バングラデシュの基本情報、新学年の始まり　
【2015年1月の活動報告】

ユーグレナGENKIプログラムとは？

Through the GENKI program, the Bangladesh office is addressing the issue of improving children's nutrition, which is a social issue in Bangladesh.

1.First of all

Bangladesh does not have a system to register with a public institution as soon as a child is born. It is only registered when something is needed. For example, when polio vaccine is given. The registration system has just started about 10 years ago and is not completely complete. In particular, there are many unregistered children among the low-income group, and parents choose their favorite date to register their birthday. It is unclear whether the government has an accurate grasp of the national population in such an environment. Bangladesh conducts a national census every 10 years to collect information, but the data from this survey is not always accurate. Under these circumstances, Euglena GENKI program, and the local office has been searching for a solution to this problem since April 2014, but it is still concrete. I haven't found a plan. Recognizing that accurate measurement of effectiveness is a fundamental issue of this project, I am keenly aware that we must establish a correct data collection method as soon as possible.

Now, in Bangladesh, national parliamentary elections are held every five years in the People's Republic. There are two major political parties, the Awami League [ruling party] and the BNP party [opposition], and they have been in charge of the administration alternately. In the election on January 5, last year, the ruling party changed the election method just before. Opposition parties have become virtually unable to participate in the elections, and in response to this, the opposition parties have continued to strike and blockade the road since the beginning of the first anniversary of the election as a protest against the ruling party's method. As a result, 43 people died nationwide in January 2015 alone, and about 100 people were hospitalized, resulting in many casualties. This makes traveling by car, bus or rail very dangerous. Local Japanese companies and foreign-affiliated companies are almost prohibited from going out, and their work is limited to a round trip between their home and the office. Our office members also avoid going out as much as possible and can only visit short-distance schools and neighborhoods.

2. Regarding data collection of effect measurement

Euglena GENKI It's been about 10 months since I started the program. As an important mission to measure the effectiveness of this program, we have collected data on body length and weight for each grade, but due to problems with the performance of the scales in Bangladesh and the fact that the ages of children who are difficult to measure in the same grade are not clear. It turns out that the data collected so far needs to be reviewed. In the future, we plan to consult with specialized institutions and researchers in order to establish a more reliable and appropriate effect measurement method.

3. In the local political situation

As introduced in 1., the political situation in Bangladesh is confused. It is not easy to visit the school because of the continuation of Hartal and Ovo Road. Under these circumstances, we refrain from traveling by car and use rickshaws to visit schools in relatively nearby areas while giving consideration to safety. The other day, I visited the MSS school in Koril, Bangladesh's largest slum in the Gulshan district. Euglena GENKI program and explained about Japan to new students. As for Japan, I asked them to find out where Japan is from the world map. It seems that it was a very interesting class for the children.

4. School visit-Admission of new students-

The new semester of elementary and junior high schools in Bangladesh begins in January.

• MSS school freshman
• MSS 4th grade students

(1) MSS freshmen
Euglena GENKI program are slightly different from ordinary schools, entering in the first grade and graduating in the fourth grade. Moreover, since each MSS school has only 30 children, one teacher teaches all subjects. New students have enrolled in 3 of the 5 MSS schools. Students vary in age and almost all do not know their birthday. We talked to the student's mother on the day we visited. The mother's two children are studying in this class, but the mother didn't remember their exact birthdays.

(2) Ekmattra freshmen
Eight new students have moved into the Celter House, an NGO called Ekmattra, where we are implementing the Euglena The characteristics of the children in this cellter house are that they have no parents or that it is difficult to raise children even if they have parents. Ekmattra brings children into the Selter House to support the five basic human needs: diet, clothing, housing, education and medical care. New students study at Celter House and then enroll in a nearby school. The photo on the right is a picture of studying for school entrance. These children are already over 6 years old but have not yet entered school. I plan to enroll in a nearby elementary school after receiving a basic education at Ekmattra.

5. Summary

Bangladesh has various problems such as the local political situation, but we aim to implement a more effective program by solving the current problems. We will continue to do our best to contribute to the nutritional issues in Bangladesh.

Euglena Co., Ltd.
Bangladesh Office Director
Mohammed Akerzaman