Eight new schools to empower girls in Bangladesh

260 million children worldwide do not attend school, despite the fact that all children have the right to do so. Of the children who miss out on schooling, girls are clearly overrepresented. Erikshjälpen is working in many ways to change this.

In the coastal areas of Bangladesh, poverty is enormous. The situation means that child labor, school dropout, child marriage and migration due to climate change are a major part of children's daily lives. The government schools that currently exist are inadequate and it is difficult to recruit teachers. Many girls drop out of school after grade five.

From dropout to hope

In the summer of 2022, we launched a three-year project in two of Bangladesh's poorest coastal districts - where the first steps were taken to build eight new schools. The project "From dropout to hope", Erikshjälpen does together Codec and Friendship - two local partner organisations.

The work is funded by the Postcode Lottery, where Erikshjälpen is one of seven organisations that together have received Swedish kronor (SEK) 50 million to promote girls' right to education. Read more about the Postcode Lottery's thematic initiative here.

This is what we do in the project

• We are building eight schools for grades six to eight (equivalent to secondary school).
• Schools are placed close to children's homes to prevent school drop-out.
• The schools are being built with sustainable technology and solar panels, to enable digital education via monitors by some of Dhaka's best teachers.
• We allow children to participate in children's rights groups where their confidence is strengthened, so that they can grow as individuals and learn to stand up for themselves.
• We will increase the preparedness of families in relation to climate change and severe weather changes.
• We advocate in the area, so that the adult world takes girls' right to education seriously.

In this work, the future students are part of the project, and we will follow them on their path to education. They will be involved in discussions about the building and participate in workshops where they can dream and plan together. 

The whole community benefits from girls' right to education

Investing in girls' education is investing in whole communities. More children have more choices, can get jobs and become more independent. This is vital for them, their families and the communities around them.