Saturday, November 29, 2008

On the last Eid-Ul-Fitre

By Mohtarimun Nahar [Bipa]

On the last vacation of Eid-Ul-Fitre I went to visit my brother’s home with my friend Kanta at Rayer Bazaar in Dhaka. There we found a beautiful place. I never knew that in Dhaka we have place like this. We felt that we are in the village. That place is so peaceful. We spent the afternoon there and took some pictures. I wanna share these pictures with the bloggers.

Catkin [White flower of the tall species of grass]


Catkin & Green Paddy Land


A Scaffold or Trellis made of bamboo & twigs along which a bottle-gourd plants creeps up

Edible herbs of Bottle-gourd

A Scaffold on a Green Paddy land


The Evening Twilight


The Sun Set


The Sun Set in The City

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Pictures after Rain

By Mohtarimun Nahar [Bipa]
Pictures taken by
Tanbirujjaman Tanbir

My friend Tanbirujjaman Tanbir is very fond of natural beauties. Whenever he gets time he takes pictures of nature from his mobile camera. Recently he celebrated his Eid-Ul-Fitre at his village in Rangpur. He took some excellent pictures after rain from there. Now I will share those pictures with all the bloggers.








Thursday, October 9, 2008

The English Sections of Nari Jibon Project

Mohtarimun Nahar [Bipa]
[The Supervisor of English Section & Editing]


Nari Jibon Project provides alternative skills for girls & women. Actually it is a training program. The Executive Director of this Project is Kathryn B Ward. She is a Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies of Illinois University, Carbondale. She started this project in March 2005 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Funding comes from her and her mother Pat Ward and nominally from the students’ admission fees and other donations.


Here different aged of girls and women can take courses on English, Bengali, Tailoring, Computer Office Program, Graphics and Photography etc. Most of the students are of school, college and university levels. Also sex workers can get admitted in English, computers or any other sections in Nari Jibon.


Here we have Nari [Women] Cyber Café only for girls and women. Students are to submit their assignments to the related teachers and practice on English and Computer in this cyber café.


We have also a Blog Project in English [titled “Bangladesh from Our View” [http://narijibon.blogspot.com] and Bengali [“Amader Galpa (Our Stories)” [http://banglablog-narijibon.blogspot.com ] to enhance students’ & staffs’ creativity on different areas.

To know more about Nari Jibon Project you can visit-- www.narijiobon.com.


In Nari Jibon Project we have two English sections: English-1 [Basic Grammar, Reading, Writing and Speaking] and English-2 [Advanced Speaking, Reading & Writing]. Beside those two Practice Classes[Special English Spoken Practice Class] are held on Friday and Saturday morning.

I am the teacher of these sections. Some times many visiting teachers come to take English classes to encourage the students. The students are to attend in the English Sections before taking the computer course. Before admitting here students are to attend an admission test and their sections are decided on their results.


After every three/four month’s guardian meetings and prize giving ceremony are arranged. We also arrange blog workshop by experienced people. Now I will give some descriptions about Nari Jibon English classes.

English-1 [Basic Grammar, Reading, Writing and Speaking]:
Teacher: Mohtarimun Nahar (Bipa)


Course objectives:

  • Students will learn Basic English vocabulary.
  • Students will learn Basic English grammar rules.
  • Materials mostly given in English (immersion).
  • Practice on speaking, writing, reading, and understanding will be assigned in each class.
  • Students will be able to: read, write and speak.
  • Remove students’ hesitation on speaking.
  • Students will contribute to the English blog.
  • At the end of the course, students will be prepared to move to English 2.

Course requirements:

  • Students must know the English alphabet before attending this class.
  • Students will do their homework as requested.
  • Students will develop their portfolio and plan.

Students will diligently attend classes, and provide adequate reasons for absence. They will be required to make up missed work.


English-2 [Advanced Speaking, Reading & Writing]:
Teacher: Mohtarimun Nahar (Bipa)

English 2 is the final course in English at Nari Jibon. Students who have completed English 1 and have passed a competency exam (oral and written) are eligible to join this class. English 2 is taught completely in English, and each class includes elements of speaking, reading, writing and comprehension. Students are expected to submit homework assignments as required by their teacher, to attend class regularly, and to sit for exams as scheduled.


Course objectives:

  • Students will improve their English vocabulary.
  • Students will improve their English grammar rules.
  • Students will be able to: read, write and speak.
  • Students will increase their confidence when conversing in English.
  • Students will contribute to the English blog.
  • Students will develop their portfolios.
  • Students will complete internships.
  • At the end of the course, students will be able to hold a conversation with a native English speaker, read and understand English writing, and write grammatically correct memos, essays and prose.

Rules of English- 1 & 2:

  • The course will be finished within two months [English-1 within 24 classes and English- 2 within 16 classes].
  • Students are required to purchase a cyber café pass card and complete their homework in the cyber café, at least one hour per week.
  • Class Days & Time:

English-2: Wednesday & Friday [03.00 am – 05:00 pm].
Special English Spoken Practice Class: Saturday [11:00 am – 01:00 pm].

