Chalantika calendar: year 2022
The 2022 Chalantika calendar was again full of educational activities for children and adults. The children thrived in many ways, but they also faced many obstacles, such as complicated attendance at the beginning of the year due to Covid-19 or the aftermath of the devastating cyclone Sitrang.
What have the children been through? What are some of the new experiences they have gained? And how have you supported them through all of this through the Chalantika Education Centre?
2022 in numbers
Covid-19 may have complicated the beginning of the Bangladeshi school year in January, but by February children were already back in school. The children are really excelling in school, with 118 out of 121 students moving up to the next grade. Congratulations also goes to the 8 graduates who have successfully passed their graduation exams.
The 16,802 nutritionally balanced lunches have brought lovely outcomes in the form of 70 children whose BMI index has increased to healthy levels. In terms of health care, the kids underwent 5 medical check-ups and 1 dental check-up during the year.
Graduates perspective on education
During our visit to Chalantika we had the chance to meet children who have successfully completed primary school. And what have they told us?
Hassan (14) not only dreams of graduating from the academy and of becoming a pilot. In future, he also really wants to be able to financially support the education of children coming from low-income backgrounds. He wishes to give back what he himself has been given.
Romjan (14) is pursuing his dream with strong determination: "I want to finish school, get a decent job and move to the countryside. I want a quieter life in better conditions than the ones I grew up in. And provide well for my family."
Likewise Sumaya (13), who teaches other children in the slum and passes on what she herself has gained from donors and dedicated teachers. "It's the least I can do. And yet so important for the local children, I know that from my own experience."
Moyna (18) says, "Our teachers have raised me to be a respectable girl. Thanks to the generous support of donors I have learned to make good decisions. Studying also allowed me to find my first job quickly."
We educate not only the children, but their mothers as well, who have attended 185 classes focused on health care and learning to read and write. Parents also attended two workshops on problem behaviors.
One of the mothers, Halima Begum, 45, told us, "I couldn't even write my name, but after attending an adult literacy course, I can write my name. I like attending literacy classes."
Expedition Ganga 
The Ganga Expedition definitely contributed to the uniqueness of this year. Together with Olympic and multiple world champion in water slalom Vavřinec "Vávra" Hradilek, we rode 121 km down the river Ganga in October to help 121 Bangladeshi children from the Chalantika Education Centre.
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Cameraman Martin Vrbický made a documentary about the whole expedition, which premiered in November. A shortened version was also broadcast by Czech Television in the programme Objektiv. You can watch the full version here.
You can read more about the extraordinary experiences and the expedition on the Expedition Ganga website. There you will also find colourful photographs under the lens of Bangladeshi life.
Our Bangladesh visit
Some of us have been on a monitoring trip for several times, but this was the first time that Klára and Zdeňka went to Bangladesh. And these are their impressions.
"I expected Bangladesh to be significantly different from Zambia and Uganda, where I have been. But much was surprisingly similar. For example, the farming and agriculture of the rural population, the situation of people living in poverty, the teaching in schools full to capacity and the style of teaching. The population density in Dhaka was quite a shock. Lots of people everywhere and permanently. Many tall residential buildings and factories, poor waste management, associated ubiquitous garbage on the street. But the sunsets, the hospitality and kindness of the locals, it was really something. I would definitely go again!" -Klára Kalinová
"Before I visited Bangladesh, I thought it was totally medieval. Well, ... it is, but not everywhere. I was pleasantly surprised by the reality, because I met many capable and active people in schools and institutions supported by Adra with a vision and desire to work for change for the better. And their work was visible. This made me very happy."-Zdeňka Zlatušková
Happiness called „study tour“
Pink T-shirts, white sneakers, cheering, jumping, running and bright smiles. These are the children of Chalantika on the only trip of the year called the "study tour". This time it will be to the Bangladesh Air Force Museum, which is also an amusement park. There's been an incredible amount of excitement at the Chalantika Education Centre since this morning. The children are jumping and frolicking and they have a good reason to. They've been given new pink T-shirts and white trainers by the main sponsor, and there's a trip ahead! You can read more about their trip and the whole Ganga expedition here.
The children of the Chalantika slum live in difficult, almost unimaginable conditions and with an often unclear and unpromising future. Only a lucky few manage to break the cycle of poverty, and education is most often the most effective means to a better life. All the children's achievements and the day-to-day functioning of the centre are the results of your contribution.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
