March 17: Gem Munro, Amarok Society
This morning, QSR had the pleasure of welcoming back Gem Munro, founder of the Amarok Society (www.amaroksociety.org/). Gem provided the club with an update of the work Amarok continues to do in the slums of Dakka, Bangladesh, and informed the club of their expansion into other countries.
With the recent uprising of religious extremism around the world, the work that Gem and his family do is becoming more and more dangerous; they are in constant contact with local authorities to ensure their work of educating mums continues.
Gem talked about one of their student mums, Shulee. Married at 14 and desperately wanting a different future for her own daughter, she convinced her very reluctant husband to allow her to attend the school set up in her slum. In a very short time, she has blossomed from a timid and illiterate mum to a dynamic and enthusiastic educator working with the Society. The best part? Her husband is incredibly proud of his wife and the education both she and their daughter have received.
The Munro family strongly believe that the only way to combat terrorism is with education, not bombs. Gem gave a very sobering and eye-opening presentation and we are thankful of the work he and his family continue to do.
