The Republic of Bangladesh is said to be the poorest country.
This Euglena members visiting Bangladesh and telling them what they felt. And this is finally the final episode.
In the previous report, I visited a local farmer who grows mung beans, which are the source of bean sprouts, in Potoakari, which is called "Golden Bengal". This time, I will return to Dhaka, the capital city, from Podakali and report on how I interacted with children in Bangladesh.
* This is a visit to the company training for 3 nights and 4 days from April 25 to 28, 2019.
Click here for Part 1
Click here for Part 2
Click here for Part 3
Adjacent luxury residential area and slums
6 am.
It is caused by the shaking of the ship called "Gogon!", But I got used to it when it was the second night.
The ship, which departed from the countryside of Podakali, arrived in the noisy capital of Dhaka.
We passed through the crowded city of Dhaka in the early morning and arrived at a hotel in the Gulshan district, which is a high-class residential area and a government office area. Take a shower, have breakfast and get ready for the final day.
The Gulshan district is one of the most exclusive residential and government districts in Dhaka, and it is a special district in Bangladesh, with some rooms renting higher than in central Tokyo.
Departing from such a high-class residential area, we headed to an elementary school that participates in the "GENKI Program" * Euglena
Euglena containing cookies, which are rich in nutrients, to children in Bangladesh free of charge. Euglena, Inc. and Euglena part of the sales of the designated goods of all products and partners of group companies Euglena create a filled cookie, we distribute to the children of Bangladesh.
On the way to the residential area, where the houses are spread on both sides of the unpaved dirt road, I passed through an area that could be called a slum.
Local staff told me that some families in this area live in a space of about 2 tatami mats without doors.
About 20 minutes by car from the high-class residential area, the party is surprised that the living environment is so different.
The target of the GENKI program is children with nutritional problems, but it was a moment when I got a glimpse of the living environment of those children.
Euglena was able to hand over a cookie with euglena
Further along the road, I saw an elementary school.
The coloring of the school building is a bright color that you do not see in Japan.
In Bangladesh, schools are run by local governments, NGOs / NPOs, schools run by local residents, and various other entities.
It feels a little different from Japanese public and private schools. The first place I visited on this day was a school run by an NPO.
When I arrived at the elementary school, the teachers showed me a notebook that remembers the number of cookies I had distributed so far.
It is said that the number of people who distributed cookies is managed by hand every day, but the number of cookies distributed varies from day to day.
In Japanese schools, it is normal for all children to come to school every day, but in Bangladeshi schools, that is not the norm. There are various reasons why children cannot come to school, such as the family environment and their health condition. The Japanese sense that it is natural to go to school every day does not apply here. It was a moment when I realized that various environmental improvements were necessary for the premise of education.
While listening to the teachers, the children were looking through the window.
As I learned from this training, all Bangladeshi people are curious! And the strength of children's interest in us is great.
Even if the teacher gets angry, he will talk to me, "Shake hands!"
When I point the camera at it, I smile and smile. I will call out to take a picture with us. I am delighted to show the photos on my smartphone or camera.
Round up the conversation with the teachers and move to the classroom. When I entered the classroom with about 15 children, the children seemed a little nervous.
Euglena Co., Ltd., which runs the GENKI program," and distributed the cookies distributed on the day. When I handed over the cookies, the children said "Thank you" with a smile.
It seems that the foreigners who came suddenly are a little confused, so I asked some questions such as "What kind of subject do you like?" And "What do you do after school?" Everyone is a little shy but answers cheerfully.
And when Euglena?", He answered "I love you!" In a loud voice.
And finally, I took a picture with the children.
Many children gathered at the playground from the classroom.
I realized that everyone was eating cookies from the GENKI program, and I felt the significance of the GENKI program and the efforts of the local staff.
One-legged sumo for boys, musical chairs for girls
I'm sorry to say that I say goodbye to the children and drive to another elementary school. The next elementary school is a school run by the local residents' association. The playground is wider than the elementary school I visited just before, and the number of children is large.
