Support needs of working women from urban poor neighbourhoods Rumana Huque, PhD Dr. S R Mashreky Fariza Feroze Helen Elsey, PhD Transport and Mobilities: Meeting the Needs of Working Women 19th – 20th August 2017, University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh

Presentation overview Background Objectives Methods Preliminary Findings Impact

Background Almost a 4 million inhabitants live in slums in adverse conditions Intra-urban differences, poor nutrition and high prevalence of infectious diseases Slum-dwelling children with stunted growth Large proportion of children are taken to work by mothers or left with others. Lack of adequate supervision: a key risk factor for childhood injuries Low primary school attendance among slum communities High Drop-out rates compared to the national average, higher among girls.

Objectives To understand the extent and nature of demand for day-care among slum and adjacent non-slum communities in Dhaka To identify the most feasible and acceptable method of assessing ECD among under 5 year olds. To co-produce the prototype integrated, self-sustaining, day-care model. To test and refine an integrated self-sustaining day-care model. To assess feasibility and then refine the methods of recruitment, assessment and follow-up among day-care users and a potential comparator group to inform the design of a future pilot of the cost- effectiveness evaluation.

Methods Quantitative Qualitative Household Survey and ECD assessment 100 slum households 100 from adjacent non-slum neighbourhoods Qualitative In-depth Interviews Focus Group Discussions

Methods 10 SSIs with women who need day-care 2 FGDs with women who are interested in childcare 6 SSIs with fathers of under-5 children 5 women carers who supervise others children Approx. 5 SSIs with community leaders

Methods Quantitative qualitative methods Survey In-depth Interviews Focus Group Discussions

Findings Mothers’ working pattern Living Conditions Early childhood development Fathers’ attitude Care givers’ role Demand for day-care centre Expectations

Preliminary Findings They fight with each other every day People here continuously quarrel in bad languages. Accidental injury often happens My daughter was burnt as hot ‘daal’ (lentil soup) fell on her. My daughter suffered a head wound at the age of one. Ever since that, I doubt her body is growing normally

Preliminary Findings There are three families in this ground floor. We, three families share two stoves and the washroom. I have to wake up at 3am just to cook because the gas supply is interrupted by 7am. The environment is so dirty… that the disease is more. I visit people’s house for selling cloths. I have to work every day in a week. Wherever I go, I take my daughter with me.

Preliminary Findings I work at a lock factory, and my husband in a cosmetic factory. I only have Friday as a holiday and I work from 8am -8pm. I leave my child in my in laws house when I go to work and take her with me when I come back from work On the days that my child's grandparents aren't home, on those days I have to skip work and get my salary deducted

Preliminary Findings Though my husband is jobless now but he never helps me in any work. He never does even his own work. He likes to sleep. My husband doesn’t have enough time to look after them. If I request them (neighbours) to look after my children for few hours they do that. They keep my children at their home

Preliminary Findings She (Staff at day care) should take care of our child the way I do …I can go for my work leaving my children in a safe hand Our desire is, in the day care center they will teach our children properly so that a child learns better and earns well when grow up. If I could put my child in a children's day care, I could go to work tension free. I cannot take my eyes of from her now.

Preliminary Findings Different caregivers are required for different aged children. For children under 1 year of age, it is preferred that the caregiver be a middle aged woman who has patience and also polite. The caregiver should be well behaved so that the children can learn from her. She should not lose her temper in any situation. I have to talk to my husband about the amount. Without discussing anything with him I can’t say anything.

Impacts Working closely with local government, other day-care providers and donor partners to develop a sustainable model We hope to evaluate the effectiveness of day-care in improving health and social development among poor communities in Dhaka. This evidence would support the case for universal provision of quality day-care in low and middle income countries.

Partners The ARK Foundation http://arkfoundationbd.org/ Centre for Injury Prevention and Research (CIPRB) http://www.ciprb.org/ Save the Children Fund who are supporting us to use their IDELA tool for assessing ECD http://www.savethechildren.org.au/our-work/program- selector

Transport and Mobilities: Meeting the Needs of Working Women 19th – 20th August 2017 University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh www.intalinc.leeds.ac.uk