Street Children Education Program- ICCO-Netherlanda
VOSD has been working for the betterment of the poor and vulnerable people of the country. In our country many poor children remain illiterate as their parents could not afford for their children’s education. For the improvement of the poor vulnerable people, VOSD has targeted the street children of our country, who remain illiterate and lead an inhuman life. In this purpose, VOSD has been implementing street children education project supported by ICCO-Netherlands in Barisal City Corporation areas with the objectives i) to raise the awareness among the street children, slum dwellers and their parents, ii) to develop their professional skills and knowledge, iii) to provide them supplementary food and shelter supports, iv) to provide risks free job for the poor street children, v) to provide hands on training on electric & electronics, plumbing, sewing & embroidery, box making, house wearing, block batik making, cooking & food processing, etc. vi) to provide primary education, etc. VOSD has been running 10 shelter based education centers for 300 street children in Barisal City Corporation areas from 2000 and already 3300 street children have been graduated, trained and placed in jobs. Even, 470 children have returned to their houses at villages and are now continuing educations.
Working Children Education Program
Bangladesh is a developing country and most of the people are living in rural and urban areas under severe poverty. So, they are involving their children in hazardous works as they cannot fulfill the demand of the family with their incomes, whereas these children should go to school for education at this stage. These children are deprived of their rights due to their parents’ high poverty and they are remaining illiterate and the country has been getting an illiterate and unconscious nation, who will be the future citizens. So, the progress of the country has been retarding, which has been increasing poverty among the rural and urban people. Since inception, VOSD has been trying to improve child’s rights through different program implementation. VOSD has been implementing different development programs for the working children in Barisal city with the objective to educate the working children, making professionally skilled, create soft employment opportunities and improve their living conditions through providing basic education, vocational training (sewing & embroidery, Packaging, mason & plumbing) and risk-less self-employment. VOSD is implementing this program with the support of ILO and Ministry of Employment and Child Affairs. VOSD has established 10 education centers to provide basic education and skills training on sewing, embroidery, masonry, electrical works, plumbing & Packaging, etc. for 1,551 children in four years. Each center contains 30 children, and 2 teachers/trainers are involved to educate and train up the children and 1 (one) teacher for 30 children. To aware the local people VOSD arranges seminars, campaigns, rallies, workshops, observation of international days and distribution of BCC materials about the child rights and education awareness.
