Re-building life in the slums
As the last edition of Newsround went to print, the future of Oasis' work in Duaripara slum, Bangladesh, looked very uncertain. Following just 24 hours' notice, bulldozers had started to demolish homes, shops and office buildings (including the Oasis Project centre) to make way for a new road. In a few days, 5,000 people were made homeless.
Shortly after Newsround 7 went to press, the work stopped, quelling fears that the entire slum would be demolished. Newsround caught up with Jo Hayles, one of the Oasis Project Coordinators in Bangladesh: "As well as losing the Project centre building, twenty-five girls involved in the project lost their homes. Among those were two sisters, Miriam and Salma, who I have known for about two years.After hearing that the slum would be demolished, Miriam and Salma's parents hurriedly packed their belongings into large bags. In the
commotion, as thousands were evicted, their bags were stolen.
They were left with nothing - no home, no clothing or cooking equipment. We found the family a few days after the demolition. Miriam and Salma were living with their parents in a bamboo hut standing above stagnant water on stilts with just a plastic roof for protection. After trying to repair the roof of the hut, their father had fallen into the water below and was badly injured. The whole family was in a poor state.
Thankfully, we were able to help the girls immediately. We paid for their father to receive medical treatment and were able to buy the family cooking pots and blankets. In the time following the demolition we helped many families like Miriam and Salma's. The girls are now back at school. I saw them last week and they had beaming faces! It was fantastic to see the change.
Four months after the demolition, we re-opened our education centre and health clinic in a new building. Every day we have about ninety girls making the 10 minute journey from Duaripara. We are now extending our work to include other nearby slums where our girls' families have relocated."
It's thanks to our supporters that we can continue to help the Duaripara girls and their families. The fact that Jo and her team are there means that we can help many other girls like Miriam and Salma to have a brighter future.
Project Summary
The Oasis project in Duaripara serves over 100 families in one of the largest slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The country's economy relies on the clothing industry and girls as young as 10 are still found working in garment factories, often facing 14-hour days for as little as £2 per week.
Oasis has partnered with the Church of Bangladesh to run an integrated programme of education, healthcare and skills training in the Duaripara slum. Jo Hayles, one of our Project Coordinators in Bangladesh, speaks about the necessity of the project:
"Our primary focus is enabling girls to get back into school, so they can get the education they need and obtain better jobs. That's our goal. If the project wasn't operating, many of these girls would miss out on education and be sent to work in the factories. The hope of being able to get out of that situation is very slim.
The biggest obstacle is the financial pressure faced by parents. The price of everyday essentials such as rice is soaring - so what are parents supposed to do? What parent would want their 10-year old to work in a factory for 14 hours a day? Sending the girls into factories is not a choice, it is a necessity. They simply cannot afford not to.
Our girls' families desperately need financial help in the short-term. So our focus includes essential skills training for parents, to enable them to earn a living."