Project Name:-  KANAN: Center for Destitute Women and Abandoned Children

KANAN Center for Destitute Women and Children – Founded in 2015 is a social institute of Rights & Governance Sector that is dedicated toward holistic development & rights establishment of 1) abandoned children- who have no safe place to live and are deprived of their mothers’ care, affection and basic human rights; 2) missing children- who somehow got parted from their families & ended up on streets; 3) destitute women- who are victims of sexual abuse/exploitation and thereupon, experienced unwanted pregnancy. Through various age-specific programmes and activities.

KANAN in joint collaboration with Ahsania Mission Support Forum, provides the targeted women & children with safe, secure residence and safeguard their basic rights to food, clothes, clean water, sanitation, health and psychosocial counseling, skill development and job placement as well as other needs. After phase out of from its first project (KACACDW) funded by KNH-Germany in December 2019, Ahsania Mission Support Forum extended their compassionate support toward us from January, 2022.

From its birth-moment till this date, KANAN has served 56 pregnant women and their 50 new born babies including 30 abandoned children altogether.

Country Context:
In Bangladesh most sexually abused victims need to leave their home and take shelter in an unfamiliar and unfriendly place of in the streets just to give birth to the child. Not to be notices by their relatives and friends. Unwanted pregnancy and denial of abortion create immense pressure for the rape victims to survive. Sexually abused victims when they leave home while carrying baby is very difficult to get a safe and secured place to stay and give birth. This the lives of the women and her expecting baby come very vulnerable. Once an illegitimate child is born the victim often abandons them in such an extremely risky situation that might often cause death to the new-born.
Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) mandated to pursue humanitarian services for the vulnerable group of the society and having the working with the marginalized children and destitute women, has taken the initiative to establish KANAN, a center for abandoned children of 0-5 age group as well as pregnant mothers and their new born babies who are victims of rape and sexual violence.

Objectives:

• To provide accommodation facilities to beneficiaries (destitute women and abandoned children)  ensuring food, clothes, education, health care, training, job placement and mainstreaming children and help women get back their lost faith and spirit to restart life with new hopes.
• To deal with children at risk and destitute women of any age who have been sexually violated and encountered unwanted pregnancy.

Specific Objectives:

• To ensure support to newborn (0-2), abandoned children (3-5), girl abandoned children (5-10) years of age who do not have shelter or secured place to live and is devoid of parental care and denied of basic human rights.

• To provide services to pregnant women who are victims of rape and having no shelter to give birth to their child and have no means to survive and ensure essential support during and after childbirth.

Outputs:

• Abandoned children both boys and girls and pregnant mothers who are victims of rape and sexual violence accommodated in a safe and secured environment
• Unwanted children rehabilitated in their families or adopted by other childless and safe and responsible families
• Abandoned children are integrated to Ahsania Mission Children City at Panchagarh where they will be provided comprehensive education and development support services up to the age of 18 years
• Mothers and children enjoyed food, healthcare, water and sanitation, electricity supply support.
• Destitute women received vocational trainings and placed jobs with garment factories or self-employment
• Likely to be victims of rape, the vulnerable stakeholders  are aware through mass awareness campaign program and BCC and ICC materials

Project Components:

• Safe Accommodation for abandoned Children and destitute woman
• Health and Nutrition
• Education and Extra Curricular Activity
• Reintegration and follow-up
• Advocacy and Networking

Major Activities:

• Age specific food, clothes, motherly care, medical services, counseling, education and recreational services.
• Shelter for destitute pregnant mothers up to 6 months.
• Comprehensive care and safe delivery assistance to the destitute pregnant mothers.
• Observance of national and international days.
• Game facilities in a colorful and child-friendly mini park
• ECD support for minor children
• Medical services by experienced and qualified physician (on-call), regular health check-up and referral opportunity to hospitals on emergencies.
• Child rights and protection based trainings for staff capacity building
• Organize issue-based workshops with NGOs, GOs and individual rights activists for mutual supports and knowledge sharing about rape victims and abandoned children.

Target Beneficiaries (Direct):

Financial partner (Donor): Ahsania Mission Support Forum
Programme Location of Field office: KANAN, 266/1, South Paikpara, Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Number of project staffs and volunteers: 3 project staff (Male-1 & Female 2).
Key Contact Person’s Details:
Name: Sk. Mahabbat Hossen, Team Leader, Rights and Governance Sector
Email: mahabbat.dam@gmail.com , Cell: 01716054610