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In Pictures: In Bangladesh, a safety net for children at risk

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Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
A student stands to recite a lesson in a school in Mirpur for children who have never been to school or who have dropped out.
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| Dhaka, Bangladesh

When photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman and I traveled through Bangladesh last fall, we clearly saw children at risk from poverty, climate change, and the economic fallout from the pandemic. 

Yet meeting so many young people also reinforced our understanding that children around the world are the same; only the contexts are different.

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The difficulties in Bangladesh couldn’t be more different from life in wealthy Western nations. But when our reporting team visited a program for vulnerable children in Dhaka, it found something truly universal.

Take little Mohammad Rifat. He lost his home in a flood and doesn’t go to school because his parents can’t afford to send him. Instead, he attends a program for vulnerable kids run by the government and supported by UNICEF in Dhaka.

After showing off a drawing he made, Mohammad snatches another child’s drawing and tries to pose for a picture with it. He makes us laugh.

Expand this story to view the full photo essay.

Little Mohammad Rifat, who lost his home in a flood, doesn’t go to school. 

His parents had to move from the coast to the capital, and they can’t afford to send him. Instead, he attends a program for vulnerable kids run by the government and supported by UNICEF in Dhaka. It’s one of thousands of initiatives by governments, United Nations agencies, and nongovernmental organizations aiming to protect children’s rights to education and safe and healthy environments.

When photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman and I traveled through Bangladesh last fall, we clearly saw children at risk from poverty, climate change, and the economic fallout from the pandemic. Yet meeting so many young people also reinforced our understanding that children around the world are the same; only the contexts are different. 

Despite his nation’s big struggles, Mohammad is focused on the little things: the friends he misses and the dragon fruit he craves.

After showing off a drawing he made of the National Martyrs’ Memorial, Mohammad snatches another child’s drawing and tries to pose for a picture with it. He makes us laugh.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Mohammad Rifat and his family were displaced by floods, which wiped out their home and livelihood.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Teacher Khadija Islam works one-on-one with student Lamia Akter.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
A child’s drawing of a home hangs on the wall of one of UNICEF’s Child Protection Community Hubs in Kalyanpur, in an area known locally as “burnt slum.”
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Two boys sleep in the corner at the Child Protection Services Hub near the bus station.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Children gather outside UNICEF’s Child Protection Services Hub at Gabtoli bus terminal, Sept. 19 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The hub provides activities, schooling, food, and support to vulnerable children.

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