Three More Fields

Wow, it has been almost a week since I last posted anything. In the meantime I have visited Adolescent Programs in Sutrapur, Maniknagar, and Mirpur. I continue to be impressed with the Peer Educators and the Participants. They are really implementing the information they are receiving in the lessons. In Sutrapur one girl told us that after
the lessons on children's rights and the equality of girls and boys, she talked to her parents, and after sharing with them all she had learned told that they should let her go to school. She was able to convince them and now she has been in school for over a year. I heard many more stories about parents being convinced to wait to marry off their daughters, girls being allowed to go to school, and whole communities having their children immunized against disease.

This project was initiated three years ago as a result of CRWRC and SATHI wanting to implement fully integrated development. They already had programs with adults and with young children, but the Adolescent Program rounded the project out to include the whole family. This is such a hugely successful project because the youth are so excited about the information they are learning that they not only share it with their families, but with their friends at school as well, who in turn share it with their families. At Sutrapur, I asked the Peer Educators in any of them would like to become teachers. They all raised their hands, then when I asked why, one girl named Pinky said, " We can teach our brothers and sisters, and we can teach our parents, we can teach our students, and then we'll teach the whole world!" Imagine a 14 year old girl living in a slum in Bangladesh believing that she can influence the world! Isn't that great! Knowledge is power and these kids are beginning to believe that they have the power the change their own lives and their community.

In Maniknagar I met Kyron, who has written dramas to illustrate all the lessons and I met Alamin who has written songs to accompany many of the lessons. I also asked this group for suggestions of lessons that need to be expanded or added. As the other groups also mentioned, this group wanted more on dowry. When Alamin was telling me why they wanted more information on dowry he exclaimed, " Dowry is a curse. I will never take a dowry and I will never give a dowry for my sister!" They want to know more about what they can do get the "curse" of dowry eradicated from their culture.

The girls in Sutrapur have fun with a class where they learn that if they work together, they will be like a bundle of sticks that can't be broken.


They sing a song they have composed about one of their lessons.