UK Bangladesh Education Trust (UKBET)

Who we are

UKBET is a small charity and NGO working in Sylhet, Bangladesh which, we believe, punches well above its weight! Our mission is to end child labour in Bangladesh. 

The International Labour Organization (ILO), a subsidiary of the United Nations, defines child labour as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.”

In Bangladesh alone, there are reported to be around 3.2m children under the age of 14 forced into domestic and hazardous labour. This won’t happen overnight but we are committed to addressing the issue by doing the following: 

• Ensuring child domestic workers have access to education and supported progression out of child labour into school or vocational training 
• Addressing family poverty - a root cause of  child labour - by supporting families through microgrants to generate an income so that they send their children to school rather than work
• Changing mindsets on child labour within the public sphere by lobbying the government, and working with businesses and communities.

Our culture and values

Three key principles underpin our culture and values:

1. EDUCATION

We believe every child has the right to learn. 

We provide opportunities for child labourers to still have access to education with a view to supporting  them to get into a school environment or undertake vocational training. We do this through our Doorstep Learning Programme.

2. FAMILY SUPPORT

We believe we need to break the economic barriers which underpin child labour. 

We need to attack family poverty – the root cause of child labour. By providing financial support through our Family Futures small business grants, families can generate a stable income and, with that, economic barriers of sending their children to school are removed.

3. ADVOCACY

We believe in changing mindsets.

We need to collectively address the understanding of child labour and the inequalities in society that allow for it. We are advocates in Bangladesh; building relationships with the government, businesses and the public as a whole to change attitudes towards children in domestic and hazardous labour.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

UKBET is actively committed to promoting and implementing equality, diversity and inclusion across all aspects of our work - in the field, in our staff, volunteer and trustee teams, and in our advocacy work. You can read all of our policies on our website: 

https://www.ukbet-be.org/news/uk-bangladesh-education-trust-policies/