バングラデシュの学校生活と宗教
【2016年10月活動報告】
1.First of all
Thank you for your continued support of the Euglena
Starting this month, we started distributing cookies to a school called Ha-Min Model School, and the GENKI program has reached 34 schools. There was also a Hindu holiday, Durga Puja, from the 8th to the 12th of this month. It is a festival mainly held in the Bengal region of South Asia (Kolkata, Bangladesh, India). Hindus make feasts and sweets to eat during the festival and distribute them to relatives, friends and people of different religions living in the neighborhood to celebrate together.
2. School timetable and visiting activities
Bangladesh's school, which has a large population of young people, is divided into two parts, morning and afternoon, for each grade. For example, at A Block Arban Elementary School, which is one of the target schools of the GENKI program, the morning part (8 am to 10:30 pm) is for grades 1-3 and the afternoon section (11:00 pm to 4 pm) is for grades 4-6. It is divided into. When I asked the teacher to show me the timetable, the classes such as Japanese language and math are the same as in Japan, but there are English classes from the first grade of elementary school and religion classes instead of morals, which is different from Japan. Can also be seen. Religion classes are divided into Islamic and Hindu religions. In addition, many students attending elementary schools covered by the GENKI program support their household budgets, so after returning home, they work on collecting fare on a balance (small bus) and selling fruits.
Our local staff visits elementary schools to see if students of all grades are Euglena cookies, and regularly explain GENKI program activity reports and the nutrients contained in cookies to teachers and student parents. (Photo 2). Through dialogue with teachers, we try to improve our activities by listening to the voices of students and requests from teachers, which we cannot notice only when we visit the school, and exchanging opinions.
Checking the inventory of cookies to prevent them from running out of stock is also part of the visit activity. We will continue to value dialogue with teachers and students through school visits.
Photo-1: 4th grade math class
Photo-2: Cookie explanation to teacher and parents
3. Religion and elementary school education
Bangladesh has a strong impression of Islam, but there are also schools supported by Christianity. The four elementary schools that began distributing cookies in April 2015 are run by a Christian organization called the Basic Development Partner (BDP).
Many of the teachers at this school are Christians, but some of our students are Muslims and Hindus. The school hosts a Christian celebration, the Christmas event, which all students enjoy and participate in. Although it doesn't snow in Bangladesh, we use paper snow to create Christmas, eat cakes and dance (Photo 4). Students have learned diversity from an early age by experiencing different religious cultures.
We also learn about our own culture and history by celebrating the New Year and International Homeland Anniversary throughout the school.
Photo-3: Exterior of the school
Photo-4: Christmas event
4. About the voices of students eating Euglena
Photo-5: Suljo eating cookiesSurjao, who attends an elementary school run by a Basic Development Partner (BDP), is a Hindu third grader. The school has 30 third-year students, two of whom are Hindus, including Suljo. Suljo lives in school with the majority of Muslim students.
Suljo is studying hard every day for the exam to be held in December. "Eating cookies has eased my hunger and allowed me to concentrate on my studies. I want you to continue the GENKI program in the future," he said.
When I asked Suljo about how to spend Durga Puja, he said, "I went home with my family to my parents'parents' house 40km away from Dhaka, gathered with my relatives to eat a festive treat, get a New Year's gift, and sing a nightly song. I sang and danced! "
Durga Puja is like the New Year in Japan, and during the period it is a holiday in Bangladesh, where about 90% of the population is Muslim, and the city is decorated with pictures and statues of the god Durga. Even in Dhaka, people of all religions went out to see the statue of the god Durga and the store openings, and at night the music rang and it became like a live venue. In Bangladesh, there is a culture that celebrates these different religious festivals together.
Photo-6: Durga God
Photo-7: Feast to eat at the festival
5. Summary
This month, we introduced one aspect of Bangladesh where various religions coexist.
Starting this month, a new field staff member, Emon, will join the GENKI team. As the number of cookie distribution schools increases every month, we will expand the program by increasing the number of staff and deliver Euglena
We will continue to promote our business to achieve our goals in the second half of the year, and we ask for your continued support.
Euglena Co., Ltd.
Bangladesh office
Shahid
Yousuf
Mohiminul
Rowshan