Within the crooked lanes and dirt roads of the Rayerbazar slum is a dreamer. A leader. A 15-year-old girl who can leap beyond her circumstances, thanks to a great education.
Shuborno Islam Bithi, who was one of Jaago’s first students, was selected to represent Bangladesh last year at a Unicef conference in Nepal.
No woman in her family had ever left the country.
She has also anchored several TV shows, and is auditioning for more programmes.
I went to the Jaago Foundation office to meet this dynamo. Jaago, as many know, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating educational opportunities for underprivileged children.
As I entered its lively premises, painted yellow and overflowing with children and laughter, I felt enveloped by a sense of warmth that penetrated the cold of the foggy January morning.
Bithi walked in, dressed in a simple kamiz and cardigan with wind tousled hair, slightly nervous and out of breath from hurrying up the stairs.
But she was clearly at home here.
Once a student, Bithi presently works at Jaago as an assistant teacher. She likes to spend as much time as possible with the children.
“It’s always a pleasure to teach here,” she said.
Himalayan heights
Bithi represented Bangladesh at “Adolescents: Current Rights for Future Opportunities,” at the Saarc Unicef Regional Policy Dialogue on Adolescents held in Kathmandu, Nepal, September 16-19, 2013.
More than 60 participants from the eight South Asian countries attended. Delegations included government representatives, academics, civil society members, as well as youths.
The objective of the dialogue was to examine policies and strategies currently in place, and to develop concrete proposals that are more effective and sensitive to the needs and rights of adolescents.
“The conference talked about several issues regarding abuse, education, counseling and impacts of technology,” she said.
Each adolescent representative was expected to deliver a speech.
“My topic was regarding the education system of Bangladesh, the relevancy of our educational methods, the problems of computer illiteracy and such. It was quite an experience, educational and challenging all together.”
Bithi, who had never been abroad, told me she was in awe at how well those from different cultures could work together.
“People from colliding worlds came together and mixed so wonderfully under the same roof, as if there were no barriers of language, attitudes and norms to separate one from the other. That was the most memorable aspect of the seminar,” she said.
“I met amazing people and made great friends. Mihiko and Aksam, two of the adolescent representatives from Nepal were the ones I had the most to share with. They are such wonderful people and we made many memories of mischief and fun,” Bithi says with the excitement and wonder usual to a teenager who had her first beyond the border experience.
I asked about her parent’s reaction.
“They were ecstatic. No woman in our family had ever gone abroad, and they were full of pride and happiness as I prepared to leave for Nepal. My father would go to the neighbourhood tea stall and talk about my conference to his friends and passersby.”
The Jaago way
Bithi did not like the notion of going to Jaago when her mother first told her she had enrolled her in this small, new school.
Before the school opened its doors for the children in Rayerbazar, many were skeptical about its relevance and how it could be any different from every other school scattered across Dhaka for the poor and underprivileged.
Like most families around hers, Bithi’s family had limited means. But they were fortunate enough to be able to provide education to all their children. Bithi’s father worked as a driver to a private company.
When asked about her first day at school, her smile loses the self conscious restraint and she lights up.
She reminisces: “I cried a little, I think. I had already completed class 5, but at Jaago I had to start from the beginning, and that idea scared me.
“But after the first day it all changed. Korvi Sir and all the other teachers made learning an exciting experience.
“We played to learn! A lot of other kids and I would often refuse to go back home after school; sometimes the teachers had to cajole and force us to go back home. I miss those days. Until Jaago, I had no idea how exciting school could be.”
She completed her SSC last year through another school, as Jaago’s programme is only through class 7. Yet she credits all her success to the teachers at Jaago.
“They’ve been supportive and helpful throughout all these years, without fail. If I walk into the teacher’s lounge in the middle of the day and they are swamped with work, one of them will smile at me and help me with my math homework, despite their pressing workload.”
In the limelight
At the moment, Bithi is auditioning for programmes on BTV, and has received a lot of positive feedback. She has already played the role of host in other TV shows, such as “Ready Camera Action.”
Bithi loves theatre. She is currently a member of the theatre group Topkhana Natto Dol.
“The street performances are fun: the gathering of huge crowds, acting in the middle of an urban bee hive. It’s all quite exhilarating.”
She says her interest in the arts sparked from extracurricular classes at Jaago.
“I went into a lot of extracurriculars at Jaago, like singing, dancing and drama. I joined a community theatre group in 2007, the Mitali Natto Goshthi, where I was the youngest member.”
Looking ahead
Bithi is currently completing her HSC from Laurel International School, and spends the rest of her time in the world of drama or with the children at Jaago.
Her father is now retired, and the family is supported by her older brother who works in a factory at Gazipur, and a little contribution from Bithi.
But her dreams are beyond these borders. She tells me: “I want to go abroad and pursue higher education in Information Technology, but I also don’t want to let go of the theatre. We’ll see how things work out.”