July and August 2009 I spent five weeks in Bangladesh with Md. Hafizur Rahman’s family and the education programme Education for Deprived Students (EDS). I have seldom met so genuinely warm and hospitable people and I was impressed by their way of including me in their family. Bangladeshi are proud of their country and eager to show me their culture. The EDS students were from resource poor families and many of them used to be illiterate and fail nearly all exams prior to EDS, but after starting in EDS they have become among the best students in their classes. Many students had improved their behaviour due to EDS and were now voluntarily teaching younger children. However, despite my knowledge of the success of EDS, nothing could have prepared me for the students’ and parents’ happiness to meet me and how they truly appreciated my visit.

The EDS method is that university students and school teachers receive remuneration for teaching the oldest EDS students, who in turn teach the younger EDS students voluntarily. Apart from learning the theory better, the EDS students also learn to be responsible, to assist others and they learn that they are valuable and great resources for their community. One day EDS arranged a seminar about group work where the oldest students were divided in groups, given a development case to solve and observers (other students) observed how the group members collaborated. Afterwards the groups presented their results and the observers commented on the students group working skills.

Although the students had never done any exercise like this before they showed creative solutions and many presented the topic like professional speakers!! During the presentations about 60 youth sat in the largest room (about 4x6m) in the EDS house and 15 in the room next door. Despite limited space and heat there were no complaints, only smiles. THAT really impressed me.

EDS arranges cultural evenings where the students dress up and perform. The condition for joining is that the students behave and study well. The students really enjoy these events so all students helped out. The evening prior to a gathering EDS arranged for the local leaders and Khulna University professors three of the EDS boys voluntarily, on own initiative, cleaned the entire EDS house. Later, when EDS arranged a picnic and served food to the EDS students, the same three boys hand dish washed over 50 plates twice…with the same great enthusiasm and smile!

The students often came to the EDS house an hour in advance of their lecture. When I asked why they came so early they replied:

“We enjoy being here, because here nobody hit us. You behave friendly and here we learn through playing, it is fun”.

When I watched the oldest female EDS students waiting in excitement to know who would be awarded as the “Best female EDS teacher” and when watching the nine year old boy proudly teaching a group of 10 younger children I really understood why the children enjoy EDS. In EDS, the teachers motivate the students, make the students understand and see that learning is fun. The children and youth who previously failed the exam and could not read or write learn in EDS that they are fully capable to learn, they learn that EDS and their society need them. The students are respected by the EDS teachers, and they are encouraged to study and behave well by receive small gifts (like pen or papers) when they have improved their school results or behaviour. Through spending time with the children and youth, listening to them, being patient and behaving friendly with them, the students develop trust in the EDS leaders and teachers and understand that these adults really care about them and wish to support them.

As the parents are important in the children’s development EDS arranges parent meetings. The first parent meeting I helped to arrange was for the mothers and over 50 mothers showed up. EDS has about 700 students, but many live far from the EDS house, so the attendance was good with 50 mothers. The mothers were divided in groups and discussed in which ways EDS had impacted their family and children and what they thought about the program in general. After a few minutes the entire EDS house was filled with eager discussions, it was obvious that THIS was a topic engaging the mothers!! On the next parent meeting many fathers came and while discussing EDS and their children’s education in plenary one father took the floor and said:

“I am a worker in the jute factory and earlier I did not care much about my five children’s education as they were only going to work in the factory like me. Since one of my daughters started in EDS I have realized the importance of education and now I want all my children to get good education so they can get better jobs than me and a good life”.

Another father stood up and said that prior to EDS he and his wife didn’t pay much attention to education, but after some of their children started in EDS and they learned from Hafiz the benefits of education they now want all their daughters to get good education. I was thinking what a huge difference it makes to the life of a girl if she is married off at 13 (as is the fate of some girls in Bangladesh) to a much older husband who may mistreat her or if her parents support her education so that she can get a good job and husband and decide over her own life. My meeting with the EDS parents showed me how EDS has changed the minds of the parents, how the parents have gained hope and see that there is a way out of the poverty, through education. The EDS parents said they were happy that I bothered to use my time in Bangladesh to meet them, the poor people. I was very, very touched to see how much it meant to them that I cared about them, so I assured them that their children can achieve anything if they study hard and behave well, coming from poor conditions doesn’t mean you have to remain poor or fail in school. Their own children have proved that they are able to get the very best school results and help running EDS! I also assured the parents that I will be with EDS for my entire life!!

Another person who impressed me was Alamin, the EDS coordinator who is taking care of EDS while Hafiz is studying in Norway. EDS has five groups in different areas and Alamin keeps regularly contact and visits these study groups. He motivates university students to teach voluntarily in EDS, he arranges parents meetings, weekly EDS exams to check the students improvements, cultural events, gives classes to the EDS students, check that the oldest students’ teachers are competent, he collects the students’ school transcripts and has regularly discussions with Khulna University professors. Alamin is himself a student, but spends most of his time in EDS. He feels the poor EDS children and youth are his sisters and brothers so he is very committed to help them to get education to improve their livelihood.

Trust is essential in EDS. Hafiz is grown up in the EDS area so the EDS parents can relate to his stories of what may happen if their children don’t get education or are married off early. At the same time Hafiz is an inspiration as he, despite many challenges, achieved good education and is now working. The EDS parents listened with great attention to Hafiz advices in the parent meeting. As Hafiz has proven that he really cares about the EDS students and their parents by spending time with them, the parents trust that he wants their best and take his advices seriously.

In the beginning, local people were really negative about EDS and asked Hafiz: “What do you gain from teaching the poor kids? You will be poor yourself if you spend all your money on those kids”. EDS is now respected in the area; university professors and students ask to volunteer in the program and increasing numbers of poor children and youth wish to join. In EDS I have seen how one can change a society by engaging the local people, through motivation and a true commitment to volunteerism! I have seen that it works and I am convinced that the best way for development is by and for the local people. I wish EDS will spread to give more children and youth the chance to education in an environment that motivates them and where they feel they are valuable resources for others.