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Activity Report: Bangladesh
HFW Bangladesh is running projects in 40 villages in 3 districts. Women, youth, government officers, and other NGOs are all giving strong support. “\1 from Japan will give 15 taka” is the catchphrase among the people of the community. Their projects are also widely covered by newspaper + TV in Bangladesh.
■ New!
A “Women Award” is established to encourage women as they work to better their own situation.
Helena Aktar receiving her prize certificate at the award ceremony.
The event was reported in the local newspaper. |
Women Ending Hunger (WEH) has 435 members in the three areas in which it is active, Boda, Bhanga, and Kaligonji counties. The impoverished women in each of the areas work together to help each other become more independent. On International Women's Day (March 8th), the women each gave five taka (10 yen) to buy goats for the poorest women in each area.
In March of 2006 HFW established a “Women Award” to promote these kinds of self-help initiatives progress even further. WEH nominates women from each area that are already taking part in projects to increase their independence, such as running a small shop or sewing business. The two women who are selected to receive the prize are each awarded 3500 taka (7000 yen) to support their business. The prize money comes from interest on funds in a bank account maintained by the Bangladesh affiliate office, so it should be possible to continue awarding the prize in the future.
（2007.11）
| Message from Bangladesh |
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“I was very poor so I couldn't go to school and was married when I was fifteen. But my husband was only after my dowry and divorced me after two years. Then I went back to my parents house, and soon after that my father died. It was very hard to support six family members on only my mother's earnings as a day laborer and my sewing. With the prize money and 700 taka I had saved on my own I was able to buy a sewing machine, and since then my income has doubled. I hope to be able to save money and give my younger sisters an education”. (Women Award winner Helena Aktar, 23, a resident of Boda county.
*dowry: the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage.
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List of development projects: Bangladesh 2004-2007
（Project name／Target group, number）
■ Past Field Reports; Bangladesh （Project name／Target group, number）
- Power of Art in community development／December 2005
- Diary of an intern／9 August, 2005〜23 September 2005
- Field Report by HFW Head Office Staff／January 2004
- Diary of HFW Head Office Staff／August 2003
- Field Report from Intern／6 February 2003〜7 March 2003
- National Youth Cnference of YEH／August 2003
- Baseline Survey／2002
- Children's Education／August 2002〜
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