Education & Skills Development
We believe education is the most powerful tool for change. Since 1987, VOSD has been providing non-formal education, second-chance schooling for out-of-school children, adolescent and adult literacy, vocational skills training, and special support for street and working children – helping thousands of Bangladeshi families break the cycle of poverty.
Out-of-School Children Education Program (OSCEP)
Second-Chance Education for School Dropouts in Barishal District
Between 2019 and 2024, VOSD implemented the Out-of-School Children Education Program (OSCEP) – a transformative second-chance education initiative supported by the Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE) and Ministry of Education, Government of Bangladesh.
This program was designed specifically for the most vulnerable children: 6 to 14-year-olds who had dropped out of school for various reasons – poverty, child labor, displacement, early marriage, or simply falling behind in the formal system. Instead of being permanently excluded from education, these children were given a genuine second chance to learn, grow, and reintegrate into formal schooling or vocational pathways.
We established over 500 small, community-based learning centres across Barishal District, each located right within the neighborhoods of the children it served. These centres provided a safe, friendly, and child-centered learning environment — free from the intimidation many children felt in formal schools after dropping out.
The curriculum was tailored using proven non-formal education models recommended by BNFE, and lessons were delivered with engaging activities like games, sports, recitations, singing, dancing, and drawing — turning education into something children looked forward to every day. Our teachers were specially trained in multi-grade and second-chance teaching methods to support learners of different ages and abilities in the same classroom.
Education Program
Basic literacy & pre-primary education since 1987
VOSD considers basic education to be the single most important factor for all development. It has therefore received the highest priority in every aspect of our work since 1987. We educate people in a variety of ways to raise the level of awareness, self-realization, and understanding within communities.
Our work spans pre-primary education programs across all our working areas. To date, we have established 435 education centres, staffed by 188 dedicated teachers, serving approximately 35,500 children. Together, these centres have successfully made over 131,350 children literate and developed school-going habits among children who might otherwise have remained outside the education system.
The gender balance reflects our commitment to girls’ education — approximately 65% of our students are female and 35% are male. Our education programs are supported by a wide range of donors including NFE, BNFE/MoE, APHD-Thailand, SKN-Netherlands, ICCO-Netherlands, KIA-Netherlands, Andheri Hilfe-Germany, ILO/MoLC, SCF-USA, Global Ministries, UNDP/DSS, UNICEF/DSS, Hope for Children-UK, and BRAC.
Currently, we continue to run a total of 786 centres serving 25,322 children under the ongoing OOSCEP in Barisal and Jhalakathi districts.
Non-Formal Education (NFE)
Second-chance learning for those excluded from formal schooling
VOSD’s first priority has always been awareness raising and basic education for all group members and their children. Since 1987, we have been providing awareness raising and basic literacy education activities at scale. So far, we have made aware and literate over 133,000 group members, 7,400 youths, and 17,500 children with the support of BRAC, BNFE, APHD, Andheri Hilfe, GM, ICCO, UNDP/DSS, UNICEF, SKN-I, and KIA.
The flagship NFE initiative was the Out-of-School Children Education Program (OOSCEP) — a five-year program (2019–2024) that established 500+ small learning centres across Barishal District, providing second-chance education to 6–14 year-old school dropouts. These children had been excluded from the formal education system due to poverty, child labor, displacement, or educational gaps — and this program gave them a genuine opportunity to catch up and re-enter schooling.
VOSD also implemented the BNFE-supported Second Chance Education Pilot Program from October 2019 in Kishoregonj and Dhaka districts, following the ABAL Model, Cohort Model, Multi-Grade Model, and SHIKHON Model recommended by BNFE. This pilot ran 323 centres for 9,690 learners, delivered by 323 teachers, 27 supervisors, 5 monitoring officers, and 1 project manager.
Our NFE classes are held in friendly, welcoming environments enriched with extra-curricular activities like games, sports, recitations, singing, dancing, and drawing. Learners attend regularly, their guardians are happy with the education system, and the broader community — local elites, leaders, and government departments — have extended their full cooperation. The model has become a replicable blueprint for expanding second-chance education across Bangladesh.
Adolescent Girls’ Skill Development Training
Equipping the next generation of women leaders
Adolescent girls are often the most overlooked group in development interventions — they are no longer children, but they are not yet adults. Yet they represent the future mothers, leaders, and change-makers of Bangladesh. VOSD has therefore made a strategic commitment to investing in this critical age group.
Our Adolescent Girls’ Skill Development Program provides life education, professional skill training, and pathways back into schooling for school dropout girls. Many of these girls left school prematurely due to poverty, early marriage pressure, family responsibilities, or lack of support. Through this program, they regain confidence, acquire marketable skills, and discover new possibilities for their lives.
The program operates with the support of Ministry of Education / World Bank, ICCO, KIA, GM, and SKN, and has been implemented across Barisal, Jhalakathi, Netrakona, Moulvibazar, Firojpur, Patuakhali, and Comilla districts.
To date, VOSD has trained and supported over 24,740 adolescent girls. Many have been successfully reintegrated into formal schooling, while others have been supported to start income-generating activities and become economically independent. This program is a powerful demonstration of how targeted investment in girls’ education and skills creates ripple effects across entire families and communities.
Women Skill Development Program
Skills + capital = lasting women’s empowerment
From our decades of work with poor rural women, VOSD has learned a critical truth: poor women are not lacking in ability or will — they are lacking in skills and capital. When you provide both, women contribute enormously to their families, establish their rights and ownership within the household, and become powerful agents of community change.
VOSD has been implementing women’s awareness-raising, group formation, management, and professional skill development programs since 1997, with the support of IFADEP-1 / CEC / Ministry of Women and Child Affairs (MOWA). We have worked in Barisal, Chandpur, Jhalakathi, Faridpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, and Gopalgonj districts, and continue to expand to new districts with other donor support.
So far, over 25,000 women have been made aware, made literate, and provided with professional skills development training. Many of them are now actively involved in various income-generating activities — from sewing and poultry rearing to small trading, handicrafts, and food production — enabling them to earn their own income, support their families, and gain financial decision-making power within their households.
This program stands as a shining example of VOSD’s commitment to women’s empowerment, which is at the heart of everything we do.
Improvement of Street Children Life Environment
Reaching the children society forgot
Street children and working children are among the most vulnerable human beings in Bangladesh. Living without family protection, they face constant risks of exploitation, abuse, hunger, illness, and being denied even the most basic right to childhood. VOSD has made it our mission to reach these forgotten children and give them a genuine chance at a better life.
Our program has been implemented in Barisal Town with the support of UNDP / Department of Social Services and Children at Risk-Netherlands, and in the Uzirpur and Amtali Upazillas of Barisal and Barguna districts with the support of SKN-Netherlands.
Our total coverage reaches 3,350 street children and 900 working children. We provide a comprehensive package of support that addresses both immediate needs and long-term development:
Every child we reach is a life transformed. We work to give them not just survival, but dignity, opportunity, and hope for a future they can shape themselves.
Every Child Deserves a Chance to Learn
From a small learning centre in Barishal to a pilot program in Dhaka, VOSD is working to ensure that no child in Bangladesh is left behind — no matter their background, age, or circumstances. Join us in building an educated, skilled, and confident generation.