The primary emphasis of the Amal Foundation lies in education, emergency response, health, and women’s empowerment. Since its establishment in 2014, Amal has been actively involved in a variety of projects. These initiatives include collaborating with displaced communities in secluded riverine islands in the North, establishing a community health center, constructing schools, providing essential support to Rohingya Refugees through provisions of food, clothing, and shelter, establishing a women’s skill and training center, Zakat empowerment, emergency responses, distribution of honey to students, provision of hygiene kits, climate initiatives, rehabilitation projects, the solar home project, and more.
Amal Foundation places significant value on its partnerships and expresses gratitude for the support received from various organizations and donors. Key collaborators comprise British American Tobacco, IPDC Finance, One Ummah, DANNA, Prerona Foundation, Just People Australia, Hope Humanitarian, UCEP Bangladesh, Augmedix, University of Portsmouth, Thrive Global, Daraz, and Astha Trust.
Esrat Karim Eve is the director and founder of the Amal Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to social reform and women’s empowerment. Recognized for her humanitarian endeavors, she earned a place on the prestigious 2020 FORBES 30 Under 30 list for ASIA.
Driven by a vision of a world where every individual experiences a life of joy and well-being, Esrat Karim embarked on her journey to effect positive change through the establishment of Amal Foundation in 2014. She holds a degree in Finance from the University of Dhaka and a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Colorado, USA.
Esrat’s commitment revolves around key pillars such as education, emergency response, empowerment, and health. Her passionate areas of focus encompass gender equality, children’s rights, refugee rights, social business, and youth leadership. Her overarching aim is to transform Bangladesh into a healthy and joyful haven for all underprivileged children and women.
Amal Foundation is presently involved in various impactful initiatives that play a pivotal role in fostering community development. These projects encompass:
01 – CHILD MARRIAGE PREVENTION
BACKGROUND
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, with the highest rates of child marriage and early fertility. 64% of the children in the country are given in marriage before they reach the age of 18 years, especially in North Bengal Region. It is a common perception there in the community that the older the girl gets, the more dowry is to be paid. And also, girl child considered as a burden due to the financial instability of families in most of the climate vulnerable areas.
IDEA
To reduce the number of child marriage of girl child, Amal Foundation has initiated a project entitled “Child Marriage Prevention Loan” that aims to give parents of female children money so they may invest in their businesses and maintain their financial security. In addition to ensuring the families’ financial security, this will enable the daughters to continue with their education. Because of their financial situation, the families would not feel obligated to marry off their daughters more quickly.
EXECUTION
Amal’s affiliation with IPDC
To address the issue at hand, the Amal Foundation collaborated with IPDC in order to combat the widespread problem of child marriage. In this initiative, the parents of girl child will get a certain amount of loan to start a business in condition of not pushing their girls to get married before their legal age. Also, they have to continue the education of their daughters. Initially, we started this project in Bogra District since mid-year of 2022. For this initiative, Amal along with IPDC and Grey have received Cannes Lion Award in 2022.
Amal’s affiliation with Just People, Australia
With association of Just People, Australia, we started another project to prevent child marriage through financial support in Sariakandi Upazila of Bogra. As, many parents in economically vulnerable places marry off their daughters at young ages to avoid the high costs of raising a girl and providing for her education, zero interest agricultural based loans are being offered to low-income households by the us so that they can start agri-businesses and help alleviate poverty. The applicant’s daughter must be between 12 and 18 years old and cannot be married off prior to reaching maturity to be eligible for this loan.
Beneficiaries who got this loan already started farming and maintaining the conditions of the loan to prevent child marriage.
02 – Building a Climate-Resilient Community
BACKGROUND
Bangladesh is known globally as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. The impact on economic sectors such as agriculture, livestock, poultry and natural resources is severe. Floods, cyclones, tidal surges, flash floods and other extreme and slow onset events are affecting people’s lives and livelihoods more and more. Vulnerable women and men are hit the hardest in particular those living in Char (river islands), Haor (wetlands) and the coastal zone. These climate vulnerability causes domestic violence, gender-based violence, child marriage and many more social crisis in climate prone areas. The effect of climate change on the livelihoods of women and men is visible.
