The Dhaka Project School

Pre-departure Information

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Project Location: Gawair, a suburb of the capital and largest city in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The population is around 13 million people in Dhaka, making it one of the most densely populated cities and is also known as the rickshaw capital of the world (over 400,000 cycle rickshaws run everyday!)

Project Age Limit: 17-65

Project Highlights:

Assistant teaching at The Dhaka Project school, forming close bonds with grade 1-7 children, whom you will see almost every day
Gaining an insight to the teaching methods used and implementing your own ideas in order to make learning as fun as possible!
Teaching English to adults at The Catalyst to equip them with the tools to seek employment and better their lives
Assistant teaching English, Religion, Music, Reading, IT and lots more to children in The Dhaka Project School and watching them develop into inspirational young adults
Play therapy and informal lessons with children at nursery and pre-school
Assisting school medical staff carry out medical checks and encourage self-hygiene and health
Help Dhaka get tidy, clean up days physically removing the rubbish that lines the streets of Dhaka, an informal task with the children that encourages them to take responsibility of their city
Providing the community with clothes and toys by helping at our garage sale every week
Sampling the infamous Bangoli tea and other delights such as spicy curries and vegetables!
Getting to know the amazing Bangolis who are our neighbours and colleagues
Optional visits to the childrens homes, getting feedback from their parents and and insight to the day-to-day life in the slums

Further Information on The Dhaka Project School :

The Dhaka Project was set up in 2005 by Maria Conceicao, a flight attendant for Emirates. Since then a phenomenal amount of progess has been made and the lives of so many people have been transformed. Our projects are not only improving the education and therefore future of the 500 children enrolled at the school but it is also providing over 100 jobs for their parents and other adult members of the community.

The Catalyst is a branch of The Dhaka Project which reaches out to the educational development of the adults in the community with the aid of our students as their teachers. This enables them to seek better employment giving their family a more enjoyable existence.

The projects are always evolving so are likely to be at different stages upon your arrival. Volunteers should be prepared to be involved in a wide spectrum of project work, all of which help move the projects and the people of Dhaka towards a more positive tomorrow.

For everyone to get the most out of project work a large amount of planning and organisation is required. When a project runs smoothly everyone is happy, not to mention the children and all of the people we are working with. This is a very rewarding feeling for volunteers and it is generally affirmed that the more you put in to projects with planning and preparation, the more you get out of it! It can be chaotic and disastrous when things are not planned or organised, this can be very dissatisfying for volunteers and is not fair on our project members. The people who attend our projects (school children, staff, catalyst students etcâ€¦) deserve our dedicated preparation time.

We therefore ask that you contribute to the planning and running of each project. You will be assigned responsibilities for the planning of lessons, the organisation of arts and craft sessions and preparation of resources. Please be prepared to undertake these responsibilities and the project staff will always be around to help in any way if you have any questions at all!

We manage the responsibilities and schedule of projects via a Weekly Project Schedule which will be shown to you upon your arrival. Your time on projects will be split between the projects that are listed next.

The Dhaka Project School

You will assist with the teaching of The Dhaka Project School that provides free education to approximately 500 children. The children are taught in both English and Bangla following the Bangoli curriculum, guided by textbooks in each subject. Our teaching staff are all qualified teachers but learning techniques in Bangladesh are somewhat different to those that we may be used to in the western world. While assisting the teachers and planning the lessons, encourage them use the textbooks as a guide and make the lessons as creative and engaging as possible. A lot of our children are dictated to you and are taught the material as though it is gospel, subsequently the children never challenge the information or form their own opinion.

Our short-term aim is to provide a safe and happy learning environment for children from 2 years old. Our oldest children are 17 years of age, however, the classes are mixed due to ability and not age. There are very mixed standards throughout the grades but each are coming along better than could be expected. The children will tell you themselves that before The Dhaka Project their standard of education was extremely poor and they didnâ€™t speak a word of English.

All schools in Bangladesh are subject to school fees, in particular international schools or those that teach English. Schools are thus not readily available to all children living in the slums; our school provides the opportunity for the children to be in a stimulating and positive environment rather than forced to stay at home performing chores or working to earn a wage for their family. We provide free education, free school uniform and bags, free books and free food packages; in return we expect the children to work to their best ability and achieve good marks. It is important that the children realize that they have to be the ones working to their future and that not everything will get handed to them on a plate. Our long-term aim of the school is for it to become a self-sufficient and sustainable community school run by Bangoli teachers who utilize interactive teaching techniques in their lessons and stress the childrenâ€™s holistic development. We also hope to expand the school in order to allow more entrants and spread these opportunities to more families living in the slums.

We work together with the teachers and the RFS to produce a school routine that meets the Bangoli curriculum. In the average week the children study English, Maths, Science, Religion, Bangla, Music, IT, Reading and Art.

You will perhaps notice that the range of ability at the school is quite vast. One of the great benefits of having volunteers at the school is that extra help and one-to-one teaching is now a possibility for children with learning differences. If this is something that interests you and with which you feel comfortable, please approach the project managers and say so as it is a wonderful help for these children. Similarly you may notice a lack of Physical Education in the school routine, after lesson time and at the weekends feel free to organize a sports session or cricket game â€“ the children will be more than willing to participate!

