Bringing School at One’s Doorstep

Schools play a key role in educating children about basic knowledge like health, nutrition, hygiene, etc. With the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the people of Bangladesh, especially children, got impacted not only physically and mentally but also socially, economically and culturally. Social challenges like child marriage, child labor, dropout in schools, spreading of various superstitions, etc. increased simultaneously.

But, a number of children of Nilphamari and Rangpur experienced something different as Joint Action for Nutrition Outcome (JANO) initiated an exclusive modality of learning involving adolescent girls and boys to create awareness, improve their mental health, ensure food, nutrition, menstruation and hygiene management among themselves.

JANO is a consortium project implemented by Care Bangladesh, Plan International Bangladesh, and Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO). The project is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation.

"Intervention of JANO project during COVID-19 pandemic was a timely initiative to protect adolescents from the negative psychological impacts of the pandemic. It also helped to continue our communication with the students during the shutdown period of our school", said Shakhawat Hossain, a parent member of the School Management Committee of Haldibari High School of Kaunia Upazila, Rangpur.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, JANO trained some field staff who visited 10 houses a day to monitor and ensure proper health measures for the community people to prevent the spread of the virus. They taught the adolescents about hand hygiene, sanitization and other mandatory protective measures to keep them safe and protected from the virus. The adolescent in their free time learnt about the nutrition garden and the importance of nutritious foods during the COVID-19 situation.

Usually, students learn about harmful gender norms and adolescent health in their schools from The Gender Equity Movement in Schools (GEMS) programme, a curriculum supported by the Government Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE)  to ensure gender-sensitive learning and environment. During the pandemic, JANO brought the sessions to everyone's fingertip by recording the sessions and publishing them on official Facebook page of JANO. To overcome the logistic, network and internet crisis, JANO introduced pico-projector, a small projector to project these sessions and theatre dramas in the community maintaining physical distance and hygiene. Thus, even during the school closure, the community people, especially children were well aware of the issues.

Schools and community people have experienced a positive impact during the COVID-19 crisis through these initiatives of JANO. "Our school volunteers counselled the parents of adolescents and discouraged them from child marriage. Our volunteers worked not only for the school-going adolescents but also for the dropouts", said Shanta Rani, a Field Officer of JANO in Taraganj Upazila of Rangpur.

"Each school under JANO project were able to make almost 20 dropout students back to school after the pandemic", she added.

Four issue-based thematic theatre dramas on various adolescent issues were recorded for wider dissemination. School volunteers of JANO showed these dramas by pico-projector in community. These dramas included "Alor Pothe (In the Way of Light)", based on sexual reproductive health; "Somotai Santi (Equality is Peace)", based on gender equality; "Pushti Kotha (Nutrition Talkies)", based on food and nutrition; and "Paribartaner Galpo (The Story of Change)" based on hygiene.

Lima, a student of 7th grade said, "These dramas helped us a lot during pandemic. We were mentally depressed at that time. But those dramas helped us as refreshments. Not only they were entertaining, but also we learnt a lot of effective information from these."

"After the COVID situation improved and we started going to school, we participated in many competitions too. In our school, such competition is a regular thing now. Now we can write essays on issues we were unaware of a few days ago. We are becoming conscious now", she added.

Thus, JANO brought schools and sessions to the student's doorstep through innovation to improve the lives of the community people, especially the adolescent children, so that no children remain unaware of their health and nutrition rights. While the efforts are being widely acknowledged by the community people and different stakeholders, children here are growing up with knowledge and confidence.