Where We Work

CARD Project. (Copyright: Gazi Nafis Ahmed, Save the Children Australia)

Bangladesh

Child Access to Rights through Development (CARD) project

The goal of the Child Access to Rights through Development (CARD) project is to create a child friendly society where children are protected, valued and treated as active and responsible citizens according to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Save the Children Australia initiated a children’s development program based on a system of child councils in the Tangail district of Bangladesh in 1999.  In partnership with eight local NGOs, CARD enables children to express themselves, develop the skills of leadership and democratic decision-making, and raise their concerns within the community. Through the project, children increase their confidence, sense of social responsibility and gain access to greater participation in family, institution and community life.

In 2003 the project expanded into the Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar districts with the help of a further eight partner NGOs.  It has involved 70,544 children aged between six and 18 in 2,435 Child Councils (as at September 2008), teaching them about democracy, the election process, human rights, social responsibility and leadership.

Activities include:

  • Child Councils meet regularly, half are comprised only boys, and half are only girls. Each has 25 to 30 members.
  • Children have organised and participated in sports teams, tournaments and matches. Over 1000 teams are active, including girls cricket teams. Most children participate in some kind of sports activity.
  • Children have been given training in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), health and nutrition, and child development issues.
  • The mothers of Child Council participants are provided training in the CRC, health and nutrition, child psychology and development.
  • Child journalists produce a newspaper called “Shishu Kantha” (meaning “Children’s Voice”) to inform the community about issues that concern them.
  • 70 drama groups have formed, focussing on drama around democratic elections and on the issue of early child marriage.

The children have identified three key areas for ongoing advocacy work by the Child Councils. These are:

  • A campaign to end early child marriage 
  • Opposition to corporal punishment at school and at home
  • Awareness raising on the issue of sexual abuse and exploitation.

 

Download the Child Access to Rights through Development project fact sheet [Adobe PDF, 132 Kb]. 

 

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