Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inBangladesh are working together to developtheir communities and claim their right to abetter future. And real progress is being made.Last year, our work included:

• Protecting children from disease causedby poor sanitation by running aprogramme in 259 schools to teachchildren about good hygiene and how to promote it within their communities

• Giving over 12,500 very young children the foundations for schooling and for their development by establishing 568 nurseries

• Helping over 200 families living in extreme poverty to provide better foodfor their children and improve their income by training them in mushroomgrowing and poultry farming

• Working with partners including UNICEF and the government on aprogramme to ensure that all children in Bangladesh are registered at birth,so they can prove their rights to education, healthcare and other basics.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

BGD

Plan is promoting good hygiene (for example, washinghands after going to the toilet) which is crucial tostopping diseases like diarrhoea

p

Challenge and change in BangladeshBangladesh was hit hard by natural disasters last year. Over nine million people acrossnorthern and central areas of the country were affected by flooding, and Plan joined withrelief efforts to supply families with items like food, clean water, clothes and medicines.Thanks to all those supporters who made a special donation towards this work.

More recently, the coast was battered by a cyclone, causing hundreds of thousands ofpeople to flee their homes. Again, Plan stepped in to provide help.

Over the year, our work with the poorest families continued to improve the quality oflife for their children. We focussed on four key areas: building services to protectchildren’s health, providing the opportunity for a decent education, offering trainingand financial services to increase family incomes and promoting children’s roles indeveloping their communities.

Success depends on teamwork, and everyproject we begin is a joint endeavourbetween Plan, our partner organisations,communities and their children. As NedEspey, Country Director for Plan Bangladeshexplains, we all share “the vision that childrenwill realise their potential and work togetherwith respect and dignity.”

And Bangladeshi children are already workingto change their own lives, as the case-study inthis Country Progress Report explains.

Bangladesh country factsPopulation: 135 million

Capital: Dhaka

UN Human Development Indexranking: 137th (of 177 countries)

People who live on less than 50p a day: 36%

Primary-age children out of school: 16%

Rural people without adequatesanitation: 61%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office) Country ProgressReport 2007

Bangladesh

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Bangladesh10.12.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Plan is helping poor Bangladeshis to start their ownbusinesses, and so improve their families’ incomes

p

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inBangladesh are working together to developtheir communities and claim their right to abetter future. And real progress is being made.Last year, our work included:

• Protecting children from disease causedby poor sanitation by running aprogramme in 259 schools to teachchildren about good hygiene and how to promote it within their communities

• Giving over 12,500 very young children the foundations for schooling and for their development by establishing 568 nurseries

• Helping over 200 families living in extreme poverty to provide better foodfor their children and improve their income by training them in mushroomgrowing and poultry farming

• Working with partners including UNICEF and the government on aprogramme to ensure that all children in Bangladesh are registered at birth,so they can prove their rights to education, healthcare and other basics.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

BGD

Plan is promoting good hygiene (for example, washinghands after going to the toilet) which is crucial tostopping diseases like diarrhoea

p

Challenge and change in BangladeshBangladesh was hit hard by natural disasters last year. Over nine million people acrossnorthern and central areas of the country were affected by flooding, and Plan joined withrelief efforts to supply families with items like food, clean water, clothes and medicines.Thanks to all those supporters who made a special donation towards this work.

More recently, the coast was battered by a cyclone, causing hundreds of thousands ofpeople to flee their homes. Again, Plan stepped in to provide help.

Over the year, our work with the poorest families continued to improve the quality oflife for their children. We focussed on four key areas: building services to protectchildren’s health, providing the opportunity for a decent education, offering trainingand financial services to increase family incomes and promoting children’s roles indeveloping their communities.

Success depends on teamwork, and everyproject we begin is a joint endeavourbetween Plan, our partner organisations,communities and their children. As NedEspey, Country Director for Plan Bangladeshexplains, we all share “the vision that childrenwill realise their potential and work togetherwith respect and dignity.”

