Paris, France (October 4, 2024) – Good Neighbors Bangladesh has won the first prize and selected as a laureate at the eight edition of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development in recognition of its outstanding contributions to teacher development.
Since 1998, Good Neighbors Bangladesh has established six primary and secondary schools in the rural communities of Bochaganj, Ghatail, Moulvibazar, and Shakhipur, while partnering with 390 schools across the country.
The education program of Good Neighbors provides a comprehensive and nurturing learning environment for underprivileged children in Bangladesh through a holistic approach to enhancing teachers’ capabilities. This includes extensive teacher training, improving skills in classroom management and technology use, and creating sustainable infrastructure in schools, such as teachers’ knowledge centers.
Every year, Good Neighbors Bangladesh trains an average of 1,900 teachers. Of these, 49 are already teaching 1,622 students in various schools. Integrating children’s rights in education has also successfully reduced incidents of child marriage and labor in the country. Good Neighbors Bangladesh fosters intellectual growth and innovation through test- and contest-based learning, which helps students engage more deeply with their studies and provides opportunities for both academic and social development.
The UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, established in 2008, aims to enhance teaching and learning quality. This aligns with UNESCO’s priority of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education.
“It’s a great recognition to our hardworking teachers, who not only teach, but they fight against all the inequality, injustice, inadequacy, that made Bangladesh fight against child marriage, child labor. So, it’s not a fight only of the civil society, NGO [or] the Bangladesh is fighting. I thank you very much in joining us in this fight. It’s a great recognition and a call for more responsibility to the rights-based education for this 21st century to empower the teachers the skill they now need mostly,” said Mr. M Mainuddin Mainul, Country Director of Good Neighbors Bangladesh, as he received the award.
This UNESCO recognition highlights Good Neighbors Bangladesh vital role in empowering vulnerable communities through education. The schools of Good Neighbors Bangladesh offers a safe and supportive learning environment for the children, preventing child marriage and labor incidents. Through these efforts, Good Neighbors helped children become responsible and capable members of society.
Good Neighbors Bangladesh remains dedicated to expanding and enhancing its education programs. The organization strives to ensure every child has access to high-quality education and the chance to fulfill their potential.
Good Neighbors began its work in Bangladesh in August 1996 with the aim of improving the lives of children, women, and youths, and making good change for the world.
Initially, our focus was on meeting the needs of disadvantaged children by establishing daycare centers, schools, and hostels. These programs served 154 children from poor families in Moulvibazar and ensured their safety, security, and health. In the subsequent year, we launched the Mother and Baby Care Center in Dhaka for pre-primary education and an agriculture project in Sirajganj, introducing the self-help group model for women’s savings. Later, we expanded our focus to include vulnerable children through our sponsorship program, providing services in education, health, and income generation as part of our long-term community development initiatives.
Currently, Good Neighbors Bangladesh is active in 13 districts with 17 community development projects and 5 projects addressing specific needs. We also continue operating six schools directly. Each year, we mobilize approximately 60,000 children, 29,000 women, 2,000 volunteers, and 300 Community Health Workers (CHW).
We have established long-term partnerships with organizations such as the UN World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, focusing on disaster risk reduction and climate change projects. We have also collaborated with Australian Aid and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
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