Rimi Hasain

Rimi Hasain lives in the middle of Dhakka with her family. She grew up several hours away in Dardaria, a village surrounded then, as now, by rice fields and huge tropical plants. She not only has kept in touch with her home village, but she is still part of it. They hitchhike to Dhakka to talk to her when difficult decisions must be made or they need support. She is there for them, fights for them with the various governmental departments, or finds help somewhere. Right now her desire is to get the children in the village school computer training which they will need when they are ready to find work.

A checkerboard of intense lush greens greet us as we grow nearer. At least 2 dozen brightly clad men, women, trailing children walk out to welcome Rimi and me long before we arrive. Word must have gotten out. Stories are told of the recent events, other small groups arrive, and finally we sit down to eat a magnificent meal cooked on 2 small and deep fire pits in the earthen floor.

When we come out from Rimi’s house the women are waiting. Together we walk to the school. The government provides for walls, roof, and one single teacher for almost 100 children. Rimi, her family and many friends in Bangladesh and the U.S. provide additional tutors, books, paper, pens and pencils, uniforms - even healthcare. The school keeps growing and funds are scarce and the needs keep growing. Computer training would be an invaluable aid for the children’s chances for placement in higher education. PaxWorks has been asked to help.

Most of the children’s parents are landless tenants who never had an opportunity for an education. Certainly it was never seen as proper for girls to be educated. In this school the emphasis is on teaching both sexes, and the girls shine. People now say ‘when you teach a boy you help him and his future family. When you teach a girl you educate her, her village, and all those she touches.’ The girls in this school go home and teach their parents and siblings to read and write. They gain confidence by passing on to their elders hygiene and health repercussons from poor environmental practices. The first girls attending school risked breaking the taboo against education for girls. No more! Education is now a point of pride, particularly since some of the educated daughters are contributing to the support of the family. We will tell some of the success stories later.

PaxWorks has obtained computers for the Elementary School. They will be taken to Bangladesh by friends this fall, and hopefully we will be able to solicit computers for the poor local high school an hour away. Here, as in so many developing countries, unemployment is high. Computer skills insure employment.