Taslima's Photography

This day is called software independence day and its come every year on 3rd Saturday of September. People all over world celebrate this day with great zeal. In this day, our expectation to become overall software use commonly for all.

Now a day we are in binding with technology. We depend on technology in every step of our life. Cell phone, computer and internet are great use to us. At present a modern person can't do without computer and internet. It is part and parcel of our daily life today. Early in the morning, we start our day through checking e-mail after switching on computer. Software comes in our mind when think about computer. What software we are using, most of we don't know how it prepare to use, how its works etc. but if we know all about them, we definitely release from extra troubles and can enjoying freedom to use software. When we talk about software independent then we think about freedom of software using, don't we?

We need such software, which instructions are transparent; we change and rearrange when we need from our choice, can also share with friends. Lets we all raise our awareness about the software independence.

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).

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.

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.

Sonargaon is one of the most historical place and oldest capitals of Bangladesh. “The city of Panam” is another name of Sonargaon. Among the ancient monuments still intact, are the tomb of Sultan Ghiasuddin (1399 - 1409 A.D.), the shrines of Panjpirs and Shah Abdul Alla and a beautiful mosque in Goaldi village. A Folk Art and Crafts Museum has also been established in Sonargaon. It situated in Narayongoan district on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway about 29km away from Dhaka.

In this picture one statues woman working with her
rice making machine and this is vas system to get rice from paddy.

I love to read books and I passed sometimes in the library of sonargaon museum area. In the area of sonargaon museum, there are some small stalls with handicraft where found various ornaments & shari for women and other household materials for commercial sells.

A great Statues of Zainul Abedin, the great artist of Bangladesh selected
Sonargaon to establish Folk Arts and Crafts Museum.

Many visitors from home and abroad come to visit this historical place for enjoy & to knowing about cultures of Bangladesh.

Cross posted from Bangladesh from our View


Relief International is an International NGO (Non Government Organization) working in Bangladesh to promote, use and integrate the Information and Communication Technologies in education and development. Recently, they have implemented a project titled “Media Access and Education for Human Rights: Bangladesh”. To get more information visit: www.media-humanrights.org. The project targets the Rural and Semi-urban Youths, Local Journalists, Media Professionals and the Public at large, and implements enabling Technologies appropriate to the existing infrastructure. They arranged a residential Youth Human Rights and Journalism Camp 2008 with secondary school students from 14 July to 16 July, 2008 at BRAC TARC in Savar.

They had invited several journalists from different sectors to conduct the session on role of Journalism, Rights to Information, Freedom of Speech, Interviewing Technique, Writing for Newspaper, Blogging, etc. So that students be encouraged to choose the Journalism as a noble profession to build up their career. They invited me to attend this camp as a resource person. There I discussed “Use of ICT in journalism online media and role of Blogging in raising awareness”.

In 3 days long camp my session was held on 15th July, 2008 at 2pm to 3pm. Participants came from four different districts:- Khulna, Comilla, Chittagong and Dhaka of Bangladesh and there were more than 22 students with teachers joined in my session. I presented how to start Blog, different blogging software, facilities of Blogging, photo Blogging, video Blogging, etc. So that students can start Blog and express their self as a Blogger. All the Students were very much enthusiastic to know about Blog as a new thing.

After my presentation I had taken a short test on my discussion. Most of the students answered very quickly and their answers were praiseworthy.

There was another resource person Mr. Kawsar Uddin, ICT reporter, “The Daily Sangbad”. His topic was “Citizen Journalism in Bangladesh”. I got lots of unknown information about citizen journalism from his discussion.

By Taslima Akter

Bangladesh swallowed by terrible Cyclone again after 1991. The name of this cyclone is sidr. Sidr’s blew all Bangladesh with coastal area. The costal areas of Bangladesh were mass of ruins in one night. Today is 11th day of sidr. Inferential in this cyclone there are 40 million people and 9 million residential house partially or fully sustain. There are million people distressed and passing their life fearfully. Million people are passing their night under the open sky and there is very grave position of women and children. Although many organization and generous people are helping the distressed people but that is not sufficient for all. I want to share my little experience with Nari Jibon blog readers:

Thursday (15.12.07) morning at 6:30am we caused to depart to the Sylhet. I and my family traveled to Sylhet for visiting the Sahjalal Mazar (one of the famous Mazar of Bangladesh). On Wednesday whole day the sky was cloudy and we heard the news from television and read the news about cyclone. But we didn’t thought that how horrible this cyclone sidr might be. Thursday morning sky was very cloudy and strong wind was blowing with rain. Driver was driven the car slowly. We reached in Sylhet at 1:00pm. I sat beside the window of the car and seeing outside scenery. When we reached in Sylhet it was raining heavily and strong wind was blowing all around. We reached to the mazar wet in rain. When I stayed in Mazar I felt peace in my heart and forget everything about bad weather. I received a phone call from Rafiq Bhai (director of Nari Jibon project) and knew about situation of Dhaka and also informed that tomorrow (Friday) the office will be closed due to cyclone sidr. Then I afraid and wanted to returned to Dhaka hurry. Gradually the weather was becoming very bad in Sylhet area.

After having lunch we took sit in bus at 3:30pm. That journey was long journey in my life and I enjoyed the journey but also was afraid of upcoming cyclone situation. I enjoyed the natural beauty of sylhet and thought how beautiful is Bangladesh. In bus we heard a bad news of an bus accident and where 3 people are dead and more 20 people injured. After hearing this news we were very much anxious. Driver had driven the car slowly and carefully. When we crossed the Sylhet area, we found that car which one fall in accident. We can understand that the driver could not control the car for strong wind and rain. When we crossed Brahmonbaria area, we saw 2 other accident and after seeing this we got frightened and were counting the time when we could reach to Dhaka.

We reached to Dhaka at 9:30PM. We thanked the al mighty Allah that we could reached Dhaka safely but we didn’t know that we have to face inconvenient situation. When we were looking for transport to reach to our resident we could not get any. Every one was trying to reach their home fast because that time wind was so strong and it was raining cats and dogs. We can’t decide what we will do and we had to walk not getting any transport. I faced this situation in my life first. That was awful night for me. I walked in footpath holding my fathers hand and was seeing the situation of street people. They didn’t have any safe place to passed the terrible night. They were wetting in rain and sitting wrapping poly-thin in their body. At last we reached our home fully wet in rain. I felt pain in my legs. After taking dinners we tried to sleep but could not due to for roaring of cyclone.

At about 3:00am I got a phone call from my aunty she informed us that some robber attacked her house and tried to broken the door. She shouted but nobody heard her voice due to strong wind and rain. We were very much worried about her. And that time mobile network was almost down and sometimes we didn’t get her mobile connection due to network problem. Finally we got to know that the robber could not enter her house and we got rid of tension. We passed that night fearfully. I and my family became sick as we had to wet in rain. On Friday I took rest all day long. We had to face the electricity and water problem.

Saturday morning I came to Nari Jibon office. I saw the newspaper and knew that how the cyclone sidr destroyed the costal area of our country and thousands of people killed, thousands of house destroyed and damaged crops of thousands hectors. If we compare the cyclone with the cyclone of 1991 then we could see in this year more crops & houses are damaged but less people are killed this year. We are seeing in TV and news paper that many national and international organizations are helping the cyclone victims along with Bangladesh govt.