Volunteer involvement at the pre-school

Assistant teaching to children in all grades, encouraging the teachers to be as creative as possible
Developing the childrenâ€™s imagination and creative skills through crafts such as painting, drawing and coloring
Teaching basic lessons about English, IT, Maths, Science
Showcasing the childrenâ€™s work on the notice boards in each classroom. The children strive to be the best if they know their work will be presented to all staff and visitors.
General upkeep of the school to keep it a pleasant environment in which to learn

Project Typical Day:

A day in the life of The Dhaka Project and The Catalyst

DAY 1:

9:00-12:30- Spend the morning at The Dhaka Project School assisting the local teachers and making the lessons as interactive and imaginative as possible

12:30-13:30- Lunch at The Dhaka Project, local food cooked by our chef. Enjoy getting to know the staff that make The Dhaka Project possible, head back to the guest house for a rest or explore the market for local treats.

14:00-17:00- Head back to school and meet with the teachers after lessons to assess the day and plan how to improve the next lesson/prepare materials for the next day.

DAY 2:

9:00-12:30- Spend the morning at The Dhaka Project School nursery, playing with the children and help serve their lunch. Sing some songs or read a story before nap time

14:00-17:00- Meet the students after school for a game of cricket.

Volunteer Expectations – Please read carefully
All third world countries, Bangladesh and the slums of Dhaka included, provide an ever-changing environment with power failures, water shortages, temperature fluctuations and other uncontrollable situations. You will need to remain flexible, understanding and in good humour. Systems and routines are slowly being introduced but you will find the urgency and organization we expect at home lacking in some areas of Dhaka. This can be difficult and frustrating for those used to a very structured life so remember that there is no desperate rush, we are all working together!

We are not at liberty to advise which medical vaccinations or precautions you should take so please consult your doctor for more advice. What we can tell you is bring lots of anti-mosquito repellant and long sleeved tops and trousers (mosquitoes are not malarial however). Remember also this is a Muslim country so it is disrespectful to show too much flesh.

Once you arrive in Dhaka, your care is the responsibility of The Dhaka Project and our project managers. We always aim to provide you with all your daily needs, keep you out of harm's way and support you in your volunteer work. In exchange, we ask you to attend work punctually and to behave consistently in ways that reflect well upon The Dhaka Project and our project managers.

The Dhaka Project rely on networks, and those networks are held together by good relations. If a case should arrive in which our staff feels that volunteers have repeatedly behaved in ways that contradict the basic spirit of this agreement, we reserve the right to remove you from the program.

We view the volunteer experience as a commitment that includes a willingness to overcome challenges of various sorts. In cases where volunteers are experiencing difficulties, we strongly encourage creative, collaborative solutions. At the same time, we respect the ability and freedom of our volunteers to make their own judgments and understand that volunteer work only functions well when volunteers retain the will to participate fully and energetically.

Project Cost Includes:

Project Acomodation fee : this is financing that goes back into the project with which you are involved. This project fee facilitates funding for items such as teaching materials, sports equipment, supplies, etc. as well as the development of the actual programme.
Transfer from Dhaka Zia International Airport to the project accommodation in town
Orientation and introductions to project work upon your arrival
All daily transportation to and from the projects
Full board and lodging which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner at The Dhaka Project office dining area.
Assistance in your projects by various staff and project managers
Full support from The Dhaka Project and your coordinator throughout your time at your placement including help with booking extra activities and excursions
Internet connection at the Dhaka Project guesthouse (two cords provided, please bring personal laptop at your own risk)
A local sim for you to put into your phone to allow local calls and free incoming international calls. Please return this sim at the end of your stay for the next volunteer to use.
Use of television and DVD player at guesthouse. We have a small collection of DVDs but please feel free to bring your own.

Project Cost Excludes:

Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement (expected to include cover for repatriation)
All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other)
Soft drinks, wines and spirits
Telephone credit, it is your responsibility to load credit onto the phones
All visas for border crossings
Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary with us in Dhaka

Project Orientation:

Upon your arrival in Dhaka you will be met by a Dhaka Project representative who will take you to your new ‘home’. Once you have settled in, you will receive further information on the current status of our programme in the local community. You will be given a detailed Welcome Pack, which will contain all the important information you may need. You will also receive a local SIM card to help get in touch with family and friends back home.

Over the first few days you will receive an extensive introduction to all of the projects, including their history, goals, and the expectations for the role you will play.

Project Support:

Throughout your placement you will have the support and guidance of our experienced volunteer coordinators. They are part of our support team, which will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance.

Project Accommodation:

Volunteer accommodation includes:

Comfortable two-bedroom apartments that sleep between 1-2 people in each bedroom.
One bedroom has an en-suite bathroom with shower, flushing toilet and sink that is available for all residents to use.
A second bathroom with shower, sink and local toilet
Bedrooms are single sex unless otherwise requested
Housekeeping service daily
Laundry?
A kitchen for you to store and prepare snacks. If you would prefer to arrange your own meals please inform staff in advance and we will take you to the local supermarket and exclude you from The Dhaka Project meals
A dining area for sitting and socializing/eating/marking school work!
A living area with television, DVD and internet access.

Project Meals:

Volunteers will be provided with three meals at The Dhaka Project office. Breakfast is.... Lunch and dinner are cooked by staff on-site. On Fridays we ask you to prepare your meals at home to allow our staff a day off, or as many volunteers opt to spend the day exploring the town you are welcome to eat out. Meals are basic and depend on what is in season and available, but always plentiful and spicy! Vegans and vegetarians can be catered for, please advise any dietary requirements in advance.