Some donors and volunteers enjoy seeing the impact of their philanthropic efforts. They enjoy visiting the organizations they support, meeting the staff and learning more about the beneficiaries of their gift. Usually, donors walk away feeling positive about their contribution and they are encouraged to do more. The connection between giving is strong. For the donors that have the opportunity to see the impact of their work, their stories are shared and shared.
In early December, Drishtipat Chicago hosted an art auction event to raise funds to address child domestic worker (CDW) issues. It is estimated that there are 100,000 CDW in Dhaka and 400,000 in the rest of Bangladesh. The volunteers raised more than $20,000. Some of funds were used to support Child Domestic Worker (CDW) drop-in centers managed by Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).
At the end of December, Drishtipat members visited the CDW Center in Lalmatia to see the impact of their fundraising efforts. The details of their visit can be found on Unheard Voices blog:
Since these children have to work throughout the day at their employers’ homes its difficult to set a particular time for them to come and take lessons so the drop-in centre remains open from 9AM to 5PM and the kids can come in whenever they get 2 hours of free time within this time-frame. They are also taken out for recreation sometimes. They also have counseling sessions where they can talk about any problems they are facing at the homes where they work.
Unfortunately, for most children working at homes, this is a luxury. Most CDWs (95% girls according to ASK) never get to leave the house, get any education, interact with the outside world or know what basic rights they have. Many are abused, emotionally, physically and sexually, and are not allowed to be in touch with their family. They bear the abuse until something extreme happens and they take up one column of a newspaper.
Photo courtesy of Ikhtiar Kazi Abeer
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