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Mothers play with children Mothers play with children
Working mothers (above) spend their break playing with their children at a daycare center

Mothers who leave their children at Phulki daycare centers say it has taught them how playing with their children is important to help their development. They also learn about nutrition.

Most of the mothers who live near factory-based nurseries take their children home during lunch break. Mothers who live far from the garment factories bring food for themselves and their children when they come to work, and then lunch together with their children.

Farida Begum, a garments worker, is married to Imam Hossai, a rickshaw puller, and has four children. Her youngest is 14-months old and has been in factory-based daycare for the past six months:

"Before, the children would stay at home, in dirty surroundings, with no regular feeding, and I could not take care of them myself. But here, there are many benefits: they stay clean, eat properly, are given affection. If my child falls ill, they show the child to the doctor, and of course they inform me as well.

"We are given two breaks of 10 minutes each, at 11 in the morning and 5 in the evening. In addition, we also get tiffin (meal) time at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Which means, in one day, we can see our children four times.

"I have to pay 50 Taka. This is not a problem for me. I keep my child here every day from 7 in the morning to 9 at night. With my child staying here, I am able to concentrate on my work – that is a big benefit."



Father with son Daycare worker
Father washing his son's hands (left), caretaker at Bhashanti Community Daycare center engages children in play (right)

Most mothers say the daycare centers allow them to work more efficiently, for longer hours, and thus they can earn more. This means they are better able to provide for their families, and can meet their basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, health and education. They say emphatically that by leaving their children at the day care centers, they feel free from worries and anxieties.

Haque is involving the fathers of children at community-based daycare centers, who traditionally have been less responsible for childcare. When she noticed that some mothers had difficulty bringing food, or picking up a child after work, she persuaded the fathers to assist in taking care of their child. Sometimes, fathers attend the monthly meetings in place of the mother.

Akhi, a garments worker, is married to Moslem Khan, a garment factory supervisor, and has one child in factory-based daycare: a seven-month old daughter who has been cared for there since she was four months old:

"My child stays here seven days a week, from 7:30 in the morning to 9:30 at night. Previously I would keep the child with my mother at home. When my child was at home, I was unable to breastfeed her.

"On a personal level, I am benefiting greatly. While working, I can breastfeed from time to time, and check on my child. If my child is nearby, I can concentrate more on my work.

"The company helps out – provides food, oil and soap for the children. If my child suddenly falls sick, then she is immediately shown to the doctor in the company's clinic on the fifth floor."

Since it began, Phulki has opened 20 factory-based centers that provide daycare to 40 garment factories. Phulki envisions the daycare centers are places to give children a healthy start in life, ensuring healthy early childhood development and providing pre-school education. Its long-term aim is to ensure that needy children will first be enrolled in a nursery, then go to a daycare center, and finally be admitted to primary school to continue their formal education.

Contact:
Suraiya Haque, Executive Director, Phulki
House A-14, Road 2, Block-L
Banani
Dhaka 1213
Bangladesh Tel: +880-2-882-7302; 881-7926
Fax: +880-2-988-2386
Email: phulki@citechco.net

Read more articles on this topic:
  • Lighting the Spark of Factory-Based Daycare in Bangladesh, by Amala Reddy
  • A New Look for Brazilian Workers' Cooperatives, by Shannon Walbran
  • Portrait of Nalini Nayak, Advocate of the Fisherfolk (India), by Chandrika Sharma
  • Redefining Women: Three Generations Work Together in West Bengal, by Manisha Gupta
  • Forming a Working Children's Union in Southwestern India, Photos and Sound by Janet Jarman
  • Salvaging Childhood in India, by Soma Wadhwa
    • © 2001 Changemakers
    Photographs by Shehzad Noorani/Developing Images