And Bangladeshi children are already workingto change their own lives, as the case-study inthis Country Progress Report explains.

Bangladesh country factsPopulation: 135 million

Capital: Dhaka

UN Human Development Indexranking: 137th (of 177 countries)

People who live on less than 50p a day: 36%

Primary-age children out of school: 16%

Rural people without adequatesanitation: 61%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office) Country ProgressReport 2007

Bangladesh

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Bangladesh10.12.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Plan is helping poor Bangladeshis to start their ownbusinesses, and so improve their families’ incomes

p

Sharing views“I was born in Comilla, EasternBangladesh,” explains Jatish. “I wasenrolled in school very late. It was dueto my father’s ignorance. He wasinvolved in gambling and wasted all themoney that he earned.”

Heavily in debt, Jatish’s family wereforced to move to Vhasantak in Dhakawhen he was eight years old.

“I saw that children of my age in the areaused to go to school to study,” Jatishsays. “I became very interested in goingto school too. But my parents were notmuch interested in my education.”

Fortunately, after some persuasion,Jatish’s parents finally enrolled him inprimary school. From that moment on,he had the chance he craved to carveout a better life for himself.

“I saw that children of my age inthe area used to go to school. Ibecame very interested in goingto school too. But my parentswere not much interested in myeducation.”

The other children in the area werefinding ways of sharing their views on

issues that mattered to them in theirschool life and in the wider community.They staged drama productions fortheir friends and families, coveringsubjects like the need for every child togo to school, for example, or thedangers of child marriage.

“I realised that if I could join them,” says Jatish, “I would be able to dosomething for myself and the people.”

So he asked his friend Biswanath if hecould take part. “The Children’sOrganisation is not only doing drama,but making people aware of importanttopics and contributing to thedevelopment of the area. I felt reallygood to be a member,” he says.

Claiming rightsSuch enthusiasm is exactly what Planhopes for when we work with childrento help them set up children’s clubs.More than 12,000 children take part inthe clubs, across all the areas wherePlan works. The clubs aim to giveyoung people a voice that is so oftendenied them in their families andcommunities.

Run by children for children, withprofessional support from Plan, they

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

It’s an impressive ambition in any partof the world, but in the slums ofBangladesh, it’s even more inspiring.Jatish lives in Vhasantak, one of thepoorest parts of the capital, Dhaka,where most people scrape by on lessthan 50 pence a day.

Families often arrive here from ruralvillages in search of a better life. Butwhen they get here, many struggle tomeet even their most basic needs.Children are particularly vulnerable.Many parents cannot afford to feedtheir children properly, to buymedicines for them when they are ill, or to send them to school.

There are other reasons why childrenlike Jatish are at risk. For the most part,families, schools and wider society inBangladesh expect children to be seen,but not heard, unquestioning in theirrespect for adult decisions anduninvolved in the progress of theircommunities. Worryingly, this makes it

easy for adults to conceal mistreatmentor abuse.

But life will be different for Jatish,thanks to his involvement in the“Children’s Organisation”, one of over400 clubs launched by Plan andchildren in the poorest parts ofBangladesh to give young people theopportunity to make friends, talk aboutissues affecting their lives and learnabout their rights.

offer a friendly, caring environmentwhere children can talk about thechallenges they are facing at home orelsewhere and learn how to promotetheir rights.

Once a part of the clubs, thechildren quickly learn that theyhave the right to an education, todecent healthcare and to livewithout the fear of exploitation.

For many children, the very notion thatthey have rights, defined by law, iscompletely new. Like their families, mosthave never heard of the United NationsConvention on the Rights of the Child,the international treaty that sets out howchildren can expect to be protected andnurtured as they grow up.

Children’s rights include the right to aneducation, the right to decent healthcare andto live in safety without the fear ofexploitation or abuse. Once part of the clubs,children quickly learn about these rights.

They learn too how to work as a team,how to express their opinions andpromote their concerns to the widercommunity. These skills are helping themto identify problems in their villages, andplay their part in finding solutions.

