Rotary RAP, Jan. 16, 2018

Last week...a great presentation from Dr. Suzanne Squires, a local Family Physician, about Domestic Violence.  Mental Health is all a part of the picture.  Very disturbing figures about domestic violence in the region.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think we may all know this picture of our Amarok School in Bangladesh.   A reminder that the Rotary Club of Spruce Grove and community raised over $29 500.00 in our most recent Lobsterfest Cash Appeal for Amarok.   The International Committee is looking at a plan to support other clubs with the establishment of support for a school by having 3 Rotary Clubs partnering to support 1 school.  We are intending to provide small seeding funding to support these groups of clubs to get going.  We are currently discussing with the Rotary Clubs of Stony Plain and Parkland after Dark to partner with us.  If this proceeds then it will represent an example of the plan for other groups of clubs.  We have the potential to increase the number of Amarok Schools by 7 and also multiply the communities donations by that number as well.  That is our community money could be multiplied by about 7 if the plan is maximized.

 

Recently I received the following from Tanyss and Amarok.  Very interesting stories about the effect our school is making.

 

 

  

          Summary:

20 schools in Bangladesh

1 school in Pakistan

125 children taught by mothers in each school from average of 25 mothers per school.

1. The number of men who are receiving education from Amarok School: This September we had received the data about the number of men who are receiving education from Amarok mothers or children. From the data I’ve received, a total of 6 men who are getting education from Amarok mothers or children. 3 are taught by MOI children and another 3 are taught by Amarok mothers.

2. MOI Children: The data we collected from Spruce Grove Alberta Rotary Women’s School we have gotten 25 mothers are now teaching 125 children. 60 children are boys and 65 are girls. Among these children 38 children are now teaching 54 people. They are their siblings, neighbor’s children and adult male or female relatives.

3. The progress of women empowerment: The school’s place is in Shatarkul and most of the people live here are local. They didn’t believe in women empowerment until Amarok works on there. At the earlier time the women of this area were not feeling comfortable to earn money. Now they are believe in women empowerment. From the data of SGA School we have found that 10 out of 25 mothers are earning money and some are strongly support their family. Most of them are doing tailoring and some are also engaged with other work like shop-keeping, gardening and handicraft work.  Although still not all of these women’s husbands changed their outlook about women’s empowerment but some of their husbands have started to support them.

4. Awareness about household conflict: As the school’s place of Shatarkul still a little bit rural. Most of the family head was dominating and they didn’t respect women’s decision even the male persons are not allowing to them any decision. The major issues were domination attitude of husband, earning differences, dowry, early marriage, can’t give birth son and depletion of values about women rights. But these days the women of SGA School tell that the household conflict is much decreased than in earlier time. Because the women are more aware about their rights and have some process of resolving any conflict but the main thing is these women are now becoming educated and they get respect from their family. One example is from Khushi, a mother of SGA School. She shared that last year her husband wanted to marry off their daughter who was only 15. Khushi strongly gave objection about the matter. She told her husband about the bad effect of early marriage. She says, “If that day I didn’t protested might be my daughter is now a married women and her study would have been stopped.”

5. More connected in community: The women of this school keep a very good relationship. They stand by each other in any problem. One great example is from teacher Munni. She shared, “At the very earlier time we lived at Nurerchala and a mother of Angela Women’s School. But for some reason we had to move Nurerchala to Shatarkul. And I was enrolled in another Amarok School which is nearby of my home. After someday my husband had a major accident. As we are very poor, we hadn’t enough money for my husband treatment. Though I was a new person at Shatarkul area but the women of SGA School came forward to help me. They raise money from the community for my husband treatment. Some of them kept my children when I was at hospital with my husband. They gave me that much courage that I can move on with my life.” The mother of this school also share that, at this age they hadn’t any friend whom they can share their feelings. After admitting at this school now they have many friends.

6. Changing the outlook about women’s education: The community of SGA School’s outlook about women’s education is changing day by day. At the earlier time when Amarok opened a school for women on that time most of the women had interrupted by their husband. The male persons thought was, taking education at this age is totally meaningless. But when these women started to teach their own children and neighborhood children now their outlook starting to change about women’s education. These days they are also starting to believe that girls education is as much as important boys education.

7. Overall comparison between Amarok neighborhood and an ordinary neighborhood: Right now we haven’t any statistic about overall comparison between Amarok neighborhood and an ordinary neighborhood but we can say that, In those areas where Amarok schools are located the families are now more serious about their children education compared to before we opened a school there.

 

• Some more reports of Spruce Grove Alberta Rotary Women’s School