Ekmattra, a non-profit NGO, was founded in late 2003 by a group of young adults from all walks of life and was registered the following year under the Society Registration Act, registration no. S-3850(639). Ever since its beginning Ekmattra has tended to the underprivileged section of society, especially children, youth and farmers.

Hiroki and Shubhashish at one of Ekmattra's Open Sky Classes

Ekmattra‘s motto is “Where truth is the password”. In accordance with their motto the organization focuses on education and public awareness. To meet the deficit of adequate basic education among the street children of Dhaka, Ekmattra holds regular open sky classes on the streets in the capital of Bangladesh. In addition to the basic cultural techniques of reading and writing, the children are also taught values and morals to help them pave their roads to a brighter and better future and a more meaningful and fulfilled life. Furthermore, through presentations at schools and in public and through documentaries Ekmattra is trying to create public awareness by addressing and depicting the social problems existing in the Bangladeshi society, focusing mainly on the plight of the street children. It hopes this will help create a conscience and responsibility among the masses. Among the films produced by Ekmattra is Je Shohor Chorabali which shows the life of street children in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. It has also produced a documentary film about the indigenous Mandi people and their lifestyle.

Ekmattra's Rehabilitation Center in Dhaka

Ekmattra runs a rehabilitation center for former street children in Pallabi, an administrative unit of Dhaka. There are currently about 20 children living there, whose mothers were mostly sex workers. Due to their livelihood and living conditions they could not meet the minimum standards required for a child’s healthy upbringing. These children and adolescents were all once part of the open sky classes conducted for street children by Ekmattra on the streets. Ekmattra assesses each child on an individual basis about his situation and whether he was among the most vulnerable and determined. After a panel of experienced educators and social workers finds that an admission to the center would be reasonable, contact with the child’s guardian is established to seek their consent to the acquisition of the legal rights to the child. In the family atmosphere provided at the center the children get the opportunity to live a worry-free life. Away from the harshness of fighting for survival, food and shelter they can now grow up with their own individuality and have a meaningful life. All the children and adolescents of the center go to public schools and receive necessary psychological and physical care.

Former street children having food at Ekmattra's Rehabilitation Center in Dhaka

Other projects of Ekmattra include the study of drug usage among street children and post-flood assistance programs.

Ekmattra’s primary financial contribution comes from its membership fees and through donations. The costs for the children living at the rehabilitation center are mainly met by concerned guardians from Bangladesh and Japan.

The partner organizations of Ekmattra include the Dutch-Bangla Bank Foundation, the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka, the United Nations Women’s Association (UNWA), the RICOH Co., the Japan Water Forum, and the British Women’s Association (BWA).

• Website of Ekmattra
• “A small, Yet Significant Drop in the Ocean,” Newspaper articel about Ekmattra, 11 May 2007