GENKIプログラム今期の活動振り返り
【2019年9月の活動報告】
1. Looking back on activities this term
Thank you for your continued support of the Euglena We distributed 2.15 million meals against the revised distribution target of 2.1 million Euglena cookies for this term (October 2018-September 2019). At the beginning of this term (October 2018), the number of target schools was 59, but as of the end of September, the number of target schools has increased to 66, and we are currently Euglena cookies to about 11,000 children five days a week. As a result, as of the end of September, the Euglena cookies distributed exceeded 8.55 million meals. In addition to the Euglena cookies, we held food education and hygiene seminars at 24 of the 53 target schools in the capital city of Dhaka (about 500 people) this term. Before each seminar, we conducted the following questionnaires on children's understanding of nutrition and hygiene to understand the current situation and consider countermeasures.
| Category ① | Category ② | Main questions | Average accuracy rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrition | 3 major nutrients | What are the three major nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids)? What is each role? |
17% |
| Hygiene | Hand wash | Do you know the correct hand washing procedure (8 steps)? Why do you need to wash your hands? |
21% |
| Hygiene | dentifrice | What is the role of teeth? What time of day do you have to brush your teeth the most? |
47% |
| Hygiene | Nail cutting | What is the role of nails? What is the optimal frequency of nail clippers? |
60% |
From the comprehension questionnaire, it was found that the correct answer rate for the three major nutrients and hand washing was particularly low. In order to improve this problem, we hold seminars in a game system that children can enjoy learning and practicing knowledge. Specifically, a game in which pictures of fish, vegetables, etc. are given to children and the food is filled in each nutrient diagram, or food is placed in an empty box of colored nutrients, and the children touch the food with their hands. , Answers the name of the food. As for hand-washing, we played a Bengali hand-washing song for 30 seconds, and everyone sang to learn the correct hand-washing method.
After the seminar, one school put up a poster in front of the restroom to make it a habit to follow the correct procedure. Not only the children but also the teachers look at this poster and try to wash their hands properly. In addition, children share the hand-washing methods they learned at the seminar with their families and practice them at home. We will continue such seminars on nutrition and hygiene next fiscal year, aiming for medium- to long-term improvement of the situation.
Photo-1: Poster of correct hand washing method (8 steps)
Photo-2: Hand-washing procedure Children washing their hands at school by looking at the poster
2. Introducing Sanjia-chan, who helps grow jute
This month, I would like to introduce Sanjia (8 years old), a second-year student who is helping to grow jute (corchorus capsularis). Jute is called "golden thread" and its main origin is tropical or subtropical South Asia (Bangladesh and India). Generally, seeds are sown in April and harvested in August for about 100 days. It is characterized by a long height of 2-3m. The jute industry in Bangladesh has been an important industry for a long time, and currently about 55% of the world's jute production is from India and about 35% is from Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, many people are engaged in the production and processing of jute at more than 200 jute factories. Some of them are also exported to Japan for use in carpet linings, bags and cloths.
Tentaka Madaripur Elementary School, where Sanjia attends, is located 100 km south of the capital Dhaka and is a production center for jute. Many people, including Sanjia's family, are engaged in growing jute. Sanjia is a family of four, a father, a mother, a 6-year-old brother, and Sanjia, who work as a whole family during the jute harvest season. Jute requires several steps to process. First, the cut raw stems are soaked in water for about 1-2 weeks and fermented (immersion fermentation), and the skins are peeled off one by one by hand. The inner part of the outer skin is the raw material for jute, which is then washed with water to remove impurities and dried to make it fibrous and easy to process. Sanjia's main job is to sort the jute cut by her father by hand and bring it to the collection point. Sanjia doesn't play with her friends after school during the busy season and immediately helps them. I also help with household chores such as cleaning, cooking, and laundry with my younger brother. Sanjia uses jute ropes and other items on a daily basis, but she has never worn the jute material sari, which is the traditional clothing of Bangladeshi women. When he grows up, he looks forward to wearing a gorgeous sari made from the jute he harvests.
Photo-3: Jute cultivation
Photo-4: Sanjia-chan carrying Jute to the collection point
3. School initiatives on global warming and deforestation
In September, the "Climate Action Summit" was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and countries discussed responses to Climate Change. 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg made headlines when she warned world leaders: "If we fail, we will not forgive." UN Secretary-General Guterres concluded that 77 countries have committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
In Bangladesh, changes in the natural environment due to global warming have become a problem. Due to Climate Change such as global warming, changes in precipitation patterns, floods, and salinization are occurring frequently, and the impact of drought is exacerbating the decline in yields of rice and wheat. In addition, there is also a survey result that about 50% of forests have been destroyed in the last 20 years to meet the demand for timber accompanying economic growth.
Principal Monir of Ideal Cadet Elementary School, a target school for the GENKI program, has a sense of crisis about these situations, and has been educating children about global warming and deforestation since 2011. For children in lower grades, we carefully explain why Climate Change is occurring not only in Bangladesh but all over the world. Last year, Principal Monir handed out about 250 mango and other saplings to the children, not only to teach them in class, but also to foster a sense of respect for nature. Children plant saplings in the school grounds and gardens of their homes and nurture them with care.
Principal Monir said, "When I was a child, there was a lot of forest around my house, but the forest is decreasing year by year due to logging. Especially in Dhaka, the capital city where the school is located, there are few forests, and there are only buildings around the school. Unfortunately, there is a limit to what we can do, but I hope that children will take an interest in deforestation and global warming and become earth-friendly people." Ta.
Photo-5: Around the school with only buildings
Photo-6: Principal Monil distributing seedlings to children
Photo-7: Children planting seedlings
Thank you for your continued support.
Euglena Co., Ltd.
Overseas Business Development Department / Bangladesh Office