum and the books to be used are prescribed by the state and the qualification from the Manda School is officially recognized. This means that pupils have the opportunity to attend secondary schools or, for the particularly able, university through a sponsorship program run by the German Doctors.
Financing
Self-financing the school is difficult due to our target group, namely the poorest of the poor. If a family cannot afford the school fees, the amount is reduced depending on the parents’ income. The “Glory Future Model School” is therefore largely dependent on donations. There are some corporate sponsors, which the coordinator Babul takes care of himself. Another part comes from donations from the German Doctors and the largest part, almost 80%, is financed by the Austrian Doctors.