English-1: Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday [03.00am – 05:00pm].
Special English Spoken Practice Class: Friday [11:00 am – 01:00 pm].

  • Keep the mobile on vibrate in the class.
  • Students will submit their assignments by sheet or through email.
  • In every class, speaking will be practiced on different topics.
  • After graduation, students will have to finish the internship program [for two weeks].
  • If students miss more than one week of English class, they will be dropped from the class.
  • If students refuse to turn in homework for more than two weeks, they will be dropped from the class.

The practices are done by:

Speaking

To be able to speak in different places on different topics and practice from diagram.

Writing

To be able to write paragraph, applications, cover letters, bio-data etc. and make portfolio.

Reading

To be able to read any passes or paragraphs fluently and the pronunciation will be corrected

Listening

To be able to understand English by listening and answer from given questions on that.

Question Answering

To be able to make questions and answer to those. Students will practice by answering some questions to one another and ask about class room objects.

Submitting assignments

Students submit their assignments on class related topics and BLOG. They will type in cybercafé and submit those through email to: mn.bipa@gmail.com ; bipa19@yahoo.com

Browsing internet

Students will browse some website and blogspot site and submit assignments as required by the teacher.


Some Pictures of English Class & Students of Nari Jibon:

I am [yellow dress] with the English students in Blog Workshop

Lee Goldman is in the English Class

A student is taking her prize from Mr. Rafiqul Islam [Project Director of Nari Jibon]

Sufia [NJ student] with the visiting Teachers [Aruna, Muniyat, Stella and Lee]

Lee with the English Class Students

Stella is in the English Class

Lee Goldman, Stella and Aruna are in the English Class

Stella, Muniyat and Aruna are in the English Class

The Visiting Teachers of Nari Jibon Project

By Mohtarimun Nahar [Bipa]
Supervisor of English Section & Editing

Nari Jibon Project


Nari Jibon project is a training program. In Nari Jibon Project we have two English sections: English-1 [Basic Grammar, Reading, Writing and Speaking] and English-2 [Advanced Speaking, Reading & Writing].
Beside these classes two Practice Classes [Special English Spoken Practice Class] are held on Friday and Saturday morning. I am the teacher of these sections. Some times many visiting teachers come to take English classes to encourage the students.They do a great job. Students enjoy a lot to attend the class with them. That’s why I would like to introduce our visiting teachers with all the bloggers.

Shaina Hyder

She is Sociology major at Florida State University. She is most interested in gender and work.

Stella

She is from Canada. She is BA in Asian Studies, Masters in Education and PHD in Multicultural Studies [Specialization in Theatre]. She worked as a University Professor at Lesley University in Boston, University of Phoenix and Skogit Ualley College. She taught Philosophy, Theatre, Education, Ethics and Communication etc.

Aruna Dahal

She is the students of the American International School at Dhaka. She has a sister and a brother. She is sixteen years old. She decided to come to help out the women centre as part of her service hours. She has lived in many countries, such as- Nepal, Cambodia and Laos etc. She thinks Dhaka has been an amazing experience for her especially when she gets to come to help such wonderful women.

Muniyat Haque

She has lived in Canada. She studies in AIS/D. She wants to study in Economics and be an Economist.

Lee Goldman

She teaches math at the American International School at Dhaka. She has a husband and two children. She came from the United States in Virginia. She came to know about Nari Jibon from her friend Rick Davis. In the States she was a teacher in a girls school

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Nari Jibon is an appropriate place for your Jakat or any other contribution/donation

By Golam Rabbany Sujan (Sujan's Chinta)

There are many organizations that are committed to develop women or vulnerable women in the world. Some of these organizations provide money to women in the hopes of making them self-reliant. These organizations also report that those women are running business or being self reliant using their money. But we can see that often, their money is used by their husband or other male persons. But Nari Jibon does not give them current money. Nari Jibon gives skill training and makes them able to be self reliant or sometimes helps them for being self reliant. As an example Nari Jibon provides tailoring skills including business knowledge. Nari Jibon provides cloth and students make most of the items during class and internship. Students also visit some tailoring business centers. Then sometimes Nari Jibon provides some money for sewing machine and some business set up cost. Nari Jibon authority also follows up on their progress. Similarly, the other section provides computer knowledge. Students in this section will also learn how to write a standard cover letter and resume, as well as create a portfolio. She will use cyber café for practicing and visiting various web pages and blogs from where she will increase her computer and English knowledge. Every student will open an e-mail account and also students will write blogs. By the reading and writing blogs, students can increase their knowledge and skill more in English and computer programs. Thus students become fit for job. About Nari Jibon Nari Jibon is a non-profit charitable service organization. It is working in South-Dhaka, Bangladesh since 2005. Nari Jibon provides services and support to the women students and workers of low and mid-level families. Nari Jibon provides basic educational and technical skills for employment, income-generation, empower and business development. Nari Jibon provides Bangla primary education to the illiterate women, tailoring cutting and sewing master course, English-1 and English-2 (spoken) and computers (MS Office Programs, graphics and webpage design, photography, and hardware trouble shooting and program maintenance).

