Projects & Press (Eng)

BESCO - Hilfe für Bangladesch e. V.

Projects and Press Reports

On-going projects

· Construction and operation of a Primary School in the village Madhpur in the district Kushtia

We from BESCO want to erect a school centre to support the children in Bangladesh and to provide them better chances for their future. The first big step towards this centre is the construction of a primary school in the area of the village Madhpur.

The BESCO primary school project in the village Madhpur was started in February 2008. We managed to purchase suitable a plot of land authenticated by a public notary. We were able to present the construction plans for five classrooms and one faculty room and received a planning permission. The foundation laying was held in a formal ceremony with the presence of local politicians, members of the local school administration, local dignitaries and an Imam on February 14^th.

The construction work was progressing continuously. A well for drinking water has already been drilled. Two classrooms with inside and outside plasterwork until the roof level were finished by the end of March 2008. After completion of those rooms the lessons of a first class began.

By the end of March 2009 we could complete the construction of three class rooms, one faculty room, one simple sanitary facility with separate toilets for boys and girls as well as one hand water pump which provides drinking water from the well. In addition the benches, the blackboards, the school materials (pencils, exercise books etc) for the children as well as cabinets and office materials for the faculty room were purchased.

99 children are attending the class 1 and class 2 of “BESCO—Model Primary School” since February 2009. In the meantime three teachers and one caretaker have been employed. Therefore the primary school was inaugurated in a formal ceremony on March 2, 2009 with the presence of local politicians, members of the local school administration, local dignitaries and a German delegation consisting of six persons headed by Dr. Haque.

The construction works for the final completion of the school went on. In the meantime two further class rooms and the sanitary facility were completed.182 children are now attending the BESCO- Model Primary School since February 2010 .

Here are some pictures (more pictures of the school).

Now the primary school is almost complete. The remaining works (e.g. fencing the school area and construction of a gravel path from the village road to the school) will be finished during this year, depending on the amount of donation being received. In the future the school will be attended by approx. 200 pupils.

We need your support to finish the remaining works. Your donation or sponsorship would make it possible for the children to attend the school.

· Financial Support

The poverty in Bangladesh is huge, not just among the population but also among the schools. A lot of the existing schools are almost collapsing and the children have to pay for everything school related themselves. Especially the poor families can barely afford to send their children to school. We from BESCO want to improve these situations. We want to support existing schools and ease the school attendance for the children.

> meritorious pupils from very poor families

It is one of our yearly goals to provide financial support to meritorious children from poor families to ease their school attendance. Though the attendance of a primary school in general is fee free, school material and books must be paid by the pupils themselves. Only with 3 EURO per month you can ensure the education at a primary school for one child in Bangladesh for one year. With this support a child can buy material, books and cloths for the school, gain a bit more independence from their parents and therefore he/she will become a smaller financial burden to his/her parents.

For the attendance of a secondary school one has to pay a fee, which is a barrier in the education path of the poor population. But here can a small financial amount ease the way as well. Only 5 EURO per month is already enough for the fees, school material and school clothing.

This project was initiated in February 2006, when eight pupils from a primary and a secondary school received this support. The children, who received this direct financial support from us, have the best grades in their class, are from poor families and are recommended by the head master. 12 pupils from three different schools received such a support in 2007. In 2008 we were able to consider all together 26 pupils from three different schools (one primary school and two secondary schools), among them are also pupils from a secondary girls school.

Also in 2009 we were able to provide financial support to meritorious children from poor families. 9 pupils from a primary school, 9 pupils from a secondary girls high school and 10 pupils from a secondary high school received financial support from the German delegation in a formal ceremony.

In 2010 we provided financial support to 36 pupils (2 primary schools and 2 secondary schools). Here are some pictures.

We need your support (donation, sponsorship) to continue and extend this project to help more children.

> Existing primary and secondary schools

Existing schools in Bangladesh are not comparable to those in Germany. The furniture is mostly very old and in some schools do not even have any. The school buildings are too small and often dilapidated. Moreover trained teachers are hard to find therefore there are not enough opportunities to teach all children.

Since February 2006 BESCO supports a primary school in Karmarkhali and a school for mental disabled children in Kushtia financially. Unfortunately we were not able to continue this project in 2008.

This year we were able to include this project again in our list of projects. The Shyampur Girls School, which was considered for the financial support to its pupils, also received its own financial support to improve the dilapidated conditions of the school building and thus providing a sustainable learning environment for the girls. Due to lack of fund we could not continue this program in 2010.

We need your support (Donation, sponsorship) to continue this project.

· Support for the disadvantaged women

We from BESCO want to build a women centre to support the partly hopeless situation of the Bengali women. Furthermore this centre shall be a refuge for the women who can not return to their families on account of mistreatment or child marriage. To realize this centre we have already started some projects.

