About EchoStars

What is EchoStars inc?

EchoStars Inc was initially established for the purpose of raising funds to give to the Bangladesh  NGO SLUM..Society for Lowest Urban Mass, to complete the construction of the Bright Stars School in the Vatara Slum District of Dhaka, in Bangladesh. BrightStars has now been completed and stands proud as a 5 storey building with secure business sponsorship and will now extend education to disadvantaged children for many years to come thanks to our donors support. 

EchoStars has established a Secondary Schools Sponsorship program to ensure the primary students graduate to high school and continue their studies. 

EchoStars has now established a working relationship with an Australian based charity C0-ID; a foundation established by Mr Fred Hyde. A Kokoda verteran Fred decided 30 years ago to devote his life to the isolated and needy children on Bhola Island on the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. 

CO-ID is also a registered NGO in Bangladesh which means it can legally build and operate the schools there. EchoStars must work through a Bangla registered NGO as we do not have this registration nor do we want it as administratively it would be too onerous for us. 

Our current fund raising is to focus on building new pre-schools and refurbisihing the ageing schools of the CO-ID schools program.

Rose Figtree, the founder of EchoStars has been travelling to Dhaka for many years and decided to start EchoStars as her way of helping in a lasting way. Through her travels she realized that no matter how overwhelming the issue of world poverty is for people living in developed countries, when you confront it in person the need to help cannot be ignored.

Without the desensitizing effect of television the connection to the gross level of poverty that exists makes you realise that whatever you do is going to be better than doing nothing. So began EchoStars as her way of helping in a very tangible way.

The EchoStars committee members who work with Rose are:

• Janice Gestro– ES vice chair - an extremely active business woman and committed humanitarian.
• Nick Illek - accountant and treasuerer for EchoStars. 

• Gina Ryman - Business woman and secretary to ES committed to the work necessary to run EchoStars.
• Celeste Rosetto – A founding committee member. A university lecturer and active Rotarian committed to making the world kinder.
• Robyn Kremer  – A founding committee member. A retired teacher actively involved in many charities who believes that access to an elementary education is a universal human right.
• Michael Williams - A founding committee member. A retired teacher as a Career Counsellor. He is committed to EchoStars goal in providing opportunity through education. Michael has been nominated our 'gate keeper' and has been our welcome face for 6 years at  each of our events.

What better way to help make a difference than to build a school for disadvantaged children who have no access to education? Our mission is to continue to build and operate schools for 'children of withoutness' and give them a chance for a Brighter Future.