The Laura Scholarship

Laura T has generously supported BHP for many years. In gratitude and recognition of her many contributions, we have created the Laura Scholarship. This award, based on need and merit, will provide full free studentship.

Sagor Roy, first recipient of the Laura Scholarship

OfP founder, Rabiul Islam explains, "The first recipient of the Laura Scholarship is Sagor Roy, a Hindu student pursuing a Civil Engineering Diploma at OIST. His father is a rickshaw puller, so their family could never have dreamed of such an opportunity. We previously made significant efforts to support Sagor's studies, and since enrolling, he has consistently ranked first in all his exams at OIST, including the national standardized exams. The Laura Scholarship will support the remainder of Sagor’s studies at OIST, as well as additional coaching for his higher education aspirations. He is set to graduate in two semesters, after which we will select another deserving boy or girl to receive this support."

Like other private institutes in Bangladesh, OIST charges tuition fees. These fees are modest and OIST also offers bursary and deferred payment arrangements. Even so, many students’ families struggle to afford the cost. There are several ways to support OIST students. You can donate here or for more information, please contact us.

"Why do I give?"

Canadian donor Laura T has donated funds to BHP for many years. Recently, we asked Laura what motivates her generosity. She replied, “Why do I give? This poem  says it all.”

“To live content with small means;

To seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion;

To be worthy, not rich;

To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly;

To listen to the stars and birds, to babes and sages;

To bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never.”

Next, we asked Laura why she has chosen BHP. “I like to support small organizations like BHP,” she said. “They often serve the forgotten folks, doing the jobs that need to be done. Your status in life does not matter – we are all of the same cloth. We don’t know who will be a future leader, the next Albert Einstein or Martin Luther King. Every form of education is critical. That's why I support BHP and its education programs.”

High-tech, high-touch computer delivery!

Laura’s most recent donation paid for significant upgrades to the computer lab at OIST, including ten new highly configured computers, a used laptop, six monitors and five power back-ups.

Installing new computers

Students need more powerful computers as they advance with their studies

The previous equipment will be re-purposed and recycled in the hardware practice lab as part of the students’ training. This was a tremendous boost for both Civil Engineering and Computer Science students as they advance in their studies.

Laura's contribution came at just the right time for OIST's growth. We are so grateful for all contributions. You can donate here or for more information, please contact us.

BHP update January 2025

Since BHP began in 2004, hundreds of individuals have participated as visiting faculty and donors. You deserve a BIG THANK-YOU! for your unwavering support. Having completed our initial task to start a nursing college, we now focus to requests from Bangladesh partners. (Our website and our blog have much more information.)

1.    In Bangladesh our partner, Oasis for Posterity, delivers various programs in the village of Balagram. John and Alex visited Balagram in February 2024, conducting an assessment of primary student learning and meeting OfP vocational college faculty and OfP school teachers as well as local families who told us about their need for better access to health care services.

2.    In the twenty years since BHP helped start the IUBAT College of Nursing [CoN] demand for nursing education has increased dramatically. In February and November visits, Alex connected CoN faculty with Sajida Foundation staff who are recruiting RNs for their new psychiatric hospital.

We are again recruiting visiting faculty at the IUBAT CoN, so please share this opportunity.

3.    The IUBAT Masters of Public Health Program now has over thirty students enrolled in Years One and Two. Our spring and fall visits were a welcome opportunity for us to teach face-to-face.

4.    Other BHP activities. During February, we met with officials in Dhaka to discuss immigration of Bangladeshi nurses to Canada. We also assisted Sajida Hospital with a  planning session on quality improvement. In November, Alex spent three weeks assisting Sajida Foundation with development of its mental health programs. The IUBAT CoN graduate enrolled in PhD studies at Oxford University is progressing well. There are more updates and details in the "BHP Update" document below.

5.    Your contributions make a difference! This is how the money was spent:

• Most was spent on building construction and teaching equipment for OfP Institute of Science and Technology [OIST] a technical-vocational college, which opened in 2022. The initial batch of students studying Civil Engineering and Computer Technology, will graduate in 2026. OIST also hosts a health clinic for people suffering chronic illness.

• This past year, donors paid for upgrades to Bluebell primary school, for classroom furniture, teaching materials and equipment as well as a new outside toilet and landscaping.

• A major on-going expense is salaries for teachers at Bluebell and OIST. John and Alex each contribute $18,000 per year to cover salaries and overhead costs. Currently, most OIST students receive grants or loans to cover some of their fees. Over time, OIST will be self-supporting, but we are not there yet.

• Health and education bursaries are a lesser expense but extremely important for the recipients. For instance, cataract surgery in one eye costs about $50; a bursary to keep a female student in high school is $40 per semester . We recently created scholarships to recognize donors and contributors like Dr. Karen Lund, founding CON coordinator.

6.    100% of your donations are spent on BHP programs; all administration and personal travel costs are paid by the directors. Vancouver’s Mid-Main Community Health Centre continues to host BHP activities and issues CRA charitable donation receipts for health programs. You can donate here or for more information, please contact us.

Thank you again for your support to communities in need. We welcome questions and feedback.  John Richards and Alex Berland

BHP Update January 2025.pdf

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