Sonali jute mills                                                    Masunm, Shaon

Digholia                                                                Masunm, Shaon

Ajax jute mills                                                       Irfan

Teligati                                                                 Razu

Bagerhat                                                              Yamin

EDS started in Moheswarpasha where Hafiz has been teaching children since he was 12years old. We have expanded as classmates of the EDS students and owners of the jute mills have requested us to set up branches in their respective areas. In In Moheswarpasha Hafiz has used parts of his NORAD scholarship and PhD salary to buy a house for EDS. In Ajax and Shonali jute mills the jute mill owners have offered us to use the jute mills' school classrooms.

Alamin in front of the EDS house in Moheswarpasha

After the cyclone Sidor swept away houses and assets of the coastal population in Bagerhat in 2007, EDS opened a branch there to encourage studying among the children and youth. Alamin and Yamin went to Bagerhat to survey the situation and see how we could assist the people. Our objective was to do something sustainable with long lasting impacts for the people. We planned to buy equipment or animals by which the people could get income and food or to help them rebuild their houses. Building materials were not accessible and bad roads made the transport of materials into the area costly and difficult. As the land was flooded it would be difficult to crop in the saline water and animals would not have access to fodder and drinking water, so that idea was rejected. Then we considered buying rickshaws by which some families could get an income to start rebuilding their lives. As rickshaws are expensive we would not be able to afford many and thus only some families would benefit from this. Alamin and Yamin discussed the idea with the village heads, who requested us to not buy rickshaws or any items that would only benefit a few families and may create jealousy in the village. They instead asked us to by smaller items for everyone so that all would feel included. 

Finally we decided to start an EDS branch and support children and youth with school books as this would benefit a larger part of the population. The national exam was soon to be held and the youth had lost their books in the cyclone. The local school offered us to use a classroom for the EDS group and Yamin, who is grown up in the area, is now responsible for this branch.