In the slums of Cox's Bazar, extreme poverty forces thousands of children to work to support their families.As a result, they face financial and practical barriers to attending school.
In the Doharazi Enclaves, Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who have moved away from the larger crowded camps are cut off from education and basic services.
Children on the Edge offer education for 1,700 children in Cox's Bazar and the Doharazi Enclaves through 34 Community Schools. Flexible classes allow access to quality learning, creativity and play for those who face practical and financial barriers to attending school.
ARAFAT is 14 years old and studies at one of the Community Schools we support in Cox’s Bazar. The school is free to attend and he is given all the learning materials he needs.
Arafat works every afternoon to help support his family by selling betel nuts, as well as cooking for his parents while they are at work. In the mornings he comes to school and loves to study. Maths lessons have helped him understand how to calculate and learn the value of money and he is now confident with addition, subtraction and multiplication. He says that he doesn’t want to live his life as a labourer, like his parents. He also wants to be a ‘good human being’ and ‘learn about the world’. Arafat’s mother said: “I am uneducated, but I realise that school is a blessing for my child". |
WORKING ON 'THE EDGE' IN BANGLADESH
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WHAT WE DO TO HELP
Working with our partner organisation, Mukti Cox’s Bazar, we offer flexible education and support for slum dwelling children in Cox's Bazar and Doharazi Enclave communities, who cannot access mainstream education. 34 Community Schools (24 in Cox’s Bazar and 10 in the Doharazi Enclaves) enable 1,700 children to benefit from a quality curriculum, taught in colourful classrooms, with a focus on rights and creativity.
Over a hundred children each year progress to Grade 5, take national exams and are awarded with Primary Education Certificates, enabling them to progress in mainstream education. A day a week is set aside for play, self expression and the care of beautiful gardens that surround each centre. Importantly, classes are flexibly timed to enable access for working children.
Teachers are trained from within the community, so children are taught by trusted, familiar adults who understand their situation.
Over a hundred children each year progress to Grade 5, take national exams and are awarded with Primary Education Certificates, enabling them to progress in mainstream education. A day a week is set aside for play, self expression and the care of beautiful gardens that surround each centre. Importantly, classes are flexibly timed to enable access for working children.
Teachers are trained from within the community, so children are taught by trusted, familiar adults who understand their situation.
Daily digital lessons bring learning alive and the creation of ‘Moja Kids’ - an online platform where the children record video newsletters and share them back and forth with Rohingya children in the Kutupalong camp - has been an exciting addition.
In 2020’s AbilityNet Tech4Good awards, our digital education programme was chosen for the Lenovo Education Award, recognising outstanding digital achievement in education.
Children participate in Child Councils within the schools. These provide a space where children can give their opinions and suggestions about how the programme is being run, talk about issues that are affecting them, learn about their rights and communicate them to their friends and families.
The Community Schools are enthusiastically supported by local communities and government officials. Their development over ten years has led to the creation of a best practice model, which is used to maintain standards in our work with Rohingya refugee children.
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