where we work
asia
Transforming futures in Cambodia (left), India (centre) and Bangladesh (right).
As well as working in some of Asia's poorest nations, such as Cambodia and Nepal, MRDF also works in countries with fast-growing economies like India and Bangladesh, seeking out marginalised communities and those stuck in pockets of poverty.
Classrooms under the sky in Bangladesh
An estimated 445,000 children are currently living on the streets of Bangladesh's cities. 75% of this number are thought to be in Dhaka, a bustling, overcrowded place, home to 12 million people and the country's biggest bus station. It is in this context that MRDF's partner works, providing essential shelter, healthcare and education to thousands of street children each year. In the huge Gabtoli bus station, the organisation runs informal schools, known as ‘classrooms under the sky'. Over 40,000 children have now directly benefitted from this work.
New land, new life for Dalits in India
Despite the abolition of the caste system in India 60 years ago, Dalit communities in southern India still suffer severe discrimination and isolation. A government programme set up to give land to these communities appears a step forward, but often the land is barren and unusable. MRDF's partner is working with Dalit people to reclaim the land given to them by implementing sustainable and low-cost farming techniques, such as drip irrigation. Such techniques make the land fertile once more, yielding harvests to the farmers, who can provide for their families and generate income from the remaining crops. Through working in co-operatives, the communities are able to pool their resources and make the most of their land.
On the road to recovery in Cambodia
As a result of decades of conflict and instability under the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia is still struggling to restore the community structures that were destroyed during this time. MRDF's partner works in a remote area of southern Cambodia, enabling marginalised families to start the difficult process of rebuilding their lives and their communities through income generation and sustainable farming. The organisation provides training on a natural-based fertiliser that doesn't destroy the soil and therefore allows villagers to make the most of their land. It also runs a chicken project, identifying the lowest income families in a community, and providing them with chickens and materials for building pens. The income from selling the eggs or fattened chicks has enabled them to pay for their children to go to school and to repair and improve their homes. After a year, the families then give back the number of birds they received, so the process can continue with others.
