"In Bangladesh- where literacy rate is only 35% and average population growth is 2.3%- the need to promote investment in education can hardly be overemphasized." (Khandker & Samad, 1995)

A lot has changed since the quote above was testament to the reality in Bangladesh. 

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School enrollment in Bangladesh has increased as development began to increase. In 1980, only 20.5 percent of primary school students completed their full studies, while this number has increased to 66.2 percent by 2016. This increase in academic persistence is likely attributed to more opportunity for skilled laborers and decreased levels in poverty.

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However, the issues of poor quality of education, absenteeism, drop-outs and early marriages of females is still high in the rural areas of Bangladesh where natural disasters and poverty grip the residents. Considering that almost 64% of Bangladesh's population live in the rural areas, these issues need addressing.

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Effort from the government alone have failed to yield satisfactory changes to the state of rural education in Bangladesh. NGOs and international organizations have provided much of the fuel to ignite positive change in this densely populated South Asian nation.

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An estimated 740,000 Rohingyas (more than double of the amount of immigrants that arrived in Canada in 2018) have fled from neighbouring Myanmar to Bangladesh with this cataclysmic exodus beginning in 2017. This vast number of displaced individuals also require and deserve education to properly find a place in society. Thus the efforts to empower individuals belonging to the rural population of Bangladesh as well as the Rohingyas now have to be multiplied to match the crisis.

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In the page to follow I have highlighted few commendable initiatives where our input and support can make significant differences in the lives of many.