For example, when four children werenot attending school, Jatish and hisfriends from the club convinced theirparents they should go. And afterlearning about diseases caused by poorsanitation, Jatish organised a loan toinstall a toilet in his house and inspiredhis friend to do the same.

But it was persuading his cousin not tomarry a 15-year-old girl that finallyconvinced Jatish he was really changinglives. “I informed my cousin about thedangers of early marriage and the lawsof the country. He asked how I knew allthis when I was only a child. I informedhim about the Children’s Organisation.Later, after realising the dangers, hechanged his mind on early marriage.”

Jatish is now president of his children’sclub, a role he thought he would neverachieve. Elected by his peers, he has theconfidence and the determination toshape a new future, not just for himselfbut for all children.

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

Jatish (centre) chairs one of the Children’s Organisation’s meetingsp

Club for change in DhakaJatish knows exactly how he wants his life to develop. “I wish to grow to myfull potential and work with child rights in the future,” he explains.

Sharing views“I was born in Comilla, EasternBangladesh,” explains Jatish. “I wasenrolled in school very late. It was dueto my father’s ignorance. He wasinvolved in gambling and wasted all themoney that he earned.”

Heavily in debt, Jatish’s family wereforced to move to Vhasantak in Dhakawhen he was eight years old.

“I saw that children of my age in the areaused to go to school to study,” Jatishsays. “I became very interested in goingto school too. But my parents were notmuch interested in my education.”

Fortunately, after some persuasion,Jatish’s parents finally enrolled him inprimary school. From that moment on,he had the chance he craved to carveout a better life for himself.

“I saw that children of my age inthe area used to go to school. Ibecame very interested in goingto school too. But my parentswere not much interested in myeducation.”

The other children in the area werefinding ways of sharing their views on

issues that mattered to them in theirschool life and in the wider community.They staged drama productions fortheir friends and families, coveringsubjects like the need for every child togo to school, for example, or thedangers of child marriage.

“I realised that if I could join them,” says Jatish, “I would be able to dosomething for myself and the people.”

So he asked his friend Biswanath if hecould take part. “The Children’sOrganisation is not only doing drama,but making people aware of importanttopics and contributing to thedevelopment of the area. I felt reallygood to be a member,” he says.

Claiming rightsSuch enthusiasm is exactly what Planhopes for when we work with childrento help them set up children’s clubs.More than 12,000 children take part inthe clubs, across all the areas wherePlan works. The clubs aim to giveyoung people a voice that is so oftendenied them in their families andcommunities.

Run by children for children, withprofessional support from Plan, they

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

It’s an impressive ambition in any partof the world, but in the slums ofBangladesh, it’s even more inspiring.Jatish lives in Vhasantak, one of thepoorest parts of the capital, Dhaka,where most people scrape by on lessthan 50 pence a day.

Families often arrive here from ruralvillages in search of a better life. Butwhen they get here, many struggle tomeet even their most basic needs.Children are particularly vulnerable.Many parents cannot afford to feedtheir children properly, to buymedicines for them when they are ill, or to send them to school.

There are other reasons why childrenlike Jatish are at risk. For the most part,families, schools and wider society inBangladesh expect children to be seen,but not heard, unquestioning in theirrespect for adult decisions anduninvolved in the progress of theircommunities. Worryingly, this makes it

easy for adults to conceal mistreatmentor abuse.

But life will be different for Jatish,thanks to his involvement in the“Children’s Organisation”, one of over400 clubs launched by Plan andchildren in the poorest parts ofBangladesh to give young people theopportunity to make friends, talk aboutissues affecting their lives and learnabout their rights.

offer a friendly, caring environmentwhere children can talk about thechallenges they are facing at home orelsewhere and learn how to promotetheir rights.

Once a part of the clubs, thechildren quickly learn that theyhave the right to an education, todecent healthcare and to livewithout the fear of exploitation.

For many children, the very notion thatthey have rights, defined by law, iscompletely new. Like their families, mosthave never heard of the United NationsConvention on the Rights of the Child,the international treaty that sets out howchildren can expect to be protected andnurtured as they grow up.

