Nodi Das and Anita are two young women living in the new college dormitory which serves as a safe haven for girls. Thanks to funds provided by the ASEA® Advancing Life Foundation, in partnership with Speak Up for the Poor, these two women are receiving an education, a safe place to live, and are headed to nursing school—something their impoverished parents never even dreamed was possible. Find out how your donations are helping girls and women escape poverty, abuse, and death.
A new dorm, a new opportunity
Since formalizing a partnership with Advancing Life, the college dormitory in Khulna, Bangladesh, has grown from 40 young women students to 64 since March. All of the girls participate in the Girls Education Program (GEP), which helps them finish high school, enroll in various college courses, and get into nursing schools in the area.
This funding has allowed the GEP to expand its dormitory into two new apartments in the building. One of those new apartments is already filled to capacity with ten new nursing students, with the other apartment to be occupied with new young women students this month.
Safety, comfort, and the ability to grow
Each of the two new apartments has ten beds and three bedrooms, along with a fully equipped kitchen, bedding, furniture, curtains, and supplies. The dormitory is a peaceful, safe, and comfortable space where girls are protected and able to focus on their education and future. The safe haven is a far cry from the remote villages where most of the young women have come from.
From poverty and abuse to education and success
Anita comes from a very poor village across the river from Khulna city, where most of her peer group dropped out of school and were given away in marriage to ease the burden on their impoverished parents. Anita’s father works as a rickshaw driver and her parents considered giving her away in marriage on several occasions. Thanks to the GEP, she was able to escape an abusive, dangerous fate in 5th grade.
Nodi Das comes from a family with no father, and her mother has struggled for years to feed her and her sisters. Now Nodi and her sister are living in the dormitory and their family situation has stabilized. The two girls have access to education and a safe place to live, and Nodi has qualified for Bangladesh’s top-level four-year nursing program at Khulna City Medical College.
How you can help children escape abuse
By donating funds to the ASEA® Advancing Life Foundation, you can help girls like Nodi Das and Anita escape abusive situations and receive a safe place to succeed.
Consider setting up a monthly donation to double your impact! ASEA® is matching all donations to Advancing Life, which means your contribution can help even more girls and women escape poverty and successfully work toward a better world.