The New Nation - Internet Edition

Millions of women and children rely on G8 promises

Laurence Gray

Children trust adults to keep their promises. It is important to remember that as the survival and health of millions of children will depend on the outcomes of this week's G8 meeting in Japan and to sticking to past promises made.

The response of the world's richest nations to rising food prices, heath care and HIV/AIDS is of direct importance to the 28 percent of Asia's population who are children aged under-15. All eyes and ears will be on the closing statement issued by the G8.

But it is actually the follow-through that matters most.

In 2005 the G8 announced - after some 200,000 had marched for increased aid and debt relief in host nation Scotland- that annual overseas aid would increase by US$50 billion a year to US$130 billion a year up until 2010.

That US$50 billion figure was presented by the G8 as a promise and it was widely praised. But three years on children need to see those promises being kept.

The additional billions pledged would go a long way towards providing comprehensive child and maternal health programmes, effective responses to mass killers like TB and malaria, quality basic education for all children, and universal prevention, treatment and care for people affected by HIV and AIDS.

In 2006, it was estimated that 9.7 million children aged under-five died from what were mostly preventable and treatable diseases. To understand the scale of this it is worth noting that there are some 136 nations with populations of less than 9.7 million. Imagine if on every New Year's Eve the entire population of a Senegal, a Sweden or two Singapores were lost to disease. This would be unacceptable and yet it is happening every year to our children. In some ways it is the enormity of the statistics themselves that prevents us from seeing the human face of what is going on.

To counter this devastation it is estimated that it only needs US$5.1 billion in new resources annually to save six million child lives in the 42 countries responsible for 90 percent of child deaths. Those countries would only need to increase the amounts they pump into health care by a few tens of cents to make a massive life-saving difference. Targeted overseas aid can help them do it if the money is made available.

But it is more than money that is required. The G8 leaders also need to recognize that children are part of the solution, not just the beneficiaries of international largesse.

Amid the media frenzy of this year's G8 meeting, the tight security, the protests, and the concerns of the world's most powerful leaders about the state of the global economy, it is easy to overlook what children are already doing to bring change to their world. This is because their voice is largely silent on the international stage.

World Vision's work with children has already shown that they are powerful advocates on issues that impact them. In Asia we have seen teenagers engage with governments at the top level on contentious and controversial issues like trafficking, forced or fraudulent migration and violence against children.

But children are also making a huge difference at the grassroots level - and this is where real change - generational change - happens.

Across Asia children are involved in children's clubs, learning about health issues, talking to their peers about how to avoid HIV infection, warning classmates to watch out for the traffickers who trawl their villages, encouraging local government officials to improve their schools, training parents how to grow healthier food and be more hygienic at home, and even advocating against the alcohol salesmen who turn their dads into violent beasts at home.

It doesn't take much to teach children because they are enthusiastic listeners but the impact of children learning simple things, like how important it is to wash ones hands before a meal or how to stop mosquitoes breeding in the pots outside the house, can potentially save tens of thousands of lives from killers like malaria, dengue, diarhoea and dysentery… when scaled up.

In other words, children can be trusted or empowered to bring change and in fact are often more open to new ways of thinking and doing things than adults.

Given that children are the most vulnerable to the effects of poverty and that so many millions of them are dying from preventable diseases and given that children are already part of the solution, shouldn't their voices be heard at the top table? When will we see a G8 that rolls out the red carpet to listen to someone young and who is not in a suit?

After all it is always much harder as an adult to tell a child that a promise made is not being kept.

As the G8 meets, it is imperative that past funding commitments be upheld with a clear statement on what the G8 nations will spend on improving health, and when and how it will be spent.

This is especially critical this year as the world faces a food crisis that is now threatening millions of already very poorly nourished children making them more susceptible to disease.

The G8 should know it is accountable to children - whether they are there or not.

Provide credit to women to run nursery

Md. Mahbubur Rahman Bulbul

Small loans could help millions of poor women create jobs, support their families and narrow the gender gap. Recently, United Nations and banking experts said this. According to International Labour Organization's (ILO) data released on 7th March, 2008, there are now 1.2 billion women working around the world, some 200 million more than a decade ago. Susan Maybud of the ILO's bureau for gender equality said microfinancing-small loans given to the poor, generally at slightly elevated interest rates-could play an important role empowering women with no other economic lifeline. She also said to Reuters, 'Microfinance is really their one glimmer of hope, their one way out of poverty'. She said households where women have borrowed from microfinance Institutions such as Bangladesh's ASA, Grameen Bank, BRAC have been shown to invest many development sectors with broad knock-on effects.

In Bangladesh, there is substantial empirical evidence from existing microfinance Institutions like as ASA, BRAC, Gameen Bank as well as other NGO's regarding new programmes and instruments that can effectively finance and refinance the micro as well as the small enterprise sector. It should be possible to quickiy adapt the microcredit model to meet the financing needs of the fast growing MSMEs. Most of the large NGO's in Bangladesh have had a similar experience and demonstrated their capacity to grow on a very fast track, but were constrained by availability of funds. We have some exciting evidence of how fast the new enterprises can grow from the experience of ASA, Grameen Bank, BRAC, some of the other NGO's as well as the emerging new private enterprises themselves. ASA by now has extensive experience with financing of Small Entrepreneurs Lending (SEL) loan programme which has been operating since 1996. Initial loan under the SEL programme ranges from Tk. 30,000 to Tk. 6,00,000 with terms of I year, 1.5 years or 2 years. The service charge on this product is 12.5% (yearly). ASA is dominating to create a huge number of women microentrepreneurs in Bangladesh through their SEL loan programme. They have a largest number of case stories on this purpose.

Here a success story of an women microentrepreneur who became rich by producing nursery business within very short time. Khaleda Begum, wife of Md. Mahbub Bahadur at Chittagang road area in Shiddirganj Thana under Narayanganj District, was once an unemployed poor woman but she turned herself into a model to others when she earned lakh of taka by selling different kinds of plants from her well established nursery project. The name of her nursery is 'The Sharif nursery'. Khaleda Begum completed her educational performance upto class Ten. In 1996, she married her husband Mr. Mahbub Bahadur. At the Primary stage of their conjugal life in not satisfactory. They have so much financial crisis in their family at that perid. Since then she had been passing hard days along with her family members. At that time she came in touch with the financial support of ASA, Chittagang road branch of Narayanganj district. Branch Manager of that branch, Mr. Minhazul Kabir and Assistant branch Mnager, Mr. Aminul Islam encouraged her to raise a high nursery project at chittagang road area in 2005. She expanded her nursery project after getting good plants and earning profit by selling and marketing the mouth-watering plants. At the 1st time, she received 10,000 taka as a micro loan from ASA Chittagang road branch of Narayanganj district. She i~vested this amount with all cooperation of her husband in her nursery project and she has been profited financially day by day. For the next term, she got 50,000·taka from that branch to expand her project very soon. Concern authority of ASA, Naryanganj district, District Manager Md. Mahmud Kadir Talukder and additional district Manager Md. Mahbubul Alam were very pleased after visiting her nursery project and they orderd their concern branch authority for giving a big amount loan under ASA's SEL loan programme. Lastly Khaleda Begum received I lakh taka from ASA's Ctittagang road branch under SEL loan programme and now she is highly pleased for this loan. She has a big plan with this loan. She wants to start another nursery project in different places very soon. For the present place of nursery project, she is paying 2000 taka as rent. Total area for her nursery project is bighas. Total project is rental. She has 5 labours for looking after this project.

Their biggest salary is 5000 taka and lowest salary is 2000 taka. Her total labour cost is Tk. 15,000 per month. After all costing, she gets 40,000 taka from her project. Now she is a self-sustainable and rich woman by the profit of her nursery project. There are many kinds of plants in her project. Very important plants of these are- owshudhy, Banaj, Falaz, Shova etc.

The plants were collected from Sylhet, Bagura, Khulna, Jossore by transport of Truck. Some times she collect plants for her project from tree fairs. Being doubly encouraged, a project covering 10 bighas of lands was undertaken by Khaleda at her Chittagang road area. She invested her earning amounting 5 lakhs taka in the project. Various plants are now available at her nursery project. There are 160 numbers of owshodhy, 120 numbers of fruits, 12 numbers of Banaj plants in her project. Besides, Khaleda Begum produced high yielding brinjal, onion and radish under her project. Olive and Lichi have also been planted there. She is a mother of one son and one daughter. Daughter is elder. She is a student of class four. Now Khaleda is very happy with her all family members. She is very pleased to ASA's authority for giving their financial assistance through their SEL loan programme. Khhaleda Begum has talked to us to spread a message to all women for not depending on jobs or others but to change their lots by their own efforts. Khaleda begum is a very positive example for all women micro entrepreneurs in Bangladesh which are doing their job for the positive change in their life style. In this way, ASA, at present, has successfully extended its outreach to about 80 million poor covering almost 6 million families through 4000 Branch offices all over the country. Lastly, I want to mention the recent statement of Walsh, who was the first female manager of Merrill Lynch International. She said, microfinance was critical to creating business and enterprises that could spawn more jobs. She also said, 'Micro grows to macro'.

Allow paternity leave to nurse babies

Sebika Debnath

What a terrible time I went through! My son Adittya was born in Dhaka during the 1998-devastating flood. My husband used to work in Sylhet at that time. During my delivery, he couldnt come to Dhaka, as the road communication was cut off due to flood, Anindita Roy, a housewife, says recalling her bad memories.

And, to make the matter worse, no relative was with me. Finding me in a bad state, my neighbour got me admitted to a clinic. There was virtually nobody to look after me and Adittya, she says.

Anindita goes on: In Bangladesh, working mothers are given maternity leave. But, I think working fathers should also be given paternity leave like their female counterparts.

Nilanjana Haque agrees with her wholeheartedly. "My man works in Nilphamari, but I work in an NGO in capital Dhaka. Prior to the birth of our daughter Orchi, I had a few pregnancy-related problems. As a result, I had to undergo a caesarian operation."

"During the birth of Orchi, my husband could not be with me. I might not have been so helpless had my parents or my husbands parents were alive. In modern life, joint families are being broken creating single families. This is why working mums face enormous problems. Things get even worse if husbands have to live far away from their families," she says.

Shirin Sultana, a housewife from Tantibazar, also has bad bitter experience when she had the first baby. Despite working in Dhaka, her husband, Arif, could not manage days off to be with his wife all the time. Fortunately, Shirin had a brother-in law, who did all the necessary works, including taking her to the hospital.

She says, "Right after delivery, both my little boy and I developed some serious problems. I was admitted to a clinic while the baby was admitted to a hospital. After spending the whole day in office, Arif had to crisscross between the clinic, hospital and home. He himself fell sick after doing this for a quite some time. "

Every woman wants her husband to be with her during delivery, Shirin says." I think like women working males should be allowed to enjoy paternity leave. Because its the responsibility of every man to be with his wife and child at that crucial time. So, its necessary to enact a law to allow working men to enjoy paternity leave."

There are many women like Anindita, Nilanjana and Shirin who do not get their husbands with them at the time of delivery. But, every woman wants to have her hubby at that important and complicated time. Though working women are given four months maternity leave, working males are not given any paternity leave.

Some clauses of the United Nations charter on childrens rights do indeed justify that working men should get paternity leave to ensure welfare of the children.

Ataur Rahman, assistant public prosecutor of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, says, "The issue of protecting children rights completely has been unequivocally stated in the UN charter on childrens rights. Yet, there is no law in Bangladesh to provide men to paternity leave. The leave men are currently given at the time of delivery is purely on humanitarian ground."

He also says, "Although we talk about equal rights, women are treated differently in every aspect. In our society, rearing up children is considered to be the task of women. The role of a mother in raising children is undeniable. But, along with the mother, you can't ignore the fathers role. To facilitate a man to be with his wife at the time of need and to play a positive role in the early days of a child, a law allowing paternity leave is necessary."

Dr Prof Liakat Ali Siddiqui, a teacher of Law department at Dhaka University, says, Paternity leave has become a necessity in the changing society, as joint families are being disintegrated and both the parents are now working. Besides, every child has the right to have parents with him.

He, however, says proper measures should be in place so that the intended law paternity leave cannot be misused. One will be granted paternity leave only after he provided the evidence.

Advocate Kohinoor Begum, assistant programme manager of Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association, says, "Every husband should be with his wife during the delivery to relieve her of the mental pressure. The responsibility to raise children doesnt solely lie with the mother rather both the parents are responsible for that. Working dads may be allowed at least one months paternity leave."

Monirul Islam, director of Bangladesh Mohila Parishad, says, "There must be a law for paternity leave. Ive recently become a dad. I think every working male should be with his wife before during and after delivery to give her mental support. A male should also look after his wife and kid at that time. Working women get four months maternity leave while males get nothing due to absence of law."

Its needless to say that both husband and wife are involved in the whole process starting from conceiving to delivery. Therefore, doctors ask husbands to be with their pregnant wives for looking after them. The company of a husband keeps his wife cheerful. Besides, husbandspresence makes his wife feel secure.