Nari Jibon computer lab

Nari Jibon cyber café


David Sasaki, Director of Rising Voice teaching students about blogging

Nari Jibon English class

English volunteer teachers (Stella and Lee Goldman) are taking English-2 (Spoken English)

Difference of Nari Jibon skill training programs

1. Nari Jibon is safe place for the women

2. Nari Jibon takes only nominal registration fee for all the courses.

3. Computer students have to have English knowledge or have to learn English at Nari Jibon as it is most essential for related job.

4. Students must use Nari Jibon’s cyber café to have more practice, visiting more web sites, reading and writing blogs and learning other online activities.

5. Nari Jibon motivates students to read and write posts for blogs as it improves students’ knowledge in English and computer. If students want to continue blogging they can open individual blog sites.

6. Often students are trained by some foreigner experts besides Nari Jibon internal expert instructors.

7. All the students will write their own portfolios by themselves.

8. Scholarship students will communicate with individual donors writing thank you letters and monthly progress reports.

Why you should donate for women only.

After being married women are excluded from their parents’ wealth. If any woman becomes a widow at her young age, she is bereft from her husband’s wealth. There are many divorced women who are neglected by her parents’ family. Some male persons take more wives and so that those women are neglected by these husbands. We can see some husbands leaving their wives and hiding them. Some husbands demand dowry after marriage and torture their wives. Some husbands try to pressure their wives into the informal sector. Some low and mid-level families are not interested in spending money for their female members/daughters. And there are fewer job opportunities for the women in our country. So women need more skill training/ education scope to protect themselves and compete against male students as we know that sons get more scope for education than the daughters.So Nari Jibon can be your appropriate place for donation or Jakat. If you donate to Nari Jibon, you will be informed how your donation is spent. As an example if you donate above $10 dollars, you will get thank you letter, picture of students and progress report and successful history.


How and how much money you donate-

You can donate students’ registration course fees, Microsoft Office Program- $17 including 4 cyber passes, Graphics and Web design course $24 including 6 cyber pass cards, photography course $13, Bangla course fee-$1.50, tailoring, cutting and sewing Master Course fee-$5. (These amounts cover only the admission fees that we charge. It costs us much more to actually provide the services, so any extra amount that you can give is much appreciated.)You can provide some money as conveyance with registration fee or you can donate a sewing machine to a poor or vulnerable woman. Nari Jibon has a special scholarship program named LPC (work-study-women) program. Some women need to earn money to survive and they also need to learn skill to change their career or profession. As an example one housemaid or sex worker or poor (dropped out) student who is strong determined to change her profession but she needs to earn money to survive. If she gets LPC scholarship, she will be free to learn skills. She will learn skills and she will also take practical work experience at office. Thus LPC students will make her more fit for jobs and she will also communicate with the employers during course duration. LPC students get $ 50 dollars per month so totally she will get (50 X 4 = $200) Or you can also donate some money to continue Nari Jibon activities such as you can donate a computer or UPS (uninterrupted power supply) or one month electricity bill or rent.
Unrestricted-open ended donations of any amount also towards general costs also welcomed!
Tax deductible donation- make check out to Give2Asia, donation form (must use credit card via website and/or mail in)
For more info on gift list, please visit Nari Jibon USA web site and check the link “possible gift list Nari Jibon” or communicate with Dr. Kathryn B Ward
Donors should also email Dr. Kathy Ward pagol.nari@gmail.com for gift specifics-purchase and also so that we have donor’s contact-email info.

Nari Jibon 4th blog workshop - August, 2008

Cross Post from Bangladesh from our View

Yesterday, 29th august 08 was the 4th blog workshop of Nari Jibon project. David Sasaki, Director of Rising Voices was conducted this workshop. There are 15 bloggers and 4 staffs were present in this workshop. The motto of this workshop to increase student’s knowledge as well as to make them more advanced in blogging.

In this workshop, David Sasaki discussed and gives different tips & examples that how to use web link and technorati.com. He also showed the bloggers/students how to use it. He discussed about different search engines and shown them how to make link using html code. Through his discussions and showing examples on weblink & technorati.com to the students/bloggers, they are now well known & more effective about the web link. Now they can use it in their own blog.

Some pictures of this workshop:



David Sasaki discussing on web link and Technorati.com.



David Sasaki showing the bloggers how to make link in their post.

Really, it was a great workshop for Nari Jibon. We are very pleased to meet with him in a person and earnestly thankful to him.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My Country

Pictures taken by Tanbirujjaman Tanbir:

Creepers and Herbs

A Paddy-land

Farmers are threshing paddy

Farmers are threshing paddy

Friday, August 8, 2008

Thursday, June 19, 2008