Children’s rights include the right to aneducation, the right to decent healthcare andto live in safety without the fear ofexploitation or abuse. Once part of the clubs,children quickly learn about these rights.

They learn too how to work as a team,how to express their opinions andpromote their concerns to the widercommunity. These skills are helping themto identify problems in their villages, andplay their part in finding solutions.

For example, when four children werenot attending school, Jatish and hisfriends from the club convinced theirparents they should go. And afterlearning about diseases caused by poorsanitation, Jatish organised a loan toinstall a toilet in his house and inspiredhis friend to do the same.

But it was persuading his cousin not tomarry a 15-year-old girl that finallyconvinced Jatish he was really changinglives. “I informed my cousin about thedangers of early marriage and the lawsof the country. He asked how I knew allthis when I was only a child. I informedhim about the Children’s Organisation.Later, after realising the dangers, hechanged his mind on early marriage.”

Jatish is now president of his children’sclub, a role he thought he would neverachieve. Elected by his peers, he has theconfidence and the determination toshape a new future, not just for himselfbut for all children.

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

Jatish (centre) chairs one of the Children’s Organisation’s meetingsp

Club for change in DhakaJatish knows exactly how he wants his life to develop. “I wish to grow to myfull potential and work with child rights in the future,” he explains.

Sharing views“I was born in Comilla, EasternBangladesh,” explains Jatish. “I wasenrolled in school very late. It was dueto my father’s ignorance. He wasinvolved in gambling and wasted all themoney that he earned.”

Heavily in debt, Jatish’s family wereforced to move to Vhasantak in Dhakawhen he was eight years old.

“I saw that children of my age in the areaused to go to school to study,” Jatishsays. “I became very interested in goingto school too. But my parents were notmuch interested in my education.”

Fortunately, after some persuasion,Jatish’s parents finally enrolled him inprimary school. From that moment on,he had the chance he craved to carveout a better life for himself.

“I saw that children of my age inthe area used to go to school. Ibecame very interested in goingto school too. But my parentswere not much interested in myeducation.”

The other children in the area werefinding ways of sharing their views on

issues that mattered to them in theirschool life and in the wider community.They staged drama productions fortheir friends and families, coveringsubjects like the need for every child togo to school, for example, or thedangers of child marriage.

“I realised that if I could join them,” says Jatish, “I would be able to dosomething for myself and the people.”

So he asked his friend Biswanath if hecould take part. “The Children’sOrganisation is not only doing drama,but making people aware of importanttopics and contributing to thedevelopment of the area. I felt reallygood to be a member,” he says.

Claiming rightsSuch enthusiasm is exactly what Planhopes for when we work with childrento help them set up children’s clubs.More than 12,000 children take part inthe clubs, across all the areas wherePlan works. The clubs aim to giveyoung people a voice that is so oftendenied them in their families andcommunities.

Run by children for children, withprofessional support from Plan, they

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

It’s an impressive ambition in any partof the world, but in the slums ofBangladesh, it’s even more inspiring.Jatish lives in Vhasantak, one of thepoorest parts of the capital, Dhaka,where most people scrape by on lessthan 50 pence a day.

Families often arrive here from ruralvillages in search of a better life. Butwhen they get here, many struggle tomeet even their most basic needs.Children are particularly vulnerable.Many parents cannot afford to feedtheir children properly, to buymedicines for them when they are ill, or to send them to school.

There are other reasons why childrenlike Jatish are at risk. For the most part,families, schools and wider society inBangladesh expect children to be seen,but not heard, unquestioning in theirrespect for adult decisions anduninvolved in the progress of theircommunities. Worryingly, this makes it

easy for adults to conceal mistreatmentor abuse.

But life will be different for Jatish,thanks to his involvement in the“Children’s Organisation”, one of over400 clubs launched by Plan andchildren in the poorest parts ofBangladesh to give young people theopportunity to make friends, talk aboutissues affecting their lives and learnabout their rights.

offer a friendly, caring environmentwhere children can talk about thechallenges they are facing at home orelsewhere and learn how to promotetheir rights.

