<i>CSKS - a ray of hope for street children</i>
Poly Akter, orphaned at an early age never knew she would be able to do anything but scavenge for a living.
Only a few years ago, she rummaged through garbage all day to earn her bread and lived in the streets at night.
Today a more empowered Poly, only at the age of 16, has a dream of opening up a tailoring shop and her target is to do it within a year.
She explained that her fortune brightened up one day when a field worker of Chinnamul Shishu Kishore Sangstha (CSKS), an NGO working with street children, approached her.
"I received training on tailoring and now I save at least Tk 2,000 a month working at a sweater factory", she said.
"I believe I can open up my very own tailoring shop in a year", added an enthusiastic Poly speaking at a stakeholders' meeting organised by CSKS at WVA auditorium in the city yesterday.
The meeting was organised to review the most significant changes that was brought about by CSKS programme.
It was informed at the programme that more than 4,000 children were provided shelter and education from CSKS while another 1,000 children received vocational training. Of the children, about 300 are already self-reliant.
CSKS also provides legal protection to the children in conflict with the law and advocacy for policymakers, organisers told the meeting.
While Poly sets her goal in tailoring business, Shaon, a 10-year-old former water vendor, is just happy to be in school.
"I used to sell bottled water in Sadarghat launch terminal and always wondered how it feels like to go to school", said Shaon, adding that how he was also benefited by CSKS projects.
Harun Rashid Prince, executive director of CSKS, said the aim is to break the cycle of street living for the street children in Dhaka and create opportunities for a sustainable life.
Andrew Edwards, project manager at Methodist Relief and Development Fund, said helping street children entails offering and assisting them to choose within their own environment. The ultimate goal is to lead them away from the street and from risks associated with sex, drugs, trafficking, abuse and torture, he added.
Participated by NGOs working on children's issues, the meeting was also addressed by Rakibul Hasan, a specialist at Ministry of Social Welfare, and Bithika Hassan, project coordinator of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA).
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