Qatar’s not-for-profit educational organisation Reach Out To Asia (Rota) has sponsored 30 students and faculty members from the College of the North Atlantic Qatar (CNA-Q) on a nine-day trip to visit a non-formal vocational education project it is funding in Bangladesh.
The volunteers on Bangladesh soil
The trip is being viewed as part of Rota’s efforts aimed at fostering the spirit of volunteerism in Qatar.
The ‘Bangladesh 2012 Volunteer Trip’ follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Rota and CNA-Q in 2011 to promote mutual, educational development and service co-operation, specifically a tailored international service learning trip for CNA-Q student and faculty volunteers.
Having left Doha on April 27, the volunteers will participate in a focused programme featuring student-led activities in four non-formal centres of education, construction activities at two centres in Ukhiya district and three faculty-led teacher training workshops.
“Our activity programme is designed to immerse the students in the local culture and ensure they benefit from a positive learning experience throughout the visit, while also leaving time to enjoy their visit to Bangladesh,” said Rota Volunteer Programme head George Tavola.
In partnership with Muslim Aid, Rota’s work in Bangladesh focuses on improving access to education and vulnerable families in the Cox’s Bazaar district in southeast Bangladesh.
After initially supporting relief efforts in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr, which devastated the region in 2007, Rota demonstrated its long-term commitment to improving the quality of education facilities for the Cox’s Bazaar community by investing in project funding to provide adequate classroom spaces with clean water latrines.
Rota’s Bangladesh project provides non-formal education for children, livelihood skill for youths and adults, as well as the construction of a vocational training centre that will serve three important community purposes: a vocational training centre for local skills, disaster risk reduction training, and a cyclone shelter.
“At CNA-Q, we are inspired by the conviction that volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges worldwide. Our volunteers are excited to have an extraordinary opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of people in Bangladesh,” said CNA-Q International Education co-ordinator Candace Jesson.
Rota Community Development manager Mohamed Abdulla Saleh said: “The Rota-CNAQ volunteers visiting Bangladesh have a wonderful opportunity to participate in a project that is shaping the futures of many young people in Cox’s Bazaar. We look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return home.”
After returning home, the volunteers and supporters will participate at a ‘Reflection event’ where they will discuss and share their Bangladesh experiences.
In addition, CNA-Q and Rota will seek to maintain the momentum of their partnership by exploring opportunities to publicise the volunteers’ trip reflections to their CNA-Q peers and the wider community, as well as advocating for the needs of students in Bangladesh through Qatar-based activities.
More information about Rota projects in Bangladesh and 10 other Asian countries can be had at www.reachouttoasia.org or Facebook (www.facebook.com/reachouttoasia).