IDEA
Considering this problem, Amal came with projects like empowering community people especially women and youth through skill development in sewing/stitching, agro-animal husbandry, agriculture and financial literacy along with leadership. These will help them to become financially independent and make themselves as an assets for their family in time of need.
EXECUTION
Amal’s affiliation with EMK Center
About 125 young people participated in the “Climate Champs” program, which was organized by Amal Foundation in collaboration with EMK Centre to assist them become more financially independent and climate-resilient in Char Shonpocha of Bogra district The young people received the right help to find jobs after completing the six-month training program. Amal monitored the young people the whole time to make sure they were trustworthy and had a way to make money.
Amal’s affiliation with MJF
To increase public knowledge about the problem of child marriage, the Amal Foundation completed a three-part awareness campaign in the Bogra Char under the name “Rukhe Darao-Awareness Campaign to Solve Child Marriage” in collaboration with the Manusher Jonno Foundation.
03 – SPONSOR EDUCATION FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
When it comes to ending generations of poverty, education is the single most important factor. Children living in poverty are particularly at risk and have a difficult time planning for the future. The children of the char islands in Bangladesh, in particular, face severe deprivation due to their remoteness. They have limited access to the resources necessary for a decent education and future security. Amal Foundation recognized the need in 2017 and initiated construction of a school naming ‘Uchchash School’ for the underprivileged kids of Char Shonpocha, Bogra. This elementary school has an annual enrollment of 50 pupils. Here, youngsters receive a foundational education that will prepare them for entry into primary school.
IDEA
To bring about a sustainable social change for the welfare of the students at Uchchash School, your contribution can help in the long run. Your contribution enables us to offer a kid ongoing care that covers basic education as well as their safety, nourishment, health care, and emotional support. When you sponsor a child, you enhance both their lives and the life of their entire community, making it more sustainable and providing them with better chances for a successful future.
You, the sponsor, will receive updates from the child you’ve chosen to support, including letters and photographs. There is no better time to witness the impact of your aid on a child than when they are at their most vulnerable. We know it’s difficult to provide monthly to a child you’ll never meet, but the bond you’ll create and the effect you’ll make are worth it. We want you to know your sponsored child and they will know you.
EXECUTION
When kids are given the chance to go to school, they have a better chance of becoming the kind of lifelong learners who can change their communities for the better. To put it simply, when you sponsor a child, you are giving that child the best possible chance at escaping the cycle of poverty and realising their full potential.
For just BDT 12,000 per year (BDT 1,000 per month), you can secure a child’s future by giving them a basic education, healthy food, and medical care. Be a part of Amal’s initiative.
04- ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER FOR VULNERABLE COMMUNITY
BACKGROUND
In Bangladesh, most of the people suffer from lack of access to clean water in climate prone areas. In particular, fresh water shortage is a widespread problem in low-lying places, where annual flooding destroys entire communities. Many rural areas of Bangladesh lack access to clean water because of the country’s weak economy and infrastructure, which causes a number of potentially fatal waterborne diseases. Over 1.8 million people in Bangladesh do not have access to an improved water source, and 36 million people do not have access to improved sanitation. Many homes rely on nearby water points that are under severe strain and only run for part of the year. Others get their water from rivers and streams much further away. There is a significant risk of contracting illnesses that are spread by water in this area; yet, both newly constructed and rehabilitated tube-wells have the potential to deliver drinkable water to the surface.
IDEA
To address the problem of this fresh water scarcity in vulnerable communities, Amal Foundation started building Tube and educating people in remote regions about the importance of drinking safe water since last 6 years. We have helped thousands of life under ‘Access to Clean Water’ initiative in various regions of all over Bangladesh including Rohingya Communities.
EXECUTION
The whole execution part consisted of two parts:
- Establishment of Fresh Water Source.
- Educate the community on positive sides of consuming fresh drinking water.
So far till now we have built tube wells in char areas of Bogra, Nilphamari, Kurigram, coastal areas of Potuakhali, Borguna, Khulna, Rohingya Communities of Coxsbazar.
