Zohura Begum, who lives in Charbhadrasan union of Faridpur, saw a colourful billboard with a few interesting points written on it. One that she could particularly relate to was “quality education”.

The 43-year old, who works as a housemaid, always felt that education could have been her way out from the life she is leading. But according to her it is too late now and she does not want a similar future for her two children.

“I could not get formal education, and have to work as a housemaid. But I do not want the same for my children and want a better life for them. That is why I spend a major share of my income on their books, uniforms, and stationery,” Zohura said. 

She also pointed out that the school is quite far from her village making the commute difficult at times. “But it is a small price to pay for a degree that will one day enable my children to lead a better life,” she said.

“But not everyone in the village shares my enthusiasm for education. Girls and boys drop out of school at a young age like I did, which will only make their lives more difficult in the long run.”

The colourful billboard made an impression on Zohura, as she realised that education is not just a priority to herself, but that it is a priority for the nation also.

She showed the billboard to other parents in the village, and a conversation in the community about education, health, equality and more was initiated.

Many parents realised that taking their children out of school was not the right thing to do, while new parents made it a priority to send their young children to school as soon as they were old enough.

The billboard depicting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their vibrant forms was an initiative of UNDP’s Efficient and Accountable Local Governance (EALG) project with the government, which provides support to local government institutions to integrate SDGs in their development plans and policies in a bid to reach the masses.

“It is not only the easy language that the villagers could understand or the vibrant colours that drew them in. What truly struck a chord with them was the message of hope that SDGs deliver,” pointed out Abu Shahin M Ashaduzzaman, the project coordinator of EALG.

“Beneficiaries must be aware of SDGs, in order to spread the message of sustainable development among everyone. Learning about the 17 global goals has made the villagers more aware of social and economic issues in their community,” he added.

“They can now engage in constructive and productive discussions on how to solve these issues and reap the benefits of sustainable development initiatives offered by their local government,” he ended on a note of hope.

With support from United Nations Development Programme, EALG project installed 256 billboards on Sustainable Development Goals in 240 unions and 16 sub-districts (upazila) of Bangladesh under eight districts (Chandpur, Faridpur, Khulna, Netrokona, Patuakhali, Rangpur and Sunamganj).