CTRDW - Where A Dream Comes True.
Bangladesh is moving forward gradually. Women are contributing almost equally to the development of family, society, and country. In the long 50 years of independence, women have come a long way in various fields of culture and are continuing to do so. But if the issues of women’s liberation, women’s freedom, and women’s empowerment come, then we see how weak the position of a woman is. Women become pregnant at various times for various reasons, including false marriage temptations, being cheated in love, extramarital affairs, and rape. Bangladesh’s social context and religious sentiments do not recognize extramarital relationships and children out of wedlock. Then the woman is recognized as a wrongdoer in the eyes of her family and society. To save her honor and the honor of her family, the girl has no choice but to commit suicide.
CTRDW was established in 1981 for all these sexually oppressed, helpless, abandoned, socially excluded, and mentally depressed single or divorced girls and women of society. HEED Bangladesh took responsibility for this center in 2003. HEED Bangladesh has been improving the quality of lives of many from its inception with an associate of government and is bound to fulfill the government agenda. CTRDW is one of the great examples of this fulfillment of plan since the center is addressing the issues which are relevant as follows.
SDG 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”
SDG 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”
Vision
To Improve and Increase Gender Relations and Reduce Exploitative Gender-Based Violence, Deceptions, and Unwanted pregnancies so that Children are no Longer Abandoned.
Major Activities of CTRDW
CTRDW provides a 9-month package for the beneficiaries. The package includes residential support for abandoned pregnant women and their newborn babies. Also includes food, shelter, clothing medical care, counseling, prenatal care, safe delivery, and anti-natal care. Moreover, the center also provides vocational training to the mothers, so that they can find better employment opportunities upon leaving this center (sewing machine operation, tailoring, different food preparation, and housekeeping). CTRDW provides a foster home to unwanted children in all legal manners. Facilitating the process and meeting all legal requirements for placing abandoned babies into Foster Homes, providing them an opportunity to grow up in a family environment with love and care.
Achievements During this period
Challenges:
- Clinic do not take any risk for normal delivery. In maximum cases, doctors refer for c-section delivery.
- Placement and referring to another center are very difficult for disabled babies.
- After delivery, these women want to go back to their families, but their family and their society do not want to take them easily.
- No sufficient funds to run the project.
- Job placement is also very challenging for these women.
- Very difficult to rehabilitate the mothers.
Story from CTRDW
Motherhood! This is the name of a heavenly feeling! It is every girl’s dream to receive this blessing of motherhood that completes a family. But time, society and circumstances sometimes stigmatize this motherhood. Sometimes this motherhood brings a curse to one’s life, on the other hand, a woman cries out for the fulfillment of her motherhood. All hopes of a family remain unfulfilled in the absence of a child. The name of the story of giving perfection to so many imperfections and protecting them from misfortune is called CTRDW. Bakul (pseudonym) is mentally retarded. She is now pregnant after being raped by her own uncle. She doesn’t even know she’s pregnant. Her family does not think about how this child will be born in this situation or how she will show her face to society and family. Women become pregnant at various times for various reasons, including false marriage temptations, being cheated in love, extramarital affairs, and rape. Bangladeshi social context, religious sentiments do not recognize extramarital relationships and children out of wedlock. Then the woman is recognized as a wrongdoer in the eyes of her family and society. In order to save her honor and the honor of her family, the girl has no choice but to commit suicide.
Suman and Rubina (pseudonym) have been married for 7 years. There is everything but no happiness. All their dreams remain unfulfilled today due to the lack of a child. To them, life means only a child.
CTRDW provides food, clothing, shelter, security, pre and postnatal care, and rehabilitation to those who become unexpectedly pregnant. And the women who voluntarily leave their children at the center after childbirth are granted guardianship through the legal procedure to those families who have no children. We don’t want to call any child unwanted anymore. A mother has the right to hold her child in her bosom. Nothing can be more precious than the pure smile of a child.
Thus, the dream comes true for many people for CTRDW.