Again, after receiving the teacher's explanation, I helped distribute the cookies. And do you have any questions for the children? When asked, "I want you to sing some Japanese song".
As a result of thinking in a hurry because it is a song that all of us participants can sing, we sang "Kimi ga Dai" because it is a song that everyone can sing. I feel like I have become a representative of Japan for sports.
When I left the classroom, the teachers said, "I want you to see what the children are playing with." Boys play sumo wrestling with one foot, and girls play a musical chairs game. Everyone seems to have a lot of fun just like Japanese elementary school students. I realized that playing with the body everywhere is universal.
Finally, I took a group photo with the children here as well. At this school, the teachers also love photography and are asked to take a selfie together. I understand that photography lovers are not only children but also Bangladeshi people.
Visit Grameen Euglena and follow the path of Dr. Muhammad Yunus
After the children waved off with all their might, they moved to the headquarters building of the Grameen Group, led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The same building also houses the Gramin Group and the Gramin Euglena office founded by Euglena. Here I was able to meet with Bangladeshi Ugly (an internal term for members of the Euglena group).
Since I joined the company, I haven't had the opportunity to talk directly by just exchanging emails, so it was a nice time to be able to see the faces of my friends and talk.
In addition, per multiple of key positions of the Grameen group, Grameen Euglena Grameen Group and Grameen in Bali who who is also director of Euglena it was talked about the history of. Our, who is involved in the Bangladesh business, "He is a tough guy who knows the real business", and I was proud and tickled like myself.
At the end of the training, we will visit the Muhammad Yunus Memorial Hall on the 1st floor of the Grameen Group headquarters building. This memorial hall introduces the life and achievements of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for the spread of microfinance.
As I followed the path of Dr. Yunus, I suddenly felt strange. The reason is that our president, Izumo, wouldn't have started the company without Dr. Yunus, and if so, I wouldn't have come to Bangladesh in this way ... My thoughts spread throughout the world and change the lives of many people. And I realized again that I was one of them, and the whole training process was completed.
After the training process was completed, I spared goodbye to Bangladesh by buying traditional Bangladeshi costumes, peeking at a local supermarket, and launching at a Japanese restaurant in Dhaka. ..
Then, at 2:00 pm, I flew to Tokyo from Dhaka Airport, where the horn roared like when I arrived. 3 nights and 4 days in no time! was.
Finally
"Going to India changes your outlook on life."
I've heard that story, but when I visited Bangladesh, I felt, "I went to Bangladesh and my outlook on life changed! !! "When.
I was keenly aware of the distance between myself and the social issues that I had vaguely grasped. Social issues such as nutritional problems that could only be known from books and news, and the harshness of living in rural areas in developing countries are within reach for the first time, and the appearance of colleagues working at the forefront of social business, etc. It was something I couldn't know if I was in Japan.
Then, I learned about the size and depth of local issues. It was so complicated that I was overwhelmed by the small amount of what I could do in the form of a huge social problem.
At the same time, the words of the member in charge of the Bangladesh project who accompanied me to the training struck my heart.
"We may be weak, but we are not helpless."
Euglena cookies from the GENKI program are not magical foods that fundamentally solve nutritional problems. However, the program, which has been steady for five years since 2014, has now expanded to distribute 10,000 copies daily, gradually helping to solve nutritional problems in Bangladeshi children.
また、緑豆プロジェクトも農村地域の生活水準を激変させることはできていません。ですが8千人超の契約農家に対してこれまでになかった収入アップの機会を与え、日本のもやし会社には新しい産地からの緑豆を提供しています。
そして、これらの努力を継続してきたことが、日本企業として初のWFPとの提携につながっています。
The members of this training tour are not directly involved in the business related to Bangladesh, but each work in front of them leads to the smiles of the elementary school students in Dhaka and the ale to their friends struggling in the scorching land. I think I've come to believe that.
We at Euglena aim to solve social issues as our business expands. There are various social issues, but I would like to continue working on them every day with the aim of solving them little by little.
# Bangladesh # SDGs # Food problems