Born in the dark world, they can'now dream of education like other children and have a normal life in society.

These ill-fated children have at last got a shelter where they arc growing with all amenities.

Gagorani Chakra Foundation (GCF), an NGO based at Jessore, has arranged shelter and education for children bom to sex workers.

The GCF started the three-year project titled Human Rights for Brothel Children and their Mothers in March 2002 with financial assis-tance from the European Commission andTVH, Italy.

The project includes programmes for their upbringing, treatment, education and ensuring human rights.

They now live in a two-storied building built on 25 kathas of land in Arabpur area of Jessore town. There are classrooms, bedrooms, a cultural centre, a hall room and a guestroomin thebuilding.

They also play on the open field and grow vcgetables and flowers on the compound.

Though the project was taken up for children of Jessore brothels, it has been expanded to cover children from brothels in Magura, Fultala and Khulna.

The complex now accommodates 178 children — 95 boys and 83 girls-, brought from darkness to light. Of them, 58 including 30 boys and 28 girls are residents there.

Their mothers can visit their children everyday during visiting hour.

Twenty-seven including 22 female workershave been employed for nursing, feeding, educating and

giving medical treatