Our commitment to build a Tobacco free Cox’s Bazar

Blogger Sumi Akhter

Sumi Akhter: We all know that tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of death and it is the only legally available consumer product, that kills people. Tobacco causes cancers of the lung, larynx, kidney, bladder, stomach, colon, oral cavity and esophagus as well as leukemia, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, miscarriage and premature birth, birth defects and infertility, since tobacco contains 7000 chemicals, which are very harmful for health. Bangladesh is one of the countries, where both production and consumption of tobacco use is high. A study of WHO shows that 100,000 people die yearly and 382,000 people become disabled due to illness caused by tobacco related diseases in Bangladesh. Tobacco is not only harmful to health, but also to the economy, the environment, nutrition, poverty, women, children, adolescents and overall human rights.

Our Duties towards Young Women Development

Shahin Aktar

Shahin Aktar: Wealth is created, where it rains. Rain is sign of love and affection. The same feeling belongs to a woman. They are the soul and strength of a country.

Bangladesh is a middle-income country. One half of the population of Bangladesh are women. Hoever, most of the women are not empowered. The main causes behind it, is that women are facing lots of obstruction from their family and society and they also don’t get enough opportunities to be empowered. However, it is possible to strengthen the situation of women through resolving all obstacles and problems in their way… like Begum Rokeya Sakhawat did.

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932) is widely acknowledged and accepted as a female iconic figure in Bangladesh, who undertook serious efforts to improve and strengthen the situation of women in society. She understood the causes of the despicable situation of women and “prescribed” women education as a remedy. Rokeya emphasized women education to emancipate them so that they could be free as humans. Rokeya played an important role in spreading women’s education and their empowerment. She tried to rectify unnatural practices of seclusion and men’s negative perception of education for women. Finally, Rokeya urged all women to undertake every effort to move forward and to foster their intellect via education.

First experience as tourist guide

Jannatul Hafsa

Jannatul Hafsa: Every person has his or her own dream and I had a dream to do something of my own choice beside my studies. But I could not get an opportunity to fulfill my dream. One day when I was discussing with my college friends and other students in front of our Principal’s room, we met with a person who told and invited us to join with tourist guide training at YES CENTER COX’S BAZAR. When he asked me I certainly agreed and expressed my interest to join in the training. And successfully I did a 3 months course at the YES CENTER COX’S BAZAR with great pleasure.

After completing my training, one day the manager of the YES CENTER introduced all the participants of  the course “tourist guide” to our department head and other teachers of our college at our Principal’s room and they wanted to know more about our training. On 5th October 2017 at 9.30 am, Mr. S. M. Aktar Chowdhury, head of our department called me over phone and asked me to work as a tourist guide and told me to meet the Principal. When I finally met our Principal, Mr. Kathying Aung, I found that tourists were already waiting for me in his office. They were a group of journalists from the private TV channel “Dipto”, who will work on the Rohingya issue. My responsibilities were to guide them in the Rohingya camp at Ukhia & Taknaf and to translate the Rohingya language into Bangla in front of the camera. I worked for 6 days with the team from 5th to 10th of October 2017.

Awareness on technical education among the young people in Bangladesh

Blogger: Sumi Akter

Sumi Akter: The education that increases the practical and technical knowledge and skills for a specific occupation is called vocational education. The vocational education prepares a person to work in agriculture, trade, a craft, or industry as a technical or in professional vocations through a combination of theoretical teaching and practical experience. It helps people to increase their capacity, better performance in their jobs and involve them with creative and productive activities. Once upon a time we had endless natural resources and people lived happily  their life. But now the population has increased tremendously and this population growth creates pressure on our remaining natural resources. So it is very important to develop a person as a human resource.  One of the objectives of vocational training is to promote a balancing of supply and demand for skilled labor in both wage employment and for skills needed for self-employment in rural and urban areas. Vocational education has been given the role of transforming of our country’s economy and to meet the demands of the labor market. It enriches a person for life and it provides the competences which are necessary in a democratic society. Societal and economic development depends on the strength of vocational education as it provides access to skills and entry routes into the labor market.

Procession of lost

Jannatul Hafsa

Jannatul Hafsa: Since August 25, 2017 when violence escalated in Myanmar's Rakhine State, more than 500,000 people including children and adults from the ethnic Rohingya minority of Myanmar crossed over to Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban district in Bangladesh fearing for their lives. Many of those crossing into Bangladesh arrive exhausted, sick and hungry after enduring days on the move. Among them many are pregnant and lactating women, and children under five. More than 70% of the refugees are without adequate shelter, food, sanitation facilities and half have no safe drinking water. This is a large scale and escalating humanitarian crisis. They are living in terrible conditions and need life-saving assistance now. According to UNHCR, they join the more than 400,000 others already living there in cramped makeshift camps since the early 1990s. Existing camps and the ones newly being set up are inadequate to deal with the massive influx, resulting in many seeking shelter under open skies, by the roadside and in forest & hill areas with little or no protection.

Job is not a “Golden Deer” for me if we get YES CENTER besides us

Blogger: Wasim Hasnat

Wasim Hasnat : Bangladesh is a low middle income country. Our country is expecting to become a middle income country by 2021. For the economic growth, youth can play an advanced role in reaching the aim of Bangladesh becoming a middle income country. The youth of the country have already proven, that they have the ability to become drivers for change and growth in the social and the economic fields. But youth unemployment is a major problem for Bangladesh over the past decades. When young workers are not able to connect to the labour market, it profoundly impacts their ability to participate fully in the economy and threatens their social and economic future. Sometimes many young people could not get a proper job and could not work as per their ability and qualifications and as a result they could not utilize their ability, which often drives them into frustration. So nowadays a proper job is considered a “Golden Deer” among the educated male and female youth.  Besides, when we apply for any job we risk of not getting it due to lack of experience and skills.

Youth empowerment is a prime need for the development of Bangladesh

Md. Abdullah Al Mamun

YES CENTER Blogger Group

Abdullah Al Mamun: Youth are the backbone of any country because the development of a country mostly depends on the integrated development of youth. Development in Bangladesh also depends on proper utilization of youth because they constitute about one-third of the total population. But the youth are suffering from various socio-economic problems, such as unemployment, underemployment, illiteracy, lack of technical education and training and the financial crisis for self-employment which causes mass poverty.

The progress of economic and social status depends on the active participation of an educated, trained and skilled youth force in the development process, but the youth do not get the opportunity to acquire such qualities. Consequently, they are not able to participate in the decision making process of development work as well as in their self-employment. Besides the technology-based education system, technology based institutions and vocational training are not developed adequately. So the youth do not have much opportunity to get technology-based professional education and training that can help them to get jobs, create self-employment, and develop their leadership qualities as well.