05 – A BETTER TOMORROW BY OFFSETTING CARBON FOOTPRINTS
BACKGROUND
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effect of climate change, which poses a significant risk to the sustainable development of the country. Excessively high amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can lead to irreversible consequences, such as global warming and other more extreme events. Rising global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other hazardous gases like NOX, SOX, CO2, CO, HF, HCl concentrations have been a major driver of global climate change. Prior risk assessments and the adoption of an integrated approach in tree plantations would help in reducing uncertainties and achieving the desired targets. Diversified climate action plans which also include tree plantation as an integral component are necessary to achieve carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation goals. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in their stead also helps limit global warming, providing for a cleaner, healthier climate.
IDEA
With this initiative of carbon neutralization to reduce carbon footprints, Amal Foundation wants to collaborate with public-private partnerships, advanced horticulture and social entrepreneurship to help nature flourish and spread environmental awareness in Bangladesh for to ensure sustainable environment. The mere act of planting trees does not guarantee its survival, which leads to a mere show of the act of planting the tree and adds little value or guarantee of it reaching adulthood.
EXECUTION
Private and Public companies will pledge for carbon neutralizing through tree plantation to reduce the carbon footprints they are creating everyday especially through their company’s services. Individual or entity wise the pledge can be done through planting trees and by doing this, they can carbon neutralize in massive way.
06 – RICKSHAWBIN
BACKGROUND
In Bangladesh, rickshaw pulling is a very common profession though most of the rickshaw pullers live under poverty. Due to their poor income, the majority of them cannot afford to meet their basic demands.
Bangladesh is also one of the top plastic polluted countries in the world due to the mismanagement of plastic waste. Everyday nearly 646 tons of plastic waste is collected in the capital city of Dhaka, of which only 37.2 percent of the plastic waste is recycled. Due to the lack of awareness, people throw plastic items like bottles, wraps, caps and other materials wherever in the streets and waterways, which severely harms the ecology and the natural world.
IDEA
To solve this problem, Amal Foundation seeks to bridge the gap between the two, on the grounds that good habits can be formed at any moment with little more than a willingness to do so. The concept is to attach a portable bin bag to the back of the rickshaw, into which passengers can drop their trash, and into which the rickshaw’s driver can, at his discretion, pick up trash off the road in exchange for payment once it is full. This will allow them to earn more than their regular wage.
EXECUTION
Amal Foundation find the rickshaw drivers who are best suited to pull the rickshaws with bin bags connected to them and also act as garbage collectors. By encouraging the passengers to use the provided bin bag instead of hurling their rubbish out the vehicle, Amal Foundation can persuade them to work together with them which will result in more financial gain.
07 – TURN BEGGAR INTO BUSINESSMAN
BACKGROUND
In Bangladesh, begging is conceptually viewed as a demeaning profession. They live off the generous of others via begging as being unemployed and begging for alms is not regarded as respectable employment. Thus, their means of subsistence are consistently belittled by others in the society.
Bangladesh is also one of the top plastic polluted countries in the world due to the mismanagement of plastic waste. Every day, nearly 646 tons of plastic waste is collected in the capital city of Dhaka, of which only 37.2 percent of the plastic waste is recycled. Due to the lack of awareness, people throw plastic items like bottles, wraps, caps, and other materials wherever in the streets and waterways, which severely harms the ecology and the natural world.
IDEA
Since, Ramadan is a time to initiate good practices and start forming good habits, local beverage companies, in the very spirit wants to combine these two gaps and create a beneficial platform to address this issue. The idea is to groom these beggars so that they can become a businessman through the procedure. They will be asked not to beg and rather collect plastics for money in return, they will earn a reputable living for themselves. The beggars will be asked to deposit these plastics to Garbage man or BD Clean directly without working with a third party. This will enable them to earn more than what a regular Waste Picker gets in return for plastics.
EXECUTION
Aman Foundation will identity the beggars who would work as their primary source of Plastic collectors. They’ll convince them to earn a reputable job by working hand in hand with them instead of begging. They will collect plastics instead of begging for alms. The beggar rehabilitation NGOs will take training session for the beggars where they will be taught how to segregate the plastics according to their rates and how to sell these directly to the Waste Management Companies. This way, they won’t have to sell off the plastics at a cheaper rate rather they can segregate these as White, Brown or Green plastics and sell according to the standard price rate.