Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science and we are delighted to ask The Lady Tunnicliffe, PHD, BSc., FRSB, FLS why this day is so important.
Not only is Lady Tunnicliffe our recently appointed patron but she has also been instrumental in the development of our mothers and their children and in 2010, she set up the Mothers Talking Science Project and has been visiting the Sreepur Village project ever since.
Sue told us, “All the tasks the mothers do at Sreepur should be considered as Everyday Science, running the village, the cooking, cleaning, hygiene, agriculture, sewing, weaving, paper making are all Science or STEM in action, except the problem is that many people in Bangladesh and all over the world don’t recognise it and think that science is limited to the very narrow theory and the practical investigations with test tubes that they may have been taught at secondary school!
So, science isn’t just what is taught in schools for exams, it is an essential part of our everyday lives and women, mothers, sisters and carers, are excellent practitioners but often do not realise it.
Recognising science everywhere has never been as important as it is now with the urgency to sustain and save our planet.
We recognise that women and carers in communities, like at The Sreepur Village are working sustainably. These women are the first and most important teachers of their children but when they are in their communities nobody tells them or helps them to recognise their skills and expertise, which is why the work carried out by The Sreepur Village is so important and empowering.”
For 32 years, The Sreepur Village has been recognising the importance of women in everyday life and provides more women and girls with all kinds of opportunities not only with hope for an independent and dignified future but for an equal future.
If you would like to donate to The Sreepur Village project then please click here.
We share with you a story of Sharifa, a mother who has had her fair share of struggles in life and who recently, along with her family, visited Sreepur to share with us her successes in life.
The sudden death of Sharifa's husband in late 2004 left her as the sole provider for her four children. With no one to turn to for help, Sharifa felt lonely, scared and desperate for her family's future survival.
It was a bright and sunny day on the 12th of March when Sreepur Village hosted day one of the girls' cricket tournament.