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For the Girls

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Recent Update!

Learn about our latest updates on the Girls’ Book in Kutupalong, Bangladesh!

Quick updateRead the full report

For the Girls Program was a dream project that became a reality in early 2021. We wanted to provide a resource to prompt important conversations for marginalized girls regarding women’s health, physical activity, and community-based work throughout all phases of life.

Our approach is to create a program with universal topics, but present it in a highly contextualized manner for each community.

We wanted to see how the simplicity of a picture book could foster a community and encourage productive conversations among youth, starting in the Rohingya community.

I didn’t know about exercise. I thought only man can do exercise. Today, I learned everything about exercise.

~ Rohingya student, Bangladesh

They liked that they could learn about girls around the world. They thought foreign girls don’t have periods. They are happy to know that a period is normal.

~ Rohingya teacher, Bangladesh

For the Girls | Rohingya Community

This book is being used to introduce female-sensitive conversations, promote healthy lifestyle changes, and cause the “ripple effect” among Rohingya girls – encouraging alternative methods of learning when school isn’t an option.

This was especially important during the months of lockdown due to the COVID pandemic. This program also provides employment and training for aspiring Rohingya female teachers in Kutupalong.

Learn more!

Vocabulary Development

We work with linguists to develop a written form of Rohingya, providing a resource in their native language.

Mental Health

The topics are tailored to encourage healthy lifestyle changes that may aid in the trauma-healing process.

Physical Health

Physical activity is not always a priority in marginalized communities, especially for girls. Our book introduces basic nutrition and healthy habits, including physical movement.

Education for rohingya girls
“Do you have a book with girls that look like us?”
By girls, for girls. Our team of female artists from around the world designed this book for Rohingya adolescent girls.
Along with basic health practices, the book encourages creativity, innovation, and community-based work throughout all phases of life. The picture-based approach is designed to encourage girls to ask questions and spark conversation among their peers, regardless of their literacy level.
Rohingya is an unwritten language. We collaborate with linguists and translators to create a written form of their Rohingya language. We go through a verification process to ensure that the vocabulary we use is the most-widely understood for the focus community.
Working with Rohingya girls?
Grab a copy of our For the Girls book — perfect for small group discussion-based programs!

 

*Note*

This book is contextualized for Rohingya adolescent girls living in Kutupalong, Bangladesh.

“This book is very important for our life and community because in this book, we can learn about the 5 Stages of Womanhood. From this book, we could learn through the drawings and how we will lead our lives in a good way. This book is different from our class / school book. It is very important for our community.”

— Rohingya adolescent girl, Bangladesh

“We think every girl should get this training and this book in our community.”

— Rohingya adolescent girl, Bangladesh

“We think this book is very important for us. Because we didn’t know and have knowledge of different cultures of the world and the 5 Stages of Womanhood. From this book, we could learn so many new things, which are most important for us. It’s good that this book was translated into 3 languages, especially in the Rohingya language.”

— Rohingya adolescent girl, Bangladesh

“We think each girl from every family in the community should get this book. Because if a girl can get training like this book, the girl could teach others in her family.”

— Rohingya adolescent girl, Bangladesh

“We think each girl from every family in the community should get this book. Because if a girl can get training like this book, the girl could teach others in her family.”

— Rohingya adolescent girl, Bangladesh

“As this book is translated into our Rohingya language, most of the girls could read and understand easily if we get training. This is really new and important, the 5 Stages of Womanhood. Our community never got training on this kind of training. We are really enjoying this training by this book.”

— Rohingya adolescent girl, Bangladesh

“We could gain knowledge on how to take care of infants. Now, our community can lead our life and children themselves, but if we get this book, hopefully we can lead our life in a better way.”

— Rohingya adolescent girl, Bangladesh

Education for refugee girls, Rohingya
The book is broken up into 5 sections:
  1. Infancy
  2. Childhood
  3. Adolescence
  4. Adulthood
  5. Seniorhood
Books for rohingya refugee girls.

Each section highlights “essentials” in each phase that girls around the world share. This page introduces the “essentials” and the rest of the section elaborates on these ideas through interactive activities and detailed information.

This book serves as a supplementary learning material that can be used in addition to a formal curriculum. It is meant to encourage learning, creativity, and community engagement.

This program is not limited to the Rohingya community. Based on demand and feedback, we will expand to other communities.

How Can I Get Involved?

Join Us

We are actively looking for NGOs in the Rohingya community who are interested in using our materials in their programs.
Read More »

Support Us

The funds supporting our Girls’ Program are mainly from private donors, with a portion provided by book sales from our Rohingya projects.
Read More »
The “For the Girls” book simply and beautifully depicts the life stages of females, through both a universal and contextual approach. Through positive repetition, the universal characteristics of “I like” to learn, to be healthy, to create, to help, etc. are illustrated and reinforced in every stage from infants to seniors. Additionally, these universal characteristics are illustrated through vibrant, contextualized cartoons relevant to this particular community. The beauty of this book is that the basic universal framework could be contextualized for various populations as needed. I especially appreciate the positive focus of this book, which motivates and empowers girls and women to keep growing and learning throughout their lives. The helpful and practical Teacher Guide is formatted for easy access to objectives, excellent ideas for both specific and general discussions, and accompanying fun, activities for each lesson.
— Cathryn Supplee, University of Colorado
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