What We Do

Activities in Urban Areas

Safety and Comfort for Street Children

In Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, around 330,000 children leave their parents and end up living on the street. The street children come to Dhaka not only to escape impoverished living situations, but often times leave their villages due to their parent’s divorce, domestic violence and other family problems.

Street children make money through small businesses, moving goods, shining shoes, collecting garbage, and prostitution. But because they are children, they tend to be overworked for low compensation.Because the children live on the street, they are often times robbed of their money while sleeping, catch illnesses due to unsanitary living conditions, and are incessantly exposed to dangerous situations. Education is a serious problem for street children as most do not attend school. Shaplaneer provide aid to street children by partnering with the local NGO “Aparajeyo Bangladesh”.

Overview of Street Children Support Programs

We run street schools and 24-hour drop-in centers so that street children can have access to education, basic medical care, and skill training. Our project stresses local community member involvement so that they can gradually take over the program operation and activities.

Program Details

Street School Operation

Street School is intended to be an “entrance” where street children can easily drop by for education. It is located in a bus terminal building, and is open daily from morning until evening. Around 40 street children attend the school everyday.

The children not only learn how to read, write, and do simple math, but they enjoy singing and play games. The program also aims to soften the animosity street children may have toward adults due to abuse they may have received.

24-hour Drop-in Center Operation

The drop-in center is a 24-hour institution where street children can safely drop by to rest. Around 140-150 children utilize the center everyday, 25% of them being girls. The drop-in center is intended to be a haven where children can come to rest peacefully.

The center offers a resting place, amusement, showering facilities, lockers for safe-keeping valuables, meals, basic education, skill training, and simple first aid and medical treatment. Counseling is also provided.

Appealing to Local Residents～Collecting Donations Locally～

Shaplaneer gathers influential people of each community, and trains them about children rights and needs, holds discussion forums for local residents, and contacts various individuals, all in aim of encouraging locals to become projects supporters that donate their time and money.

By providing ownership to the local people, we hope to integrate street children into society and protect their rights. So far, market and store owners have donated a generous amount of rice and vegetables.

An estimated 3,300,000 girls are said to be working as domestic worker. （ILO research、2006）All day long, the girls work in confined rooms, while being paid cheap or no compensation for their long, arduous hours. These children have no freedom or education, and are often victims of their employer's abuse.Because the girls are difficult to access, there are very few NGOs that them provide aid programs.
Shaplaneer partners with the local NGO Phulki to protect the girls from violence, exploitation, occupational hazards, and to provide a nurturing environment where they can grow emotionally and physically.

Overview of Programs

3 Help Centers were established in order to teach reading, writing, arithmatics, and other non-formal education. Skill training such as ironing, cooking, and sewing, as well as sanitation methods, puberty health issues, art, music, and dance are also taught. Issues are also raised about the treatment of the girls through mass media.

Program Details

Sharing Experiences

A support group for girls to discuss work, living conditions, families, fun experiences and painful experiences. By sharing their stories, the girls are able to resolve their worries or build hope from the support group.

Education

In addition to reading, writing, arithmatics, sanitation, and nutrition, negative societal practices are also reviewed.

Skill Training

Because the working girls are often yelled at or punished by their employers, SHAPLA NEER teaches chore methods so that they can work safely. By working effectively, the girls become confident in their work, their salaries may rise, and become qualified for more job opportunities. Shaplaneer encourages employers to allow the girls to study and rest with the time they buy by working quickly.

Puberty Education

SHAPLA NEER educates girls about changes in one's body during puberty, as well as, how to identify and protect themselves from sexual harrassment.

Recreation

We make time for the girls to engage in childhood activities like art, dance, and singing.

Appealing to Employers and Community Members

SHAPLA NEER holds workshops for employers and community members that highlight rights for the working girls. Shaplaneer members also visit the employers' homes to speak to them about appropriate working conditions. Meetings are held with locals in order to discuss progress of projects and to resolve community issues. These efforts allow community members to become more involved in capacity-building projects.

Appealing to Media & Related Organizations

SHAPLA NEER appeals to the media and newspapers to publish articles that raise awareness about the housemaids and working children. Workshops and seminars are organized to exchange experiences and discuss ideas amongst related NGOs, international aid organizations, and journalists.

Activities in Rural Areas

Responding to Natural Disasters (in rural villages)

Because Bangladesh has many rivers, there are incessant amount of damages due to floods. Houses become submerged in the floor, and in lowlands the water-level sometimes comes up to an adult’s chest. Especially for poor villagers who cannot afford to stock food supply, basic survival needs becomes critical during floods. Many people living next to rivers are forced to move frequently due to erosion.

Overview of Activities

Our programs focus on training the local youth, specifically young girls who will be the next generation of adults, to become responsible for reducing disaster damage in the villages. A “young female group” was formed in order for young women to work proactively as leaders of development projects. We hope that these young adults will continue to expand their community’s disaster reduction activities.

Detail of Activities

Strengthening Young Adolucent girls’ Capabilities

We are implementing programs that focus on forming and fostering adolucent girls' groups, training local staff, and facilitating discussion groups.

Improving lives of the most vulnerable

SHAPLA NEER focuses on supporting the poor and elderly who are most vulnerable to natural disasters. We create databases of community members and those who can provide protection and aupport, educate residents, and improve living conditions for those in need.

Disaster Prevention

SHAPLA NEER helps in creating hazard maps and seasonal action plans, constructing community centers that act as temporary shelters, providing funds for adlucent emergency rescue team equipment, and educating communities about efficient communication techniques during disasters.

Sharing Experiences

We record our disaster prevention activities, and exchange experiences with local governments and other NGOs.

Other Activities

Responding to Natural Disasters (in rural villages)

To find problems and issues that are cruel, but have not been considered widely we have conducted research for labors in tea plantation in 2005. Also, in 2006,we will conduct small scale household survey to areas that had been studied in 1994 and 1995 to evaluate their life improvement.

Disaster Preparedness

Almost every year, Bangladesh had suffered from natural disasters such as flood and cyclones. To minimize the damage we are establishing manuals, and making networks with NGOs specialized in disaster prevention to enable quick response.