Feature

The Initiation of Project Shorey Aw

Tushmit M. Hasan and Sabhanaz Rashid Diya

As the sun crept into the sky on the morning of August 14, 2010, the atmosphere suddenly became frenetic. A crazy project leader started calling up 1° members one after the other in rapid succession, to make sure they don't fall off to sleep in a fit of post-Seheri laziness. Miraculously for a country where time started half-an hour later, the eleven members and three cars met up in Shaora bus stand right on schedule before starting out for Kapasia, Gazipur for a quick briefing session for a very exciting day. For this was the day 1° Initiative launched the long anticipated Project Shorey Aw.

The idea behind Project Shorey Aw was to build network with rural youth in a certain region, conduct small workshops in certain schools in the region and hopefully build bridges between these schools so they can learn to come together as a community. Thanks to the efforts of Mr Sharoj Kumar Nath, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Kapasia, this process has been kicked off in Horimonjori Pilot Girls' High School, and will hopefully spread to several other schools and Madrasas in this region, and eventually, to remaining parts of the country.

The workshop consisted of two segments Academic Awareness (nicknamed Awnneshon) and Initiative Building (nicknamed Awporajita). Awnneshon sought to open girls' eyes to all the possibilities that await them in their academic lives after school is over. It was clear from the discussions with the girls that very few of them had actually given any thought to what they want to study in university, even though many of them nurture a wish to attain higher education. The purpose of this segment was to inspire them to hold on to their dreams and start thinking about how to achieve them starting from now; to motivate them to seek information about all the options open to them in the future and to connect with each other, their teachers and their alumni for advice and guidance. Shy at first, the girls only listened, but as the discussion proceeded amongst games, lame jokes, and stories, some of them ventured to ask questions, and all of them conceded that it was important to think about their future.

Awporajita as the name suggests focused on the impression the girls had of their country and their community, and overcoming obstacles. The message was that positive changes do happen in Bangladesh people setting up solar panels to get access to electricity without being connected to the grid, several NGOs conducting free operations for cleft lip and palate operations, and that in a country where there is no end to the stream of problems. This session included an exercise where the girls were asked to think about problems they faced in their communities, discuss these problems in a group and come up with solutions to tackle these problems as well as identify problems faced while implementing those solutions. The response to this exercise was overwhelming. The girls stepped out of their shy demeanor, and albeit hesitantly at first, they boldly presented their solutions to the auditorium. They talked about deforestation, eve-teasing, child marriage, acid violence, about overcoming age old prejudices.

The most rewarding moment of the workshop was when the girls talked amongst themselves and with the members about how they could implement solutions. They were willing to work together and they approached the 1° volunteer for guidance. This time, they were willing to step up and make a conscious choice about how they could confront the bokhates that whistled at them on their way to school, the babas who wanted to stop education and marry them off or the murubbis who kept reminding them of their demeaning positions in society. This time, they were empowered and suddenly, triggered to operate as a single, cohesive unit. They were willing to not only take measures for themselves, but mentor younger girls in the school. They promised to keep in touch, and the volunteers in turn promised to help them whenever need arises.

In the August heat and the Ramadan hunger, the launching of Project Shorey Aw drew to a close as everyone swore to open their eyes, chase their dreams, work in unison and help their community. The girls and the volunteers headed their separate ways, tired to the bone, but elated to the core. This was the start of new beginnings.

(Tushmit M. Hasan is a sophomore from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at UPenn, USA. Sabhanaz Rashid Diya is a sophomore from the Department of Media and Communication at Independent University Bangladesh.)