“What changes would you like to see in your life?”

All seven South Asian women started to talk at the same time. They were sex workers. They lived and worked on the streets of Bangladesh.

Each of them had different stories—the girl to my left had been trafficked from the village when she was seven years old. She went to buy an ice cream one day and never came back. She was sold four times before she ended up working on the street in the city we live in. She has never been back to her village—she is too ashamed.

The girl opposite me had met a man in the village who promised to marry her. He sold her once they came to the city. The girl next to her had worked as a domestic servant when she was six years old. She was abused in one of the homes and then kicked out of the house. She worked on the street to survive after that.

All seven were looking excitedly at us as they spoke. What things did they think that they needed in their life?

“We need education. I can’t even write my own name. No one has ever taught me. How can people respect us?”

“We need love. On the streets no one loves us. No one respects us. They say that we are bad women”

“We need a new mind. We are trapped into bad thinking. We think that we are not able to do any other kind of work. We think that we are bad women and that we don’t deserve any other sort of life. We don’t help ourselves. We don’t help each other.”

A Place of Help and Hope

The Children’s Uplift Programme (CUP) began in March 2008 to meet the needs of children who live and work on the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The initial six month research stage found that girls are in particular need of services and support because they are more vulnerable to sexual abuse and sexual exploitation than their male peers. CUP, therefore, made the decision to concentrate on working with girls in street situations. However, as they began to build relationships with homeless girls, they discovered that there are many young homeless mothers who receive little support. It was felt that working with these women and teenagers was essential and the most effective way of ensuring the well-being of their young children.

CUP's vision is to see children and mothers who have been in street situations independent, living in society, helping each other, understanding God’s love, and developing holistically.

CUP’s Current Work and Plans

• Outreach

Outreach involves street-based intervention such as informal emotional support, health advice, taking mothers to clinics, and referring them to other services when appropriate. The main purpose of outreach is to build up positive relationships and trust.

• A safe place to rest, wash, and eat

CUP has a small centre where mothers and children can come to rest and wash. Small children are given a free meal and mothers can contribute to a subsidised meal. The centre has lockers so that service users have a safe place to store their belongings.

• Active participation

CUP believes that the active participation of service users is essential for effective intervention. Regular discussions with service users about CUP’s work and plans are conducted.

• Emotional

Positive, consistent and trusting relationships are essential for emotional well-being. Building up good relationships with service users has been crucial to CUP’s work. CUP spends time talking to girls and mothers about their experiences.

• Education

CUP runs a play group for children under 5-years-old, encourages older children to attend local educational facilities, and holds non-formal classes for mothers.

• Health

CUP informs service users of the health services in the area and takes them to clinics when necessary. At the centre CUP provides health teaching and first aid.

• Alternative employment

Many of CUP service users have been sex worker and most survive by begging. CUP has begun looking into ways of providing alternative employment for them. We have begun with making and selling paper bags and jewelery.

• Promoting positive parenting

We assist mothers from the beginning of their children’s lives and encourage good parenting through our classes, individual sessions, and our interaction with them.

• Night shelter

We hope to open night shelters for pregnant and new mothers, and female teenage sex workers.

Pray

• For the children and mothers that we work with.
• For CUP staff—that we would truly be able to help those with whom we work.
• For CUP’s future plans and development.
• That the girls will be able to change their lives and learn of God’s love for them.

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