Food for Happiness February Project: ¥100,000 Raised to Provide Children in Bangladesh with School Uniforms
In February 2020, byFood partnered with the NGO ESA Japan to raise funds to provide school uniforms for students at Jonaki Elementary School in Chittagong, Bangladesh. With the support of our hosts and your bookings, we were able to contribute ¥100,000 of the ¥300,000 needed to provide 300 students with high-quality uniforms.
About Jonaki Elementary School
In 2004, Education Sponsorship in Asia (ESA) built the Jonaki Elementary School, a village school located 1 hour by boat from Chittagong, Bangladesh. Their mission was to empower the children of this rural village to seek an education, giving not just the students but also the village opportunities to lead them out of poverty.
What began as a school with 30 students soon grew to 300 students, and pre-school education was also established to ease the transition into elementary school. Many of the graduates were able to enter junior high school. This year, for example, a first-year graduate entered the Economics Department of the University of Chittagong.
ESA provides the students school supplies like stationary, school bags, school lunches, and uniforms. The uniforms are not only a tool to teach the students neatness, but also an important message for the village. They show that all children, including those in poor areas, can have access to education -- a beacon for a brighter future.
Update from ESA Japan (May 2020)
Students at Jonaki Elementary School in Chittagong, Bangladesh have received 2 new sets of uniforms, thanks to your bookings. This year, the uniforms have been upgraded, made with durable, higher-quality cotton and sewn with double stitches for long-lasting quality. The students look proud and shine with joy to be dressed in new uniforms that are not only sturdy but also neat and good-looking.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, schools have been closed across Bangladesh. The country has been in lockdown since the end of March and the students are anxiously waiting to return to school and wear their new school uniforms.
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