BGD/10/058 - Communal Land-Lease and Cultivation Project to finance primary schooling for children from poor, rural households

Objective: Through a communal land-lease and joint land cultivation program me with some of the parents of Mati students, it would be possible to generate enough income to finance at least 13% of the school’s yearly financial needs. Additionally, the establishment of a school garden would get the children involved and help them to practise the principles of organic farming.

Background: For poor families in Bangladesh sending a child to school is very cost intensive. The financial hardship, in combination with the poor academic standards in public schools, leads to many poor children getting left behind and eventually dropping out. The Mati School, established in 1999, offers free schooling to the poor, rural community around Huzurikanda. After class 7 they change to the local high school, where the poorest are assisted through monthly scholarships, arranged by Mati, through sponsors. They can continue until class 10, the first formal certificate (SSC). The families no longer have to go into debt in order to send their children to school, and later benefit from educated children, who might get higher paid jobs, or a better marriage arrangement. The existence of the school is 100% dependent on private donations, and thus faces great insecurity. Through a communal land-lease and joint land cultivation scheme with some of the parents of Mati students, it would be possible to generate enough income to finance at least 13% of the school’s yearly financial needs. Additionally, the establishment of a school garden would get the children involved and help them to practise the principles of organic farming. The harvest will be shared: 50% for the parents and 50% for the school. The mothers will prepare the harvested projects to be sold at the local market, if not sold directly at the farm gate. The school garden will be established by classes 5-7, who will also take care of the garden. The harvested vegetables will contribute towards school lunches.

Use of Funds: • The lease of the land for three years. • 10 van loads of cow dung. • Seeds for the school garden from a local seed bank. All these costs will be self-financing after one cultivation period.

Beneficiaries: Unknown