Since 1997 the year Grameen Shikkha was created by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus the organization has been rendering unique services to the poor and disadvantaged people of Bangladesh. It started with a Life Oriented Education Program (adult literacy program with vocational and life oriented skills) for poor illiterate Grameen borrowers that was soon followed by an Arsenic Mitigation Program and an ECCD (Early Childhood Care & Development) program. Over the next few years Shikkha expanded its activities into scholarship management, non-formal primary school for slum children, and vocational training.

 

Till date Shikkha has provided financial support to more than 7,200 poor meritorious students, vocational training to more than 12,000 poor young men and women, primary education to more than 4,500 poor slum children, adult literacy to more than 3,000 Grameen women borrowers, pre-school training to more than 205,000 poor children and Early Childhood Care training to more than 140,000 caregivers and community leaders.

 

Shikkha’s innovative idea to provide life-long financial support especially to poor meritorious students in the rural areas has assisted hundreds of poor children complete higher education and gets engaged in prestigious professions like college and university teacher, public servant, doctor, engineer, business executive etc. Some are now pursuing higher studies abroad, a few are doing Ph.D courses with scholarship from renowned universities in Europe and USA. Hundreds of poor slum children who never dreamed of going to school are now pursuing high school education thanks to Shikkha’s non-formal slum schools. Shikkha, a pioneer of introducing pre-academics in its pre-schools, has established the basis of education of more than 205,000 poor rural and slum children by training these children at its pre-school centers.