"Here we get help to cope with school"

Today, there are 250 million children around the world who cannot go to school. Jannatul Ferdus, 11, is one of the children at the Pakkhali Education Center, an education center supported by Erikshjälp's donors. We are in southern Bangladesh, out in the countryside where the landscape is constantly changing and children's access to education is limited.

In the area of the Pakkhali Education Center in southern Bangladesh, there are around 500 families. Many of the children come here to receive remedial education and participate in various activities. There is also a parent group attached to the center. Few children here continue their studies beyond grade 5, but at the center they are supported to cope with school and prepare for further studies. Last year, eight children were helped to progress to secondary school.

Currently, 33 students are enrolled at Pakkhali Education Center, of which 22 are girls, grades 2-5.

- We get extra lessons and help with homework. But we also get to dance and sing and have fun together," says Jannatul with a smile.

Poverty, poor roads, long distances to school, low levels of parental education and marriage are some of the reasons why many children do not attend school for many years. Families cannot afford to send their children to school. Instead, girls risk being married off and boys are forced to work. Many children have parents who did not go to school themselves and therefore do not receive much support with schoolwork from home. This is why the center is so important! Several children have been helped to apply for scholarships that enable them to continue studying despite their family's financial situation.

- Here we get the opportunity to prepare ourselves and we get help to pass school so that we can continue our studies," says Jannatul. She continues:

- We have different study circles and support each other. We also celebrate and recognize each other when things go well.

Inside the center, there are safe adults who support the children. Outside, the children grow vegetables, fruit and flowers. Together they have started a small fund, through which they help each other when someone in the group is having a particularly tough time financially.

Disaster preparedness, sustainability and equipping children to adapt to climate change is one of the objectives of the activity. Giving children a better understanding of their rights and being involved in influencing their local village is another. Giving children meaningful leisure time and the opportunity to succeed in their studies is a third. And the benefits are enormous. The children shine when they talk about what the center means to them, this is their context.

- We take care of each other and the center together, it's fun to be part of it, says Jannatul and her friends next to her nod eagerly.

Together with our local partner, Erikshjälpen supports several interventions in Bangladesh, to fulfill children's right to go to school, ensure that they feel good and feel safe.