Nari Jibon: Using Blogs to Give Bangladeshi Women New Skills

Cross posted from Rising Voices

The words “Nari Jibon” should be familiar to regular Rising Voices readers. The Dhaka-based project which has integrated blogging and citizen media into its English and computer classes has been covered frequently on Rising Voices in the past. In this video, we hear directly from the students and staff to get to know the individuals behind the blogs.

Nari Jibon Project and Its Bloggers: What Other Bloggers are Saying

Cross posted from bideshi blue

Students in the computer lab.....

Recently I returned from 45 hot (beshi garum) days in Bangladesh where I visited the Nari Jibon Project, among other activities. Loadshedding continued to take its toil on me, Nari Jibon computers, students as well as garment factories. Nonetheless students have come to their computer and english classes as well as practiced in the women only cyber cafe. During this visit, many students opened their own blogs!

During this time, Nari Jibon hosted a visiting lecturer, Kira, who gave a lecture and worked with smaller groups on blogs, photography, photo websites.

In response, many students posted in the Nari Jibon english blog for the first time. Other students have continued to contributed to Nari Jibon bangla blog. Many of the bangla poems have been translated into english and posted in the english blog. Some students opened their own blogs (in English and Bangla) and some staff started blogging again...

some bloggers' photography session with Ms. Kira:
Zannat, Jannat, Choti, Kira, Jainub's daughter, Jesmin

For overviews of these blogging activities, check out what others have been saying about Nari Jibon and its bloggers. Please follow the links within and read the bloggers' creative activities as they find and develop their own voices and computer-photo skills and continue to post. Your comments (kind, thoughtful, constructive) will provide much needed encouragement. Below, I list some students' and staff members' individual blogs.

new from David Sasaki's visit to Dhaka and Nari Jibon Project:

http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/blog/2008/09/02/nari-jibon-using-blogs-to-give-bangladeshi-women-new-skills/

new ! http://el-oso.net/blog/archives/2008/09/02/bangladesh/en/

http://el-oso.net/blog/archives/2008/08/15/an-update-from-nari-jibon/en/

http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/blog/2008/08/14/nari-jibon-making-a-difference/

http://uncultured.com/2008/07/25/what-would-kathy-do/

http://www.k-minos.com/?p=577

http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/blog/2008/07/10/nari-jibon-the-joy-of-having-their-own-blog/

Some Students’ blog addresses:

Afrin's Gallery http://asiaafrin.blogspot.com/

Jesmin’s garden http://jesmingarden.blogspot.com/

Zannat's world http://zannatworld.blogspot.com/

Rainbow http://jannat-fardoush.blogspot.com/

Bangladeshi Women http://jainub-khanam.blogspot.com/

Ahona http://ahona-hira.blogspot.com/

Window of Mind, http://sufia-eti.blogspot.com/

My Dream, http://poly-dream.blogspot.com/

Choti’s blog http://choitrerdinguly.blogspot.com/

Staff blog addresses:

new ! Kajol's destiny http://kajols-destiny.blogspot.com/

Bipa’s Prokrito Bangladesh http://www.bipa-prokritobangladesh.blogspot.com/

Sujan’s Chinta, http://hi-bangladesh.blogspot.com/

Creative talk by Nilufa http://annekuet.blogspot.com/

Kazi’s eye, http://kazi-rafiq.blogspot.com/

Techna Tara: http://taslima-toma.blogspot.com/

computer teachers taslima & nilufa watch kira teach about photography

bloggers meet face to face in Dhaka, Bangladesh!

Cross posted from bideshi blue


Shaina, Shawn, Kathy y Kira @ Nari Jibon Project, Dhaka, June 2008

First, Rezwan (Berlin) linked to Shawn (Bangladesh). Kathy (USA-Dhaka) linked to Shawn and gave him some of her expat advise and in turn he gave a video workshop at Nari Jibon. David (todo del mundo y Rising Voices blogging grants) linked Kathy to Kira (Bangladesh, Africa, Venezuela) who gave a blogging workshop at Nari Jibon. Shaina’s dad (Florida-USA) sent Shawn’s link to Shaina (Sociology undergraduate, Florida State USA) who read about Nari Jibon in Shawn’s blog. Shaina sent an email to Kathy about volunteering at Nari Jibon in summer 2008, where she has been teaching English2 since May.

Second, in June 2008, Shaina, Shawn, Kathy, and Kira all sat together at Nari Jibon. Kira gave a Flickr workshop. You can read Shawn's thoughts and Kira's photos and thoughts on our gathering(s). Such are the intersectionalities of blogging and Dhaka.

International Women's Day 2008--Poems from Nari Jibon Students

From Kathryn Ward, USA. Graphics from TakeBackTheTech!


In honor of International Women's Day, six Nari Jibon students composed Bangla poems on the theme of "Women Hold Up Half of the Sky". Sufia's poem (below) was selected as one of three student bloggers' poems for the Rising Voices Poetry Jam (others from Madagascar and Colombia).

Here are the english translations of all six entries from the Nari Jibon Project as translated by Kazi Rafiqul Islam; the Bangla versions will be up soon on Amader Kotha as well as some other poems and stories for this day!

Enjoy some of the latest from the Nari Jibon Project students whose talents continue to grow and as they tell their stories through poetry!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Priority

Sufia-734 (In Bangla)

Time has come now

To stand for that we need

Not equality, but priority.

Upright

We want to open our heart

Express our mind

For that we need

Not equality, but priority.

Fathers can be cruel even

Mothers cannot.

