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About Us
CEI aims to work for the benefit of the poor and the underprivileged, providing opportunities for educational advancement, support for health services and health improvement and also investing in projects which relieve poverty. To achieve these aims CEI is committed to:
· implementing appropriate education programmes and projects;
· promoting greater awareness of the importance of education;
· assisting in skill development through education and training;
· providing medical facilities with qualified staff, providing health education emphasising the importance of hygiene and sanitation;
· investing in poverty alleviation projects.
Since its establishment, CEI has been actively working in a remote part of Northern Bangladesh which until recently used to suffer regularly from a type of seasonal famine widely known as the ‘Monga’, often causing the most vulnerable to suffer days of starvation.
CEI’s projects are located in northern Bangladesh in Kakina in the Lalmonirhat District which has a population of 1.3million.CEI supports infrastructure and human development at UttarBangla University College (UUC) which targets the poor and the needy with educational advancement and skill improvement. Two other projects which CEI has also been supporting are Kakina Rural Health Centre (KRHC) and the Orphans' Welfare and Poverty Alleviation (OWPA) programme, previously known as the Uttar Bangla Poverty Alleviation Society.
WHO WE ARE
The activities of CEI are carried out by a core group of trustees and members who form the Board Members of the organisation.
Office Bearers:
Honorary President: Dr. Malcolm Green (Trustee)
Chairman: Dr. Mozammel Huq (Trustee)
Vice Chairman: Dr. Rose Mary Harley, OBE (Trustee)
Treasurer: Ms. Aladin Ali (Trustee)
Other Trustees:
Ms. Irene Graham (Trustee)
Ms. Margaret Houston (Trustee)
Mrs. Quamrun Kumkum Huq (Trustee)
Mr. Tariq Jaman (Trustee)
Ms. Liz Kristiansen (Trustee)
Members:
Mr. Amish Amin
Mr. Gurmail Singh Dhami
Ms. Annie Howie
Office Administration & Fund-raising
Since its inception, CEI has depended heavily on volunteer support for its office administration and fund-raising, with the occasional involvement of part-time paid employees. Currently it has no paid employees. Over the last few years, Miss Molly Huq in Glasgow (UK) and Mr Zainal Abedin in Kakina (Bangladesh) have been helping CEI (as volunteers) mainly with office administration and also providing help with website development/maintenance.
Volunteers and Supporters in the USA, Germany and Australia
USA: Mr.Waliul Hafiz and Mrs. Shamse Ara Hafiz have been two of our dedicated volunteers in the USA (based in Bolingbrook, Illinois). Their fund-raising initiatives and support, especially for helping the vulnerable people (with assistance in cash and kind),has been extremely helpful in attacking poverty head on. They have been actively operating the US branch of CEI, with Mr.Waliul Hafiz serving in a voluntary capacity as its President.
Charity Education International (USA): Core Committee
Mr. Waliul Hafiz (President)
Mrs. Shamse Ara Hafiz
Mrs. Tahmina Rahman
Volunteers in Germany and Australia
Mrs.Tahmina Huq (Nargis), based in Berlin, Germany
Md. Jahid Faruki based in Melbourne, Australia (previously in Malaysia).
Teaching and Research Volunteers
This is shown in some detail under Volunteers Menu.
Sincere Thanks and Gratitude
For over a ten-year period from the late 1990s, Mr George Rawlinson greatly helped in establishing the Charity and also took an active part in its office administration in the capacity of the founding Secretary of CEI.
For over a number of years during 2002-2008 (approx.), Mr Peter Morrison served (in a voluntary capacity) as the Education Development Officer of CEI and, thanks to his help and support, two successful volunteer two-month teaching visits to Uttar Bangla College took place, by Ms Sallie Buchanan and Dr Gill Scharer in 2002 and by Ms Mary Gilles and Ms Norma Smith in 2005.
CEI is also very grateful to a number of volunteers including the following for supporting CEI’s office administration and/or fund–raising especially during 2008-2013 (each working for brief periods):
Miss Elaine Bryceland
Miss Julie Gibson
Ms Nishat Hyder
Ms Christina Laybourn
Mrs. Onyinye Ough
Mr. Drew Ritchie (actively helped in resource mobilisation from 2009-2011).
Many other individuals have also generously given their help and support, and we at CEI would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of them.
MAIN PROJECTS
International Projects
CEI’s international work focusses on Kakina, an emerging small town in the rural northern part of Bangladesh. There are three main element to CEI’s work: education, health and poverty alleviation. Our education work is with UttarBangla University College; our health work is with Kakina Rural Health Centre and our poverty alleviation work is through the Orphans Welfare and Poverty Alleviation Project. Details of our work in each of these areas is found in the Projects Menu.
UK Projects
In an attempt to strengthen its close link, especially with the wider ethnic minority community in Scotland, CEI has helped to implement two local projects based in Glasgow. More information can be found in the Projects Menu.