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.
Life can sometimes throw unimaginable challenges at us, but it's the human spirit's resilience and determination that can lead to remarkable stories of triumph.
Lia's life is a testament to this spirit, marked by adversity, courage, and ultimate success. Lia's story draws parallels to other stories of perseverance, and highlights the crucial role of organisations like Sreepur Village in transforming lives.
Out of the blue, at the tender age of 13, Chia found herself sitting on a bridal stage, about to marry a man who was 35 years old. Her parents had arranged the match, finding the man from their nearby locality in Bhairab.
He was a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) businessman who occasionally sold vegetables and fruits on the street. Chia's aspirations and youthful dreams were abruptly interrupted by this sudden marriage. Instead of books, she found herself with kitchen utensils in her hands. She went from feeling like a princess to becoming a servant overnight.