Oasis Institute for Science and Technology (OIST) is based in Rangpur Division in the north-west of Bangladesh. With a population around 18 million, Rangpur is the poorest of seven divisions in Bangladesh with the highest incidence of extreme poverty. Balagram, the village where OIST is located located, is a so-called “monga” zone, a Bengali term referring to a cyclical phenomenon of poverty and hunger. It occurs twice each year, from September to November (after the first rice crop is planted) and from March to April (following the second planting). These natural phenomena lead to fewer local jobs, resulting in rural workers migrating for work; those who cannot migrate may face food inadequacy and malnutrition.
During community dialogues in Balagram, local residents have told us that higher education opportunities are very scarce in the area, creating a barrier for advancement even for capable high school graduates. OIST offers students training for high-demand jobs in civil and computer technologies. Our first batch of students performed well in recent national exams and is about to enter their third year of training. As their studies progress, students need new learning tools to practice their technical skills. We rely on donor contributions to purchase learning tools and equipment for the civil engineering and computer technologies programs. If you would like to support development of these training resources, please visit our BHP donations page or contact us directly.
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