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| Collective effort by the boys secures the catch of the day |
Securing the catch of the day is a collective effort by all the students. The big fishing nets are pulled in tight by 16 boys who swim together towards the shore at the large kitchen pond of the SOS Vocational Training Centre Bagerhat. They are holding the top of the net in their hands and as they approach the shallow part of the pond, fish of all sizes try to jump out and create little white waves inside the net. Big blue tiger prawns appear together with orange carps and many other types of local fish. The small ones are quickly thrown back into the water whereas the big ones are carefully selected and end their days in a big blue bucket.
The fish is then sold at the local market. Half of the profit goes into the students' personal savings accounts. Thorough agricultural training is offered at the SOS Vocational Training Centre Bagerhat in Bangladesh, a special project for youths with an interest in farming. Practical skills and theoretical lessons prepare them to become farmers and fishing is one of the many activities offered.
A duck farm is located next to the fishing pond and a total of five poultry sheds are just down the path where the goats and the cows are kept, well sheltered from the soaring mid-day heat. There are also 250 pigeons neatly nested in little holes above the newly constructed tool shed.
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| Milking the cows |
Twenty-two year-old Imtaz and 21 year-old MD are busy milking a white cow; one is holding on to the rope of the young calf while the other is squatting next to the mother cow, milking away. Both are in their fourth and last year and will be graduating in seven months and becoming cattle farming and dairy production specialists. Imtaz grew up in SOS Children's Village Bogra and did not enjoy learning from books too much. "I was a slow learner and did not want to pursue further studies," he says.
Imtaz is more than content with his present field of work and he now dreams of running his own dairy farm; "A good cow can produce 33 liters of milk a day, which is quite profitable!"
Through the farm project, Imtaz and MD have learnt how to water the cows properly, how to clean them and ensure they get a balanced diet. "Cows needs a mixture of cut grass, soy oil cakes and straw; that's how you can get them to produce more milk and ensure they don't fall ill," says MD. He grew up in SOS Children's Village Rajshahi and dreams of being the proud owner of ten to twelve cows. "But first I have to get the first one! One cow costs between 10,000 and 19,000 Taka" (Note: about 106,000 Taka to a Euro), he states confidently.
Youths from all the SOS Children's Villages in Bangladesh who are over 14 years of age and are interested in agricultural and farming activities are welcomed at the training centre.
The milking is done now, and Imtaz pours the last bucket of foaming milk into a container. Later on they will package the milk and sell it at the local market.
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| Biogas is used in every kitchen and is produced on the premises |
They produce more than just milk and meat, though. Here at SOS Vocational Training Centre Bagerhat a biogas plant ensures that also the cow dung is put to maximum use. Together with poultry wastage, rotten grass and leaves, dung is used as raw material at the centre's biogas plant, and this "homemade" gas can be found in all kitchens there. The high quality fertilizer they produce goes directly to the farming plots, securing premium vegetable growth, large-sized watermelons and high-yielding paddy cultivation.
The training takes four years and the boys rotate every six months in order to become thoroughly familiar with all the practical and theoretical aspects of farming. Local boys are offered training in carpentry and farm mechanics together with the SOS youths, since it is crucial to secure a good relationship with the local community whilst addressing the youth unemployment problems prevalent in the region. Bagerhat is situated in south-western Bangladesh, on the banks of the Bay of Bengal. The economic situation of the people is not stable; many inhabitants are laborers or work on farm land and fish projects, whereby shrimp cultivation is the most prominent activity.
The farming project began in 1996 and more than 55 boys have graduated since then. Over 30 of them are now employed in the agricultural farm project, or in industries, poultry farms and hatcheries. Some have even developed a small farm setup and are working independently out in the countryside.