Every year, Bangladesh Railway Scout Management Team in Chittagong holds a competition for Scout Families. Though all participants receive certificates, only the top three winners are awarded cash prizes. With nearly 200 students participating in this annual competition, OBAT SBN High School students and scouts, Nur Nahar and Sravanti Akhter, won second and third place! We are so proud of them both! ...
How one OBAT Star is Pursuing his Dream & Giving Back Since Sobuj was just a child, he dreamt of becoming a professional cricket player. For a boy living in the camps, this was not only a big dream, but an incredibly difficult one to achieve. With many camp families struggling to make ends meet, young children working to supplement their parents’ meager income, and schools with few resources or athletic programs for the youth… becoming a cricket player was a...
In May 2014, I joined Mr. Anwar Khan at a symposium arranged in his honor by PRC Jeddah. The symposium, “The Role of Welfare Organizations in Supporting Stranded Pakistanis” opened a discussion about the plight of 1.2 million Stranded Pakistanis who were living in deplorable conditions at various relief camps throughout Bangladesh. THE HISTORY History has on records that the Urdu-speaking communities, soon after partition in August 1947, arrived in several waves and settled across the then East Pakistan. Representing...
Our most exciting news of the month is that YOU have helped two camp families break the cycle of poverty for good! Swapna and Raju, both OBAT scholarship recipients, have been empowered through your support to build a brighter future for themselves and their families. Swapna, who currently works as our Scholarship Program Manager; and Raju, our OBAT Public Relations Officer, have both – with hard work and dedication -been able to gain stability and transition to homes outside of the...
Since the start of the pandemic, our classroom model has shifted exclusively to e-learning to ensure the safety and continued progress of our students. We are happy to share that, with expanded safety protocols, our Khan Academy courses and tutoring centers have resumed in-class instruction. As we proceed with great caution, our students are looking forward to the weeks ahead. ...
In partnership with ALIGHT, a US-based nonprofit organization, OBAT has launched a sewing program for women belonging to the host community. Eight women from the Rajapalong host community in Cox’s Bazar (near the site for our Rohingya Women’s Empowerment program in Kutupalong camp) will participate in a four-month long sewing training program. This training will enable these women to supplement their family’s income, empowering them with a voice and standing in their community. ...
October offers lots of opportunities to appreciate, educate, and give back with so many days of recognition to observe. Our OBAT staff and students didn’t miss a beat! Here are just a few of the activities that were organized in the camps: International Day Of Older Persons A day of recognition and appreciation for the older people in our lives, OBAT’s Think Tank volunteers organized a joyful afternoon of light games, fun prizes, and food distributions to...
Today we have celebrated the global handwashing day in our Learning centers and Community Center with the Caregiver of students and student. The program was inaugurated by Block Mazhi of the camps and our side. We have celebrated the global handwashing day in two venues. First we have started at 10:30 am with 20 caregivers in community Center. Secondly, we have started at 1 pm with 10 Caregivers in our Learning Center. Note: We have distributed 1 piece of soap and snacks to each of...
Hope Clinic Isolation Center was gifted 20 hospital beds by OBAT in our efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the Rohingya Refugee camps. The isolation center, situated in the Kutupalong camp, which houses most of the 1.2M Rohingya Refugees, plays a pivotal role in fighting the spread of the disease. This donation will increase the clinic capacity by 20%! ...
September is Baby Safety Month. OBAT celebrated the month by distributing 25 sets of baby kits to 25 FDMN (Forcefully Displaced Myanmar National) mothers of 0-5-month old babies. Each set comprised of a bamboo cot, cushion with pillows, katha (a local handmade blanket), mosquito net, feeder and a plastic bucket. All sewing items were created by Rohingya women who have earlier received training from OBAT’s Women Empowerment Center. Dr. Shabnam, OBAT’s resident physician, demonstrated the...