> Training Center: Sewing course for disadvantaged women

This course was introduced in Feb. 2007 with only one sewing machine and seven participants. One course tutor was also employed. A 3-months course was offered. The resonance was great. In the meantime two sewing machines have been purchased and 29 women have registered for the course. Until the end of 2007, 28 women have completed the course successfully and received a certificate from Dr. Haque in a formal ceremony in February 2008. Many of those women were already able to improve their monthly income with sewing jobs in their neighborhood or in tailoring. This proves that this project is a real help towards self help. In the mean time we were able to purchase four new sewing machines, fabrics, a cutting table, needles, scissors and a lot of other sewing accessories for the course. 42 women signed up for the course since the beginning of 2008.

Due to generous donation we were able to extend the training center with further four sewing machines out of which two embroidery-machines. 42 women received their certificates of successfully completing the course in March 2009 from the German delegates visiting the BESCO projects. 36 women received their certificates in March 2010. Here are some pictures (more pictures of the course).

For continuation and extension of these projects (e.g. purchasing more sewing machines) we need your support (donation, sponsorship) so that we can help more disadvantaged women.

> Counseling for disadvantaged women

We could start this project in February 2008. The detail tasks are being elaborated now. This advisory service shall perform the following tasks:

> Counseling against child marriage,

> Support for the equal rights of women (gender equality),

> Advisory service to the tortured women

We need your support (donation, sponsorship) to continue and extend this project to help more women.

· First Aid and counselling about basic medical care for disadvantaged women

We from BESCO can not ignore the miserable situations of the basic medical care in the rural areas of Bangladesh. There are too few doctors, who can be consulted by only a minimum of the population, because the consultation itself and eventually necessary medicine are relatively too expensive. A lot of people do not even know that they should be checked by a doctor. We want to build a medical centre to improve this situation. In this health centre First Aid and prescription free medicine shall be provided. As a first step, we have started with an advisory service in 2007 with the employment of a part time nurse.

The nurse provides First Aid, catalogues the patient data and advises about eventually necessary further medical treatment. If necessary she arranges a consultation of a doctor or of a hospital.

The counselling service has been extended in 2008 a little bit. The nurse was handed over bandaging gauze and a blood pressure measuring machine which were donated in Germany. Furthermore new office furniture, a medicine closet and a balance were bought. All this improves the advisory service for the patients.

In 2009 a German delegation consisting of six persons (members and chairman of BESCO) handed over again First-Aid materials (bandage, fever thermometer, wound ointment etc) to the nurse. Unfortunately we do not have enough means to provide extensive medical care to the needy people. Our nurse can therefore provide only limited assistance i.e. First-Aid and eventually counselling for going to hospital.

The nurse received the First-Aid materials also in 2010. Here are some pictures of the advisory service.

We need your support (donation, sponsorship) to continue and extend (e.g. purchasing of new bandaging gauze, medicine) to help more women.

· BRAND NEW:

Construction of a basic health care center in the village Madhpur in the district Kushtia

At present preparations are going on for the construction of a basic health care center. A suitable plot of land next to the BESCO– Primary School has already been found. We need your support to build the basic health care center. Your donation or sponsorship would help the needy people.

Target projects

Education

· Construction and operation of a school center

About 15% of the Bengali children do not even have the opportunity to attend any school. Furthermore about 25% of the children break up the primary school although it is fee free. For a lot of pupils the time at school ends after the attendance of a primary school. Moreover the bad equipment of the schools hardens the education of the children. Books are often old, the school furniture is in a bad condition and many school buildings are almost collapsing. Nearly the half of the population is illiterate, among the women the rate is about 73%. To improve these situations we from BESCO want to erect a school centre, which will include the following schools:

> Primary school

> Secondary school

> Vocational school

> Alphabetization of the adults

· Financial Support

There is great poverty in the rural areas in Bangladesh, not only concerning the population but also the schools. The existing school buildings are not far from collapsing and the children have to pay all materials needed themselves. Thus poor families can barely afford their children’s school attendance. We from BESCO want to improve these circumstances. We want to help existing schools to improve the quality of their training and ease the children’s school attendance. This is why we want to implement these two projects:

> Financial support to meritorious students of primary and secondary schools from the poorest families

> Financial support to existing primary and secondary schools

Women

· Building and operation of a women center

The situation of Bangladeshi women is very problematic, because many are being suppressed and abused. A lot of women live in a vicious circle that starts with puberty. Often girls are getting married early by their parents so that they cannot finish school, because domestic responsibilities and those of a mother are now waiting for them. Some women have to suffer an especial hard doom, since they are massively abused by their husbands. Not only strokes, even chemical burns through acid did happen. We from BESCO want to build a women centre to support the partly hopeless situation of the Bengali women. Furthermore this centre shall be a refuge for the women who can not return to their families on account of mistreatment or child marriage. In this women centre we are planning following projects:

> Training course “Sewing”

