WELCOME to the Presentation on

1. Dhaka Ahsania Mission WELCOME to the Presentation on Drop in Centre for Street & Working Children in Dhaka City Project

2. Project Period : January 2012 to June 2013 Funded by : Comic Relief - UK Supported by : DAM UK Location of Project : Mohammadpur Thana, Dhaka City, Bangladesh.

3. Background: • Dhaka City has an influx of immigrants from rural areas who live in slums; • Slum dwellers are illiterate which severely limits opportunity for viable employment. • Their children engage in high risk and unregulated occupations where, driven by ignorance of rights and a sense of powerlessness, • Become victims of exploitation and violence. • Families become disintegrated, the children left uncared for and • Many of these children have to find streets as their place to live, work and survive. • They are excluded from any educational opportunities. • Their jobs are often hazardous, • These children often become victims of sexual exploitation, human trafficking and drug abuse.

4. DAM DIC Program DAM implemented a five year project “Urban Community Learning Centers” with the financial support of Comic Relief (UK) from 2006. During selection of learners for UCLC, it was observed that a significant number of children living and working on the street who are known as street working children. DAM made the plan to start with just one DIC as an innovation and a real experiment to gain lessons towards a wide-ranged longer term intervention in future.

5. CR 18 Months Grants DIC Present Project DAM undertaken this project for 18 months as interim period to continue the DIC activities and learn more lessons. Overall Objective: • 200 street and working children both boys and girls will be supported in regaining family care where possible, acquire the skills to survive and flourish, free from fear, protected from violence and abuse, with access to education, health service, and with the ability to move on confidently equipped with the skill to pursue a stable potential career with regular income. • A family centered awareness on child protection and safety linked with institutional support developed to address broader child rights and protection issues.

6. Specific Objectives: • 200 working and street children will be protected from indignity sexual and physical abuse • Children withdrawn from hazardous job • Children will be imparted basic education, life skill and vocational skill training • A child safety zone will be established in targeted (200) families and community. • Communication and coordination will extended among service providing organizations • Community capacity about child protection and safety will be enhanced. • Capacity of the organizations working for under privileged children will be enhanced.

7. Target Group: Street and working children, aged 8 -14 in the target categories using The DIC. • Children and youth doing hazardous work • Children employed as domestic workers having risk of exploitation • Street children and youth who are at risk of sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking Major Activities of the Drop in Centre Three dimensional activity run by DIC • Community Outreach Activities • Drop in centre base activity • Linkage/Advocacy/Networking

8. Activities of the Drop in Center:

9. Expected Results • CHANGE ONE: Local street children especially girls, will have, immediately, a safe and caring environment and community place to go for support, rest and love, free from abuse and hazards. • CHANGE TWO: Children will acquire skills towards non-hazardous employment. • CHANGE THREE: Local street and working children's voices are heard and they are active in the local decision-making processes in the DIC, in the community and in their workplaces. • CHANGE FOUR: Parents, guardians, employers are more aware of both the hazards and the opportunities facing the children, more supportive and more proactive in removing or reducing the hazards. • CHANGE FIVE: The breakthroughs achieved by the DIC for street children will be a key driver in the refinement of DAM's Theory of Change for work with SWC and will inform the development of the wider programmatic approach to work with SWC by DAM.

10. Staff Strength: Deputy Director from program division of DAM head office coordinates and monitors DIC activities.

11. Achievement of the Project:

12. Achievement of the Project

13. Achievement of the Project

14. Achievement of the Project (continue……)

15. Key Lessons & Observations: • Vocational training and job placements are considered the best way to protect the adolescent girls from early marriage and abuse. • Most of the children of 8-14 years aged are found studying in class 1 and 2. Their level of knowledge and literacy skills is very low. • 88% children arrived dirty and not aware about personal hygiene. Most children are unable to express themselves. Malnutrition, shyness, and fear about unknown place are common observations of the children. • Parents are not aware of many child protection issues and child rights. Mothers are often scared to take decisions about anything (child related or any matter) without the husband’s permission. • The majority of children do not have birth registration and parents have no willingness to maintain registration. However. • Though DIC through making linkage with Mary Stopes Clinic, but sometimes problem occur suddenly from children as well as from their families. • DIC faces difficulties to provide health service to children and solve this kind of problem instantly. • Some times the guardian and the employer have shown less importance to receive DIC services rather than involving the children to continue in hazardous work to earn daily income to supplement families.

16. Strength of DAM Approach to DIC • Strategy and Guideline Document of DAM “Working with Children Living and Working in the street of Metropolitan Cities (2012-2015). • Theory of Change for the Street and Working Children in Bangladesh is a significant document • DIC emerged as a successful model for safe place as day shelter for the Working and Street children where Street children who showed affiliation and ownership towards the DIC. • DIC has established an excellent working partnership with Community people, employers and parents/guardians who have been involved actively and directly with the DIC. • A number of child focused organization have been involved actively with DIC like INCIDIN, BTS, MS, NM, UPHCP and RSC as networking organization. • Staffs of DIC have specific Job Description. DIC has a very specific operational guideline which helps the staff to implement the project activities smoothly.

17. Main Weakness: • It become difficult for children to left hazardous work and receive DIC service properly because their income supplements daily family income . • Some Opportunities: • Very positive attitude of community about drop in center • Staff are experienced about the work with human rights besides drop in • Some Threats: • High mobility of the children • Discontinuity of project support at this moment • Slum eviction and children migration.

18. Recommendations • Need for continuity and scaling up. • Family development approach is more effective and sustainable. • DIC should have more capacity to increase the number of children • Children should have an opportunity to raise their voice to the duty bears through organizing dialogue with different duty bearers including policy makers as well as government officials and people’s representatives. • All of the children should have access to the health services. • A Community Based Child Protection Mechanism for the entire children can be another aim of the project intervention in future targeting street children. DIC should develop Community Resource Person (CRP) from the youth group & influential.

19. Out Reach Activities Survey & Information Sharing with SWC Courtyard meeting Meeting with employers Music teacher provide from community Market survey Meeting with Community people

20. In House Activities Recreation Children registration Personal Hygiene NFE Guardian meeting Cocking & Food facilities Awareness session

21. Networking/ Linkage Activities Health Service Provide life skill education Right based awareness session Vocational Training Job Placement Art Film show

22. THANK YOU