The Asia Christian Education Fund (ACEF) is an international cooperation NGO that, grounded in Christian values, has supported primary and secondary education and vocational training for children in Bangladesh. Its vision is "a society where the dignity of every individual is respected and people feel the joy of living together."
It began in 1990. At the time, the adult literacy rate in Bangladesh was only about 35%, and many people could not even read the instructions on their medicine, so ACEF concluded that basic education was needed first, even for the sake of health. Starting with a small "terakoya" classroom in a Dhaka slum, its work has grown to include open-air classes in rural villages, rebuilding them as brick schoolhouses, and opening vocational training schools for men and women. In Bangladesh it works together with BDP, an NGO registered with the government.
In Japan, ACEF holds seminars and workshops and sends out lecturers, including the Bangladesh Terakoya Visiting Study Tour, which has run since 1991. Since 2022 it has been setting up libraries in local schools, and since 2024 it has also been running a school vegetable garden project.
Key points
- For more than 30 years, since 1990, it has kept running schools in Bangladesh together with local partners
- Through the study tour that began in 1991, many students have met and exchanged with children in Bangladesh
- It is also taking on new efforts to widen places of learning, such as setting up libraries and school gardens
Why this organization's work stands out
A distinctive feature of ACEF is that it values "kyoiku" (growing together) alongside education. It does not only support children in Bangladesh; it has also created opportunities for young people from Japan to visit and learn how to live together amid differences. This attitude of learning from one another, beyond the line between those who give and those who receive, offers a helpful example of one way to approach international cooperation.
ACEF also has a long record of walking alongside local communities, for example by repairing school buildings through emergency fundraising after schools were damaged by major floods and cyclones. That it holds Good Governance certification and publishes its activity reports and financial statements on its website is another reason supporters can feel reassured.
Editor's comment
I was deeply moved by how a classroom that began with children sitting on the ground of a vacant slum lot, learning to read and write, grew over more than 30 years into schools and vocational training schools. I hear some parents at first objected, saying they would lose their children's labor, and I feel the weight of ACEF having kept going all the same.
ACEF has an autumn seminar scheduled for Saturday, October 10, and a catalog of Bangladeshi handicrafts is also available. Besides membership fees and donations, there are many ways to get involved, such as joining events, buying handicrafts and volunteering. Why not start by visiting the official website?