SOS Social Centres in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh there are currently four Social Centres for children and the local community, in Rajshahi, Chittagong, Bogra and Khulna.  Many SOS Social Centres operate via Family Strengthening Programmes, which aim to support the wider community.  Below is some information about the Social Centres that SOS Children runs in Bangladesh:

SOS Social Centres around Bangladesh: In-Depth

Khulna

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

The SOS Social Centre at Khulna, with two rooms for medical treatment and health counselling as well as a day-care centre for children, is very important for the neighbourhood. It offers family-strengthening programmes designed to ensure that children have access to essential services such as adequate nutrition, health services, and education, while their families are taught parenting skills. Children from poor families are looked after during the day, which enables their mothers to go to work and to contribute to their families' income. At weekends, the centre arranges courses on child care, hygiene, nutrition and domestic skills, such as sewing, knitting and other crafts.

Work and Achievements:

At present Family Strengthening is the prime programme of SOS Social Centre Khulna. Through this programme the centre has been providing nutrition, education and health support to vulnerable children. To protect the children’s vulnerability, families are to be empowered to build their capacity so that the family can meet up the basic needs of the children.

In 2009, there were 968 children under Family Strengthening Programmes (FSP). A total of 520 children were in education, among them 85% of children passed the final examination.

The centre established 6 study centres from where the children received daily class preparation. All the centres were established in six community schools.

Annual sports for FSP School going children were organized on a community school’s play ground. Prize distribution among the winners was held on 10 February, on the occasion of Foundation Day of SOS Social Centre Khulna.

A workshop was organized on 7 May for FSP and SOS high school going children in the centre on “Life Skill Development”. Awareness programmes were organized at two community schools on health and hygiene, savings and child rights for FSP care givers.

SOS-World Vision jointly organized a day long sports and cultural programme on 14 May for 103 children (20-FSP, 20-SOS & 63 World Vision) in the centre.

An eye camp was organized in the centre, this provided check ups of FSP children on 13 & 14 September with the help of Bangladesh National Society for the Blind and checked up on 325 children. Additional community need based programmes were:

Basic Clinic: During the year a total of 450 patients received treatment from the Basic Clinic. Among them 297 were children and 153 adults. Through Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) a total of 1090 children and 187 women attended the centre for vaccination prevention of six diseases. A total of 996 women attended the centre to receive Family Planning services. Through Anti Natal Care a total of 157 pregnant women checked up their pregnancy from the centre.

Child Day Care Programme: In 2009, there were 64 community children of poor working mothers in the Day care wing. Among them 23 children were from FSP families. 30 children got Basic education in the centre

Skill Training Programme: There were two trades in skill training programme. One was dress making and another one was machine embroidery. A total of 49 trainees received skill training from the skill training wing.  Among them, 35 trainees were from dress making and 14 trainees were from machine embroidery. 8 trainees were from FSP families.

Chittagong

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

The SOS Social Centre, which also provides medical care, is of great importance to the people living in this area. It offers family-strengthening programmes designed to ensure that children have access to essential services such as adequate nutrition, health services, and education, while their families are taught parenting skills. The SOS Social Centre runs a child day-care centre for children of working mothers and a training centre, where women from the neighbourhood can acquire useful skills, such as sewing and embroidery.

Work and achievements:

The Day Care Centre takes care of 60 children aged between four and five. Out of them 38 are boys and 22 are girls. In the year 2009, we have admitted 36 children at the Day Care Centre. 36 numbers of children have released from the Day Care Centre on 31st December 2009. Mother's Day Programme of Day Care Centre is organized once a week.

During the year 2009 a total of 376 patients received treatment from the Basic Clinic. Among them 126 are community children, 140 are SOS children and 110 are adults. From January to December 2009 a total of 1425 women and children were immunized. Out of them 986 are children (Boys 508, Girls 478) & 439 are women. In this year the centre has observed National Vitamin “A” plus campaign & 17th National Immunization Day on 3rd January and 6th June 2009 respectively. Through these programme the centre has given 493 polio vaccines, 680 D-warming Tablets and fed 702 Vitamin A capsules to the children who were below five years age.

At present in FSP the centre has 844 children. Among them 439 are boys and 405 are girls. During the year 2009 the centre arranged private coaching for 75 children in 8 Study Centres to provide them better learning opportunity. In the year 2009, 51 FSP children took part in the Primary Education Completion Examination and 41 came out successful. One of our FSP girls appeared at the SSC Examination 2009 and got “A” grade from Science Group. Total pass percentage of FSP children is 72.83%.

In the year 2009 the centre carried out monthly food distribution programme among FSP beneficiaries regularly. Moreover, the centre arranged two male guardian meetings in the same year. The centre also supported FSP mothers in order to improve their socio-economic condition. Training programmes were arranged for mothers in 2009. From these courses 97 mothers and elder girls received training: 52 in Nutrition Training, 29 in Sewing Training, 10 in various types of Flowers and Vegetables Cultivation  and 6 in Mushroom Cultivation.

Rajshahi

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

In 1989, an SOS Social Centre was set up on the site of the SOS Children's Village. It offers family-strengthening programmes designed to ensure that children have access to essential services such as adequate nutrition, health services, and education while their families are taught parenting skills. Mothers and children from the neighbourhood receive medical aid and advice; sewing and embroidery classes are held for the local women, and regular vaccination programmes are carried out in co-operation with the local authorities.

Work and achievements:

In 2009, 356 families consisting of 520 children were in the Family Strengthening Programme.  During the year 2009, 114 mothers and adult girls attended dressmaking and embroidery courses to build their entrepreneurial skill. Beside this, we have successfully trained 22 female caregivers from the FSP in thread bending, hand stitching and bag making.  Now they are involved with income generating activities and support the family.

More over we organized a training session on kitchen gardening and homestead forestry with the help of the agriculture department. Some 20 FSP mothers participated in that session.

This year a total 1463 services were given from the Basic clinic unit.

Bogra

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

The SOS Social Centre includes a day-care centre, which is also open to the children of working mothers from the local community. In addition to that, it offers health counselling, training workshops, community support and family-strengthening programmes designed to ensure that children have access to essential services such as adequate nutrition, health services, and education, while their families are taught parenting skills.

Work and Achievements:

1.    The total number of the FSP children is 837, in December 2009, from 344 families. One of the FSP children passed the SSC examination 2009.

2.    In March 2009, the centre arranged an awareness programme for FSP mothers where the interest of savings were discussed with due gravity.

3.    An exclusive training on stitching was arranged for our beneficiaries at Balakoigari. The duration of the training was 1 month. The experts of TMSS trained them up under the Supervision of SOS. After successful completion of the training, they are working in the TMSS handicraft section as a daily wage earner. Thus, we have made a good relation with TMSS and ultimately they have consented us to give more training for our beneficiaries at a reduced fee.

4.    This year 72 women were admitted to sewing training course.

5.    In the year 2009, the strength of our Day Care Centre children was 50, wherein 20 were boys and 30 were girls.
A total of 294 women, children and SOS staff got medical treatment during the last year.