School rather than marriage

08.28.2012 - Following the death of her father, Mossamad Chapla had to stop public school: “My mother could no longer afford to pay the various expenses related to my studies.” In Bangladesh, parents are more likely to invest their scarce resources into the education of their sons rather than that of their daughters. They also seek to marry their daughter early so as to free themselves of the financial burden that their daughters represent. One out of every two girls is married before the legal age of 18.

This phenomenon is particularly important in the poor regions, like in the North of Bangladesh where Enfants du Monde supports three schools. Here, due to the incessant call of the harsh reality there is little place for dreams. Nevertheless, Mossamad Chapla was lucky: she was not married off, and after having spent a year at home, she was able to get back to her education at one of the schools supported by Enfants du Monde.

The innovation in our schools is to offer a professional initiation in tandem with the regular curriculum. For example, the students are trained in sewing, carpentry, welding, agriculture, etc. Thanks to this training, the students receive a salary which allows them to help their families or to save some money for the pursuit of their education. This is of utmost importance for girls, who are not only enabled to complete their education, but also will not be required to get married early.

Additionally the young girls become more independent and are able to have dreams like Mossamad Chapla: “I went back to school in 2009 and chose to study sewing. I have already earned some money in selling the clothes that I have made at school. I try to put my money aside so as to be able to continue my studies: I want to be a doctor.”