Once a part of the clubs, thechildren quickly learn that theyhave the right to an education, todecent healthcare and to livewithout the fear of exploitation.

For many children, the very notion thatthey have rights, defined by law, iscompletely new. Like their families, mosthave never heard of the United NationsConvention on the Rights of the Child,the international treaty that sets out howchildren can expect to be protected andnurtured as they grow up.

Children’s rights include the right to aneducation, the right to decent healthcare andto live in safety without the fear ofexploitation or abuse. Once part of the clubs,children quickly learn about these rights.

They learn too how to work as a team,how to express their opinions andpromote their concerns to the widercommunity. These skills are helping themto identify problems in their villages, andplay their part in finding solutions.

For example, when four children werenot attending school, Jatish and hisfriends from the club convinced theirparents they should go. And afterlearning about diseases caused by poorsanitation, Jatish organised a loan toinstall a toilet in his house and inspiredhis friend to do the same.

But it was persuading his cousin not tomarry a 15-year-old girl that finallyconvinced Jatish he was really changinglives. “I informed my cousin about thedangers of early marriage and the lawsof the country. He asked how I knew allthis when I was only a child. I informedhim about the Children’s Organisation.Later, after realising the dangers, hechanged his mind on early marriage.”

Jatish is now president of his children’sclub, a role he thought he would neverachieve. Elected by his peers, he has theconfidence and the determination toshape a new future, not just for himselfbut for all children.

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

Jatish (centre) chairs one of the Children’s Organisation’s meetingsp

Club for change in DhakaJatish knows exactly how he wants his life to develop. “I wish to grow to myfull potential and work with child rights in the future,” he explains.

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inBangladesh are working together to developtheir communities and claim their right to abetter future. And real progress is being made.Last year, our work included:

• Protecting children from disease causedby poor sanitation by running aprogramme in 259 schools to teachchildren about good hygiene and how to promote it within their communities

• Giving over 12,500 very young children the foundations for schooling and for their development by establishing 568 nurseries

• Helping over 200 families living in extreme poverty to provide better foodfor their children and improve their income by training them in mushroomgrowing and poultry farming

• Working with partners including UNICEF and the government on aprogramme to ensure that all children in Bangladesh are registered at birth,so they can prove their rights to education, healthcare and other basics.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

BGD

Plan is promoting good hygiene (for example, washinghands after going to the toilet) which is crucial tostopping diseases like diarrhoea

p

Challenge and change in BangladeshBangladesh was hit hard by natural disasters last year. Over nine million people acrossnorthern and central areas of the country were affected by flooding, and Plan joined withrelief efforts to supply families with items like food, clean water, clothes and medicines.Thanks to all those supporters who made a special donation towards this work.

More recently, the coast was battered by a cyclone, causing hundreds of thousands ofpeople to flee their homes. Again, Plan stepped in to provide help.

Over the year, our work with the poorest families continued to improve the quality oflife for their children. We focussed on four key areas: building services to protectchildren’s health, providing the opportunity for a decent education, offering trainingand financial services to increase family incomes and promoting children’s roles indeveloping their communities.

Success depends on teamwork, and everyproject we begin is a joint endeavourbetween Plan, our partner organisations,communities and their children. As NedEspey, Country Director for Plan Bangladeshexplains, we all share “the vision that childrenwill realise their potential and work togetherwith respect and dignity.”

And Bangladeshi children are already workingto change their own lives, as the case-study inthis Country Progress Report explains.

Bangladesh country factsPopulation: 135 million

Capital: Dhaka

UN Human Development Indexranking: 137th (of 177 countries)

People who live on less than 50p a day: 36%

Primary-age children out of school: 16%

Rural people without adequatesanitation: 61%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office) Country ProgressReport 2007

Bangladesh

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Bangladesh10.12.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Plan is helping poor Bangladeshis to start their ownbusinesses, and so improve their families’ incomes

p