This new four-year partnership between Anjuman and Aziz Charitable Trust (AACT) and UNICEF Bangladesh will help address the learning crisis caused by the Covid pandemic, enabling 3,000 vulnerable children to re-enter education and catch up on their classes.
In honour of their generous contribution to children in Bangladesh, Anjuman Aziz Khan and Muhammed Aziz Khan were invited to join UNICEF's International Council in Copenhagen.
They are the first council members to join from Bangladesh, reads a press release.
The Anjuman and Aziz Charitable Trust (AACT) has pledged to continue support to UNICEF Bangladesh enabling the education of some of the most disadvantaged out-of-school children in Bangladesh, many of whom were forced to drop out of school during the Covid pandemic.
“Every child is the future, if we want a future we must enable the child, that via education. Education is not only children's right, it's our survival,” said Muhammed Aziz Khan, founder and chairman of Summit Group, and Founder and Trustee of the Anjuman and Aziz Charitable Trust (AACT).
Our inspiration to support Dhaka South came from Muhammed Aziz Khan's deep roots in businesses which started in Dhaka's Chawk Bazar and Urdu Road.
“This generous and extraordinary contribution is a testament to the Khans' commitment to the rights and needs of children. UNICEF is grateful for this donation from the Anjuman and Aziz Charitable Trust which will help meet the educational needs of many of the country's most vulnerable children,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.
The UNICEF International Council is a unique community of people – many from the world's leading business families and global influencers. They bring together their funding, influence and expertise to help children across the world.
The Khan family were welcomed to the UNICEF International Council at its annual symposium, which took place in Denmark in October 2022.
In Copenhagen, the Khans saw firsthand how UNICEF's supply warehouse operates – including education and adolescent kits, which are sent to emergencies worldwide.
AACT's support will enable UNICEF's specialised learning programme to be offered to 3,000 children living in Dhaka South City Corporation Zones 3, 4, and 5 who have dropped out of school.
These areas see some of the highest rates of out-of-school children in the entire country, with one out of every three children in some neighbourhoods deprived of education. UNICEF will provide them with a unique approach to learning in a safe environment until they either graduate from primary school or catch up on their classes and can be mainstreamed into regular schools.
The programme will also benefit 5,000 parents and community leaders through community outreach activities.