Niketan Foundation

29/05/2026

🌱 New veranda school in Bashahil 🌱

In January this year, we started a new veranda school in the very remote village of Bashahil, located on the border of the Ghior and Daulatpur thanas. 16 children are now attending classes. This community receives very little support, as responsibility often falls between administrative boundaries.

This is the very first time these children have ever gone to school. They mostly have not been diagnosed by a doctor, as the nearest hospital is a difficult three-hour journey away.

Life in Bashahil is challenging. During the rainy season, the Padma River frequently floods the area, and the local primary school was destroyed in the last floods and has still not been rebuilt.

That is why this small veranda school means so much. It offers children a safe place to develop 💛

27/05/2026

📢 Vacature: Penningmeester bij Stichting Niketan

Al 26 jaar maken we het verschil. Wil jij ook bijdragen met jouw financiële kennis?

Stichting Niketan biedt hoogwaardige zorg en onderwijs aan kinderen en jongeren met een complexe handicap in Bangladesh. Sinds 1998 werken we samen met onze vaste Bengalese partnerorganisatie DRRA en bereiken we jaarlijks rond de 500 kinderen.

Voor ons betrokken bestuur zoeken we een nieuwe penningmeester voor een periode van 3 jaar.

In deze rol ben je verantwoordelijk voor de begroting, jaarrekening en financiële administratie van de stichting. Je werkt samen met een klein en betrokken bestuur en draagt direct bij aan de missie van Niketan. We zorgen voor een goede overdracht en ondersteuning. De tijdsinvestering is gemiddeld ongeveer 4 uur per week.

Interesse of ken je iemand die goed zou passen? Stuur ons een berichtje voor meer informatie of bekijk de volledige vacature via de Niketan website: https://lnkd.in/eC6uJD_8

Niketan biedt zorg en onderwijs aan kinderen en jongeren met een complexe handicap in Bangladesh, en ondersteunt hun families.

22/05/2026

Meet Talashi and her daughter Batashi (3). 💛

Both have intellectual disabilities and live in the remote village of Shoto Shampur in Bangladesh. Batashi’s father left the family, and they now depend on Talashi’s elderly parents for survival.

Batashi is a very anxious little girl. She hardly speaks, is afraid of strangers and often cries. But thanks to Niketan’s new veranda school, we are slowly seeing change. 🌱
She is beginning to play with other children, smile more and sometimes even say a few words.

This Eid al-Adha, you can help them with only Tk 5.000
(send a PM for payment details) or donate directly on https://www.niketan.nl/en/help/donate/

🐐 Donate a goat to this vulnerable family in Bangladesh.
A goat provides food, income and hope for a better future.
Together, we can give more than charity — we can give hope. ❤️

20/05/2026

The children love blowing bubbles! 🤩

15/05/2026

A volunteer reading the Runa book with the children 📚💛
We truly appreciate all our volunteers for the time, care, and joy they bring every day.

24/04/2026

Pure joy and imagination 💛🎸

22/04/2026

During our SRHR trainings, boys and girls with disabilities learn about their bodies, personal boundaries, menstruation and self-care. These topics help them understand themselves better and stay safe.

Education like this is especially important for children with disabilities, who are often more vulnerable and less informed.

In Bangladesh, sitting on the floor during classes or trainings is very common — as you can see in this moment

20/04/2026

Last Tuesday the children celebrated the Bengali New Year ✨ Look at their beautiful outfits! 💛🎉

14/04/2026

The Hidden System of Exclusion in Education

We often think of school as a place where every child has equal opportunity—but what if the system itself is built on exclusion?

Bringing children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms doesn’t just challenge individual schools—it turns the entire education system upside down. And maybe that’s exactly what we need.

Across many countries, education is filled with hidden barriers: selective admissions, school fees, standardized tests, and even language requirements. We’ve become so used to these barriers that we rarely question them.

But look closely at what happens: children start school excited and curious, only to lose that energy along the way. Why?
Because we keep comparing them to a “typical child” who doesn’t actually exist.

When we stop measuring children against an imaginary standard, we start seeing them for who they really are—unique, diverse, and capable in their own ways.

Inclusion teaches us this. I’ve seen it personally as a parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): the moment we stop comparing and start truly seeing, everything changes.

In inclusive classrooms, something powerful happens. The focus shifts from competition to connection—from grades to learning together.
That’s when the real foundations of education emerge:
✨ kindness
🤝 collaboration
👫 peer support
🎯 realistic expectations
🔄 flexibility in teaching
🏆 valuing effort over “intelligence”

These are not extras. They are essentials.

Because the real question is not “What is wrong with the child?”
It is “What does the system need to change?”

When we design education around cooperation instead of competition, inclusion stops being a challenge—and becomes the natural way forward.

We don’t just change schools.
We change society.

Read the whole articke here: https://storiesforinclusion.com/the-hidden-system-of-exclusion/