> Advisory service to the tortured women

> Counseling against child marriage

> Support fort the equal rights of women

Health

· Basic medical care in rural regions

In the rural areas of Bangladesh miserable conditions exist concerning drinking water supply and sewage system. Too little processed drinking water (partly contaminated with arsenic) and not available sewage systems frequently lead to infections and illnesses. Poverty and malnutrition resulting from it increase the illness risk and promotes spreading. Since there are hardly any practicing doctors or even hospitals in these regions, most sick persons remain untreated. The medical basic support isn't ensured even in few areas where village doctors are available, since most families can not even afford to visit the doctor. The few families, who can at least pay an examination by doctor, seldom have the money also to be able to pay for the medicine. Therefore we want to implement the following two projects:

> Building and operation of a health clinic

> Promotion of measures for drinking water

Children

· Building and operation of a center for mentally and physically handicapped children, children without parents

Pictures of some projects

· The primary school in Madhpur, Kushtia

· Training Center for the sewing course, Kushtia

· First- Aid and counselling basic medical care, Kushtia

· Financial support to the pupils from very poor families, Kushtia".

BESCO Newsletter

· BESCO Newsletter, Juni 2110

· BESCO Newsletter, May 2009

· BESCO Newsletter, April 2008

· BESCO Newsletter, January 2008

Press Reports

(The reports are in German except the last one. The reports can be obtained on request)

· Nordbayerische Nachrichten, Höchstadt, 31.10.2009

· Nordbayerische Nachrichten, Höchstadt, 23.04.2009

· Nordbayerische Nachrichten, Höchstadt, 04.02.2009

· Fränkischer Tag, Erlangen, 19.04.2008

· Nordbayerische Nachrichten, Höchstadt, 02.04.2008

Hoffnung für die ärmsten Kinder der Welt

Hamidul Haque aus Höchstadt baut in Bangladesch eine Grundschule ......(weiter)

· Fränkischer Tag, Höchstadt, 20.02.2008

Kinder erhalten eine Schule

Der Dechsendorfer Winfried Schmitt und Dr. Hamidul Haque aus Höchstadt befinden sich derzeit zur Grundsteinlegung in Bangladesch……… (weiter)..

· Fränkischer Tag, Höchstadt, 26.01.2008

· Nordbayerische Nachrichten, Höchstadt, 21.01.2008

· Erlangen-Höchstadt, Kreislauf, Januar 2008

· Nordbayerische Nachrichten, Höchstadt, 23.08.2007

· Nordbayerische Nachrichten, Höchstadt, 11.08.2007

· Stadt Erlangen, Rathaus Report Nr. 4 / 10.01.2007

· Perspektive.de, Nr. 10 / Sept. 2006

(Mitarbeiter-Magazin von AREVA in Deutschland, Österreich und Schweiz)

Von einer ganz besonderen Hilfe

„Es macht mich wütend, wenn ich sehe, worüber sich Schüler hier aufregen, nur weil irgend eine Kleinigkeit nicht passt“, sagt Jennifer Haque, 21 Jahre alt und stellvertretende Vorsitzende des im Februar von ihrem Vater, Dr. Hamidul Haque, gegründeten Vereins BESCO – Hilfe für Bangladesch e. V. Dr. Haque, Maschinenbauingenieur in der Abteilung Reaktorsicherheit bei AREVA NP und Vorsitzender von BESCO, kämpft mit seiner Familie, Kollegen und Freunden vor allem für eines: für bessere Ausbildungsmöglichkeiten in Bangladesch. ……………………………………(weiter)

· Fränkischer Tag , Höchstadt, 24.08.2006

Kampf um Bildung in Bangladesch

Verein Der Höchstadter Dr. Hamidul Haque startet ein Hilfsprojekt für sein Geburtsland. Er will sich für Gleichberechtigung und medizinische Grundversorgung der Armen einsetzen. ......... (weiter)

· Nordbayerische Nachrichten, Höchstadt, 24.08.2006

Neuer Verein bittet um Hilfe für eines der ärmsten Länder

"Besco – Hilfe für Bangladesch" von Wahlhöchstadter gegründet – Hoffnung auf Mitgliederzuwachs und Spenden. …....................................(weiter)

Lokale Zeitungen, Kushtia (in bengalischer Sprache)

The Daily Samoyer Kagoj, Kushtia, 02./03.03.2009, 06.04.2009, 06/07/08/09.03.2010

The Daily Andoloner Bazar , 02./03.03.2009, 06/07/08/09.03.2010

The weekly Annyaer Protibad, Dhaka, 09.03.2009

The Daily Bajrapat, 01.03.2006, 10./11./12.03.2007, 15./16./17./18./20.02.2008, 02./03.03.2009, 06/07/08/09.03.2010

The Daily Haoa, 10./11./12..03.2007, 15./16./17./18./20.02.2008, 02./03.03.2009, 06/07/08/09.03.2010

The Daily Deshtathya / The Daily Joyjatra / The Daily Bangladesh Barta, 07.02.2008

The Daily Ajker Sutrapat, 15./16./17./18./20.02.2008, 02./03.03.2009

The Daily Andoloner Bazar, 15./16./17./18./20.02.2008