Project Introduction:

There are 27.7 million adolescents aged 10-19 years in Bangladesh where 13.7 million girls and 14 million boys. Majority of them come from urban and rural poor disadvantaged families and communities having limited scope for basic education, life-skills education including lack of reproductive health education, awareness creation on their rights and life skills for their self-development, protection and self reliance. Many adolescents migrate from rural to urban areas, work in risky jobs as day laborers, factory workers, transport workers, rickshaw-pullers, domestic servants, hotel boys and garment factory workers. Due to the family needs of supplementary income many adolescent girls and boys are deprived of education. In view of the practical situation Dhaka Ahsania Mission has been providing non formal education to children of different age groups through community learning centers since 1995. The current EAST-UCLC (Empowering Adolescents for Social Transformation through Urban Community Learning Center) project is implemented at Mirpur, Dhaka.

Project Agreement Number: NA

Overall Objective:

• To offer alternative educational opportunities of the junior secondary level for the un-enrolled and school drop outs and working children.
• To facilitate mainstreaming of the junior secondary graduates in higher classes
• To provide employable vocational skills to those who will not continue education
• To sensitize community, parents, employers to eliminate hazardous child labor.
• Build community ownership and capacity in slum areas of Dhaka city for sustainability of the program.

Specific Objectives:

• To provide second chance non formal Junior Secondary Education for the dropped out and out of school adolescent boys and girls for continuing of education through mainstreaming in higher classes.
• To establish networking with Community Based Organizations and Adolescent Developed Forum (ADF) through which the adolescents will be able to raise their voice for their issues and create access to the services
• To increase income and employment opportunities through vocational training for the elderly girls and boys and their family members who will not continue education after completion of JSE
• To empower the adolescents of poor families and enhancing their capabilities through life skills education for becoming agents of social transformation, particularly, for the desired changes in their situation

Outputs:

• By conducting survey at least 90% of adolescents are organized for development functions.
• At least 80% adolescents have competency for fluent reading, writing and calculation
• 50% adolescents are continuing in higher classes in the mainstream education system.
• At least 60% adolescents and their guardians engaged in employments and income generation activities
• Good practices will be documented.
• Community contribution will be increased for sustainability of program.

Project Components:

Primary & JSC (Education of Junior Secondary and Primary level (Class-III-VIII) )

Major Activities:

• Children enrolment and conduct session
• Complete birth registration
• Complete  PSC & JSC registration and attend examination
• Formation CMC Committee, ADF Committee, CRC Committee
• Organization building, awareness creation and capacity and asset development for empowerment;
• Mainstreaming in higher classes, life skills education and vocational skills training support;
• Reproductive health & primary health education and care support through linkage.
• Income generating activities (Self employments);
• Social mobilization, networking with various service providing agencies.
• Documentation of good practices and advocacy at regional and national level;
• Community contribution and ownership building for sustainability and replication of the good practices;
• Day observation national and international

Project Participants (Direct):

Children(0-10)		Adolescent(11-17)		Youth(18-25)		Adult(26-60)		Senior Citizen(61+)
M	F	M	F	M	F	M	F	M	F
0	0	139	264	0	0	0	0	0	0

Project Duration: January 2013 to December 2017

Financial partner (Donor): DAM-UK Charity

Implementing partner (if any): N/A

Project Location/s and number of Field offices: House-13, Road-25, Block-D,

Section-10, Parish Road, Mirpur-10, Dhaka-1216

Project Budget: BDT: 19,934,841.00/

Number of project staffs and volunteers:

Staff (Regular)		Paid Volunteer		Non-Paid Volunteer
M	F	M	F	M	F
2	1	0	18	0	0

Contact Person:Prosanto David Shadukha, Project Coordinator

Email: pd.shadukha@ahsaniamission.org.bd, dprosanto@yahoo.com