Speaker calls for help for children
Our speaker on February 12th was Gem Munro accompanied by his son Gabriel. Gem is a director of Amarok Society (www.AmarokSociety.org), a registered Canadian charity providing education to some of the poorest children in the world in Bangladesh. The society was started by Gem’s wife Dr. Tanyss Munro. The family spends six months of the year in Bangladesh working with their schools.
Since January 2006, Amarok Society has worked in some of the most polluted and destitute urban slums in the world to provide education to girls and boys – through their mothers.
Amarok Society teaches illiterate Muslim mothers in these slums to become neighbourhood teachers, overcoming the considerable social pressure against education for women and girls. Every mother then teaches a group of 5 or more girls and boys every day in her hovel - on the bed, floor or in the alley. The women are empowered through education to improve their lives for their family.
They believe that education is essential to overcoming poverty, and that peace will come through education. The Society has worked with a number of Rotary clubs in Canada including some local District 5040 clubs. Their commitment and story is inspiring. Their theme – Teach a mother, change the world.
Story by Penny Offer, Photo by Linda Ottho