At the United Nations, under the name Poverty Elimination and Community Education Foundation, the PEACE Foundation, USA has been an active member of the NGO (Non-governmental organization) Committee on Migration,including on its Executive Committee, where its members have participated as advocates, planners and attendees in many of the major migration events since 2007 at the United Nations. These include the annual meetings of the GFMD (Global Forum on Migration and Development), and all activities leading up to the creation of a new Global Compact for Migrants and Refugees (2018). The organization partners closely with many civil society organizations and is a member of the Civil Society Self-organizing Body that coordinates the civil society response to UN processes in migration issues. It works with members of the Global Migration Group, including DESA (United Nations Department Economic and Social Affairs), UNDP (United Nations Development Program), IOM (International Organization for Migration), UN Women, UNICEF, and others, as well as with Member States to advance the human rights of refugees and migrants everywhere and aid their smooth inclusion and well-being.
Both through our advocacy and in our grassroots activities in New York and Bangladesh our organization provides help to families in the form of general education and training, particularly for women and children. Through our Bangladesh affiliate in Shibpur and with the help of a generous grant from the TX Foundation in Taiwan, the organization has built and is setting up an elementary school and community training center where currently 20-40 women attend literacy (including numeracy and financial literacy), manufacturing and entrepreneurship sessions. We anticipate that the number will increase to 150 when funding has been found. The training sessions teach reading and writing skills and give the students training in sewing and subsequently marketing their products. All materials and equipment are compensated, so the women can use the sewing machines and other tools free of charge. They are also provided with a list of potential customers and taught how to engage in trading most effectively. Free daycare is provided for pre-kindergarten children of the community at large. Currently, 40 boys and girls are attending kindergarten, and a primary school for around 250 children, following the official primary school curriculum of Bangladesh, is being established for instruction through grade 5.
The prime importance of such training is to mitigate poverty and enhance the educational level of the community. Through its work in New York the PEACE Foundation, USA helps connect diaspora communities with their home cultures. Volunteers help migrants, both documented and undocumented, to understand their rights and responsibilities as migrants. Regular meetings are held to forge a sense of community and stability to facilitate smooth inclusion into their new society.