Mothers can sacrifice

Fathers cannot.

That is what women are

We can do everything.

Combating with sorrow

Win happiness.

No more shall we endure injustice

No more shall we remain within the four walls.

Time has come to open ears and eyes

To protest against unfair deeds.

For that we need

Not equality, but priority.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are a woman

Sonia-782 (In Bangla)

You are a woman

O woman, you are my mother.

A woman is the symbol of beauty.

O woman, you are the beginning

You are the end.

In you I find the morning, the evening.

In darkness you bring light

You serve us

You are the blessing of God.

You have equal rights in all affairs

You are affectionate, symbol of love.

Your love makes us feel great.

On this International Women’s Day

We convey our love and respect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woman

Rosy Alam-555 (In Bangla)

Behind every success, who plays the prominent role?

None else, it is woman who achieves the goal.

It is known to everybody

Woman is a poem of victory.

That is why endless sorrows and pains

Can not touch you, even

In a male dominated society

Still you give a gaiety

Without you the world is ugly

You have made it beautiful, really.

You are sacred, holy you are

You own the achievements, here and there.

That is why on the day

Remembering you I want to say

All my love and respect to you.

O woman! You are symbol of fulfillment

We pay you all our tributes and honor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am still alive

Husnul Awread-769 (In Bangla)

Don’t shed your tears, other

I do suffer a lot

Who told you mother

I am not alive.

When my memory

Haunt you, mother

I will blossom as flowers in the garden.

Keep the flower with dearly care

Into the lock of your hair.

Before going to bed keep the flower in the vase.

You will dream the flower – talking with you.

I am still alive as a flower

On your lap, mother

As thousands of flowers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In vain

Surma Akter- 691 (In Bangla)

Story of a woman’s life

All in vain

No one wants to listen.

Story of a woman’s life

Laughter and tears, pains and sorrows

That is the way of life.

Story of a woman’s life

Along the solitary path

Hurdles and barriers.

Story of a woman’s life

Spread around imaginations.

Days and years pass away

Pass all the decades

Still the sufferings of women

Remain uncared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Confident woman

Shilpi Akter -772 (In Bangla)

Can I say as a woman

Am I not the vast sky?

Can I say as a woman

Am I not a beach of the sea?

Can I say as a woman

Am I not hills and mountains?

Can I say as a woman

Am I not crater of a volcano?

Can I say as a woman

Can’t I be the life saving oxygen?

Can I say as a woman

Am I not hard working as a man?

I can be everything as a woman

I can build up a strong mind and self confidence.

Nari Jibon Project: Three Years of Providing Alternative Skills for Women

From Kathryn Ward, crossposted in Bideshi Blue.

Shuvo Jonno Din ba Happy Birthday to Nari Jibon Project! Three years ago on 1 March 2005, the Nari Jibon Project (women's lives) opened to provide alternative skills to disadvantaged urban women in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Three Fulbright fellows and Bangladeshi staff provided low cost classes in Bangla, tailoring, English, and computers in a cramped one flat space (for our herstory, see the Nari Jibon website). Nari Jibon has now expanded to three flats and more offerings such as three levels of English, more computer classes with broadband access (including repair-graphics-photography-video), and also a website, nari only cyber cafe, tailoring shop, and research cell. Since June 2007 and thanks to a small grant from Global-Rising Voices, Nari Jibon also has two blogs in English and Bangla, which have been read by over 13,000 readers. You can read a Rezwan's recent overview of the blogs and spring in Bangladesh.

Many of our students have gone on to develop their own businesses, improve their salaries from literacy in Bangla and skills, jobs in offices and NGOs, and pursue their higher education with computer and improved skills in English and Bangla speaking, writing, and reading. To learn more about our students and their lives, photographs, and videos, please scroll through the Nari Jibon blog and website.

My thanks go out to the Nari Jibon Project staff and thousands of students who have passed through our doors for various studies. May they have learned many different skills that they have used in their lives, families, income generation, and continued education. Thanks to all our donors and supporters for your time and generosity.

Alas, we still need your support for Nari Jibon's continued success and programme. If you are interesting in donating time or funds, please contact me and/or go to Narijibonusa.org where you can learn what your donation can provide, more success stories and download a donation form for cheque donations to Give2Asia and/or contribute by credit card Give2Asia Foundation for the Nari Jibon Project (tax deductible in USA and Canada permitted by law).

If you are in the Carbondale, IL, USA area, you can attend a Women's History month performance by The Composters, the wonderful feminist oral-media performance duo on 21 March 2008, 8 pm, LongBranch Coffeehouse, West Jackson Street. Donations will go to Nari Jibon Project.

You can follow the pithy advice & adventures of avid Composters Glenda Greenhouse & Mary Mercury as they perform sustainably in their Compostthis! blog. They have also been featured in Spring 2008, Bitch Magazine.

You can also hear me discuss Nari Jibon and blogging on WDBX Radio, 91.1, "Native Voices" radio programme, on Sunday, 2 March, 1:00-1:30pm (central standard time) streaming url, http://wdbx.scientistsuperstar.com/

or the "Big Muddy Media" radio programme, which will be broadcast on the same station/streaming url from 9-9:30am (central standard) on Wednesday, 5 March. On the Rising Voices blogsite, you can hear me discuss the benefits of blogging for Bangladeshi women via an interview segment on mp3.

I hope that all will have some misti (sweets) in honor of Nari Jibon's birthday as well as some fair trade chocolate-tea-coffee on International Women's Day, 8 March 2008.