The Sylhet District of Bangladesh is the site set to welcome in a new secondary school and girls hostel.
Marist Moulovibazar opened its doors today (January 2nd, 2017) and will facilitate secondary education for the children of Moulovibazar and Sreemangal districts, addressing in particular boys and girls from the tea plantation areas. The school will also offer boarding for its students in what has been described as a move to improve the health and sanitation for those most vulnerable. The living conditions of these communities are remarkably meagre due to the lack of proper utility facilities, especially in water supply and sanitation sectors.
The pre-selection of the first students was undertaken in November and December, 2016 with 73 students coming from the tea plantations and 20 more from the nearby village of Giasnogor. A feature of the school is its ethnic and religious diversity as 38 students are Hindu, 22 Muslim and 30 Christian, whilst the ratio of boys to girls is almost even. Promoting social integration among young boys and girls belonging to different ethnics groups and with different religious backgrounds is fundamental to developing better social understanding, inter-religious dialogue and cooperation among all.
The workers in the Tea Gardens in Moulvibazar are one of the most deprived groups in Bangladesh, working in slave-like conditions and earning approximately 65 US cents a day. As indentured labourers they struggle to feed their children, let alone send them to school. Without a proper education, these children have little hope of finding alternative employment or breaking out of the poverty cycle.
The Marist Brothers, in collaboration with the Diocese of Sylhet, are building this secondary school offering free education (Grade 6-10) for 200 Tea Garden children. AMS has contributed to an important component of this project, namely a hostel for girls, making it possible for them to live and study in a safe, clean and supportive environment. We would like to thank all those individuals and schools who have supported this project over the past 18 months as well as Lenity Australia who are providing scholarships for 30 boarding students.