Our partnership with World Renew

Over 1 million people live in the urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh. These slum communities are the result of informal, illegal, and unplanned growth, leaving residents without access to basic services. A community organizing system, the People’s Institution (PI’s), is beginning to aid and improve these communities and is looking to expand into new areas of Dhaka.

Such communities include Savar Upazila, where only 8% of residents are able to read and nearly 80% of young girls are married off before they get to finish school. In Tarail Upazila, only 33% of residents know how to read and 90% of children are physically beaten by their parents. These communities lack a formal leadership structure, therefore other communities exert power and authority over them.  While many services are within their reach, they lack awareness, strength, and capacity to access what they need. 

One Day’s Wages partnered with World Renew to empower these communities and help them have the ability to address their own needs through activities in leadership training, economic literacy, health, social harmony, and disaster risk reduction. The COVID-19 pandemic brought forth an unforeseen set of circumstances, but the PI’s were able to effectively respond to the new challenges by scaling up health activities, increasing the use of sanitary latrines, and access to clean water. They also worked with local governments and NGO’s to improve mask and relief resource distribution. Additionally, community members joined savings groups in order to increase household income, and peace agents were trained to raise awareness about family relationships, gender-based violence, and women’s and children’s rights. All new skills learned have and will continue to help communities increase their wealth, have access to clean water and sanitary latrines, and develop community leadership that will benefit them for years to come.