ABOUT THE LIDIA HOPE CENTRE TRUST
It all began in 2010 when a Bangladeshi couple, Mala and Martin, began tutoring children who were not attending their local schools. From this, the Lidia Hope Center emerged: a center focused on providing early age education to children living in the slums. LHC is working to break the poverty cycle of living hand-to-mouth by helping families in the poorest areas of Dhaka value education and take a vested interest in their children's future. To this end, LHC provides vocational and life skills training to mother's of the students and other women in the slums without an employable skill, who want to earn a steady income and change the future of their family!
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The Lidia Hope Centre Trust is a registered social trust in Bangladesh.
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mARUFA- AGE 13
OUR GOALS
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1. Counsel families on the value of education and creating a supportive environment for each student / trainee.
2. Teach Bangladeshi government-mandated curriculum and provide after school tutoring for students lacking a learning environment at home.
3. Provide daily meals that are healthy and nutritious to students.
4. Provide more women with a professional skill that provides steady income.
5. Deepen life skills training for women and empower them to be co-decision makers in their home.
PERSONAL STORIES FROM LHC
Student Name: Marufa
Age: 13
Marufa was born and raised in the Nutun Bazar slums. She never went to school because her father, a rickshaw driver, was paralyzed about 6 years ago. Marufa’s mother has been a day laborer since. Marufa's parents did not enroll her in any school and she stayed at home to take care of her father and do all the house work. Marufa was a bright girl who always wanted to get an education.
Her neighbor’s daughter Srabonti was attending the LHC. Srabonti was younger than Marufa and would do homework in Marufa’s home. She encouraged Marufa to go to school, but Marufa was embarrassed because she was so much older and thought it was too late to start school. Srabonti told her LHC teacher Mina about Marufa, so Mina went to Marufa’s house and spent time with Marufa to encourage her to start school. Mina also spoke to Marufa’s parents, who were hesitant for her to go to school because they worried that the daily chores and cooking wouldn’t be done. Her parents eventually agreed to give it a try, on the condition that Marufa must continue her house work.
In January 2015, Marufa enrolled in the Lidia Hope Center. Initially, Marufa’s mother was unwilling to pay the small school fee (50 taka) and she was not sure why Marufa needed an education. With the help of Mina and the extra homework sessions, Marufa quickly caught up and became the first student in her class. Marufa wakes up every day around 5am to do all the housework and cooking for the day before she goes to school. Her mother is now very happy about her daughter’s achievement in school and started to pay the monthly school fee. However her mother is worried they won’t have enough money after the next few years to afford Marufa’s education. The LHC team is actively counseling her family about the value of education and helping the family plan for Marufa’s future.
Sumi- age 17
Artisan Name: Sumi
Age: 17
After passing her HSC exam (secondary completion), her parents married her to a man without her agreement. At the time, she did not want to get married and wanted to continue her education. After marriage, her life had many problems. She even considered getting a divorce. Around that time, Sumi learned about the Artisan Training Program and decided to join. Mala and Martin counselled her, and after joining her training, her life has changed a lot in the past year. She began contributing to the household income each month and gained more confidence in herself and respect from her husband. Last week, Sumi called Mala, “Auntie, thank you so much for helping me, if I didn’t take your guidance then my relationship with my family would have been broken. I would’ve been living in darkness.”