Annual Report 1999

VAB was registered in New York as a charitable agency in late 1998. The IRS tax exempt status for contributions to VAB was received in early 1999. Initial volunteer directors and advisors were identified by March. Publicity and fund raising efforts were initiated, primarily through direct mailing in various communities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, Louisiana, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Nearly two thousand letters were sent to Bangladeshis and Americans. Over five hundred VAB brochures were distributed from VAB booths set up at the New York State Meeting of Bangladeshi Doctors in Queens, the National Meeting of Bangladeshi Doctors in Baltimore and the Bangladesh Sammelan in Atlanta. Linkage was established with the Association of Bangladeshi Doctors, the American Chamber of Commerce - Bangladesh Council, the Bangladesh Youth Federation, and the Bangladesh Chemical and Biological Society of North America. As of September 10, 1999, VAB has received $18,200 in donations, of which, $9,200 was donated to the patron fund (only the interest income earned from this fund is used for current expenses). After deducting the total start up expense (registration and post box rental fees) and operation costs (paper, copying, printing and stamps) of $1,350 from the current account, the available funds for making grants in 1999 stands at $7,650. VAB funding will be considered for the following two programs at the annual meeting.

Secondary Education Scholarship Program for Students with Extreme Financial Hardship In co-operation with Prakritajan, our partner NGO in Bangladesh, one hundred scholarships each worth 1200 taka, equivalent to US $25 will be awarded for the year 2000 in five high schools located in three thanas: Bancharampur and Nabinagar in the Brahmanbaria district, and Sapahar in the Naogaon district. Scholarships will be customized to the needs of each applicant and will cover support for tuition, books, supplies, conveyance, and tiffin. In addition, to ensure quality education, VAB will provide support for tutorials in math, English and Bengali for awardees and selective training for teachers. Token grants for sports and cultural activities are provided for each school.

Skill Training for Rural Unemployed Youth in Bangladesh Swanirvar, our partner NGO in Bangladesh, organized and will manage the Rupsa Vocational school to provide training in the fields of mechanics, electrical work, welding, carpentry, and sewing and tailoring. The Rupsa School is able to accommodate roughly one hundred trainees each year (twenty in each of the above mentioned disciplines). While local support for the school has been provided to supply land, buildings, and cover management costs, significant external aid will be needed to cover instruction and provide equipment for training (e.g. low lift irrigation pumps and accessories, power tillers, electric welding machines, sewing machines, and raw materials). Since the VAB fund available for this project is not sufficient, we propose to have a special fund drive for Rupsa in the coming months. VAB also proposes to designate its Director, Mr. Salauddin Ahmed, an engineer by profession, who will be in Bangladesh in late September, to visit Rupsa and report on local preparations and support for the school (Grant of $5000 given)

Looking Ahead VAB's focus will continue to be on secondary education and vocational training, helping the most needy students stay in school, in the expectation that they will have the opportunity to become productive and responsible members of society. VAB will explore involvement in child related health activities, particularly a combined program of nutrition and education for children from age 0 to 5 from the neediest families. VAB will increase contact with communities, associations, and other organizations for their support and collaboration. VAB will seek funding from foundations and other funding agencies and continue to expand its current base of individual donors.

Acknowledgements VAB acknowledges with deep gratitude the financial contributions made by individual donors, who showed their faith and trust in our initial period. VAB also acknowledges the contribution and support of its patron families. We are immensely grateful to many individuals and families for their time, ideas and encouragement in various activities for our organization.