We are a group of volunteers who support the Khasdobir Education, Welfare and Development Project. The project started in 1984 when a retired member of staff from the charity Toc H, who had been working in East London with newly arrived young people from Bangladesh, and a businessman from Sylhet decided to help people living in desperate need living in the Khasdobir area of Sylhet, Bangladesh.

We work with people living in most need- families from the tea estates on the outskirts of the city, slum dwellers, and widows struggling to survive.

The project has adapted and changed in response to changing circumstances in Sylhet. Today it is managed by Sylhet Jubo Academy, a Bangladeshi organisation. The work is an expression of the close relationship between people in Britain and people living in Sylhet. Our trustees and supporters include people who have worked with families from Sylhet now living in Britain, people who have worked in or visited Bangladesh and want to keep a link with the country, people who are passionate about the importance of education, and people whose families were originally from Sylhet and who want to support a project that is making a real difference in their country of origin.

Currently the project provides 11 pre-primary education centres working with over 300 children and their parents and guardians. We have an outreach team of three staff who visit families on the tea estates and in the slum areas of Sylhet to help children get access to schools and other services. Special attention is given to supporting children with disabilities.

The project provides training to 80 young people in sewing and computing. We also support 80 widows with a monthly allowance of about £7.

We are a registered charity with 10 trustees.