"The Hope for New Life" program helps Bangladesh children get out of labor and back to school

• Project educated nearly 1,300 vulnerable children this year, raised awareness among adults against child labor
• Support for 20 training centers and 1,000 households
• Project funded with €100,000 contribution by BASF Stiftung, carried out by World Vision

Ludwigshafen, Germany and Dhaka, Bangladesh – June 22, 2017 – A project entitled Natun Jiboner Asha (“The Hope for New Life”) has provided access to basic education for nearly 1,300 children over the past year, while raising awareness among adults, against child labor. The program is carried out by World Vision and was funded starting from 2014 with a €100,000 contribution by BASF Stiftung, a charitable foundation based in Germany.

The objective of the program is to reduce child labor among primary school-aged vulnerable children, and contribute towards their increased well-being, protection and safety. BASF Stiftung has funded the program over a three-year period in the two districts of Nilphamari and Rangpur, where World Vision has established 20 training centers for working children of primary school age, as well as training teachers’ assistants. 1,000 households with working children received an endowment so that families could no longer be dependent on the child's income.

The program results for the past year show that 1,291 children have attended lessons at non-formal education centers. 97% of the project’s learners now possess functional literacy skills, and 77% have achieved a grade three level of terminal competency and are ready to be mainstreamed. Meanwhile, in 2013, only 1% of the parents of 6- to 13-year-old children in the target area were aware of child labor and child rights issues. Today 78% of these parents are aware of child labor issues, and 88% of child rights issues. 294 working children have returned from child labor during the year.

The program’s activities include non-formal education sessions for working children, referrals to formal schools, and providing income generating support to the caregivers, along with awareness raising activities for parents, teachers, employers, and the community on issues related to children’s rights, child labor, and the dangers of child marriage.

Following the introduction of compulsory education in 1993, the school enrollment rate in Bangladesh has risen to over 90 percent according to World Vision. However, in the Nilphamari and Rangpur region, some 15,000 children aged between 6 and 14 do not participate in school, because they have to work to contribute to the family’s income or they have long journeys to school.

About BASF Sftitung
BASF Stiftung is a charitable foundation incorporated in civil law based in Ludwigshafen, Germany. It is recognized as a non-profit organization by the respective tax authority. It was founded as the BASF Jubiläums-Stiftung in 1948, and it gradually evolved in several stages into the BASF Stiftung in 2012. It supports employees of BASF SE and its subsidiary companies, their family members and other individuals and families who are experiencing hardship through no fault of their own. BASF Stiftung also provides humanitarian contributions to international development cooperation and disaster relief. The projects and benefits provided by BASF Stiftung are funded by the income of the foundation and by donations from BASF SE, the BASF Group companies in Germany and their employees.

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.