Regions: Africa   Asia   Latin America


Name of Organization: Centre For Services and Information on Disability (CSID)

Country: Bangladesh

Project Title: "Reducing Child Labor through promoting Education opportunities for Working Children with Disabilities"

Project Timeframe: 12 months

Location of Project: Dhaka City with 4 thana (administrative) areas, namely Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Mirpur and Pallabi

Budget Amount: $ 9,000

NGO contact and website:
House # 715, Road # 10, Baitul Aman Housing Society, Adabor,Shyamoli
Dhaka -1207.Bangladesh
Phone/Fax No.: 88-02-9129727, 88-02-8125669
Email: csid@bdmail.net; csid@bdonline.com
Website: www.csidnetwork.org

Project's Primary Objective: Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that encourage working children and those at risk of working to attend school.

Description of Organization: CSID established in December 1997 by group of dedicated social workers. CSID works for the development of people with disabilities and collaborates closely with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of Bangladesh. CSID's vision and mission have been developed closely with the disabled people they serve. The NGO's mission is to raise public awareness, sensitizing people on disability issues and undertaking specific interventions after analysis of actual situations through research or survey.

Description of Project funded by CIRCLE: In its CIRCLE project, CSID intends to reduce child vulnerability by bringing working disabled children into education systems. It will combine public awareness with child-to-child approaches to implement the project. The project will provide educational support and various learning materials to the children. Additionally, CSID will build the capacity of teachers for assisting disabled children. Some key strategies include the following:
  • Sensitisation and Advocacy: The project is raising awareness about the negative consequences of child labor on working children with disabilities, as well as the violation of their right to education, by targeting the Ministry of Education, teachers, parents, and students. CSID will form self-advocacy groups of working children with disabilities and will manage a Theatre For Development activity to create compassionate attitudes toward working children, particularly those with disabilities, in the schools and society.
  • Facilitation: The project will provide books, stationery, uniforms, and conveyance and transportation support to disabled, for working children to go to school. One school will be made handicapped-accessible so that the premises, classrooms and toilets can accommodate disabled children in a friendly, easy environment. CSID/CIRCLE will also enhance the capacity of community group to sustain the project activities through undertaking responsibility.
  • Capacity building: CDIS will work to train teachers to recognize and handle different types of disabilities, as well as the situations of child laborers.
CSID is looking forward to meeting the following outcomes by the end of the project:
  • 40 working children with disabilities withdrawn from child labor and enrolled in schools
  • 2,000 children of different schools aware of child labor exploitation and inclusivity of education
  • At least 300 stakeholders (family members and teachers) sensitized on the exploitation of children with disabilities in terms of child labor
  • One school made physically accessible to children with disabilities, thereby demonstrating practices to convince authorities of other schools
  • 18 schoolteachers skilled on teaching children with different types of disabilities
  • Participation of children and community members in reducing child labor through education

Project Targets (Common Indicators):
Enrollment: 40 children
Persistence: 88%
Transition: 13%
Completion: 88%