As I visited the DoPeace Learning Centers in Saidpur, I encountered the community who line up for a discussion. It is the appreciation that is overwhelming, which makes me slightly uncomfortable, as I search for words for the appropriate response. Their feedback is generally as follows:
A DoPeace Learning Center right within their community has made it much easier, or possible, to educate their children. The teachers care about the children, and they work very hard, winning the hearts and minds of the children and the community at large.
The after-school coaching at each center up to the 5th grade is a blessing as they cannot bear the cost of hiring any private help, customary in regular households.
A mother suggested that such DoPeace Learning Centers should be opened in all the slums in Bangladesh, as it is playing a vital role in the education of the poor.
The quality of education is much appreciated as many children are able to pass the competitive exams at the elite schools – and that was unimaginable just a few years ago.
Most parents are now willing to forgo child labor in favor of education, for which they are willing to make sacrifices.
The community pitches in towards the upkeep of the classrooms; buying books, papers and pencils; giving prizes for high achievers; and something arranging games and other events. The community spends their own resources and has skin in the game.
The community’s overwhelming appreciation makes DoPeace enthusiastic to continue with full force.
#EducateChildrenInSlums #EducationInSlums #DoPeace.org
DOPS teachers in a meeting at Saidpur
