Sayma Afsana
Secondary school teacher, JAAGO Foundation (2023–present) · MA, English Literature and Cultural Studies, ULAB · BA, English Language and Literature, BAIUST · Cumilla, Bangladesh
Why I’m Building This
I am the first person in my family’s history to pursue higher studies — a fact I offer with quiet defiance more than pride, since my choice met more doubt than support until the results began to speak for themselves. Teaching in Gaibandha showed me that same doubt at scale, in classrooms where no one had ever seen where continued education leads. Research for Bangladesh exists so the next student doesn’t have to be the first person their family has ever seen do this.
Track Record
- Founded and ran Shutli alone for five years (2017–2021) — an online handcrafted-goods business covering product, quality control, finance, logistics and marketing, with no one guiding me.
- Adapted national curriculum content for minority and underprivileged students at JAAGO’s Gaibandha branch, working with the education coordinator and local coordinators — a ~15% rise in engagement and retention.
- Wrote a 12,000–15,000-word MA thesis on gendered marginalization in literature and presented at two departmental seminars at ULAB.
- Left home twice — once for study, once for work — already familiar with the kind of mobility MARIHE-style programmes expect.
Building the Team
Research for Bangladesh is currently a founding team of one. An advisory circle of people with higher-education and research backgrounds is next — get in touch if that’s you.