ALMOST three years ago, fundraising started in west Wiltshire to raise money to build a school to provide free education for some of the poorest girls in Bangladesh.

Now, the fundraisers and founder members are travelling to the country to open the school, The Bangladesh Female Academy (BFA), which is admitting its first 60 pupils.

Marion Mortimer, founder member of BFA, said: "We have so far to go we are admitting 60 pupils at first but we aim to have 3,000 in the end."

The funds have come from private donations and also from restaurateurs who have held charity dinners and donated the proceeds.

BFA has now set up a scheme where people in the UK can sponsor a child at the school for £15 a month.

The fundraising started when Arju Miah, owner of the Taj Mahal restaurant in Chippenham, was awarded the MBE by the Queen in recognition of his community work, and took the opportunity to speak about the plight of children in Bangladesh.

There is no free education in Bangladesh and many children are trapped in a cycle of poverty and illiteracy. Mrs Mortimer said: "The school is nowhere near ready but compared with what the children have now, it is a palace."

The girls, who board at the school, have an ayah, or nursemaid, who looks after them at school, as well as fully qualified teachers and teaching assistants. Many of the children will have no idea what to expect, as they have never met anyone who has been to school before.

The team from the UK fly to Bangladesh on Sunday for the opening ceremony next Thursday, which will be attended by the Chief Justice and possibly the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Mrs Mortimer said: "The school may be the only way to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy among the poorest people in Bangladesh, because in ten years time these young girls will be able to teach their own children how to read and write too."

  • Anyone interested in sponsoring a child can contact Arju Miah on (01249) 653243 or Marion Mortimer on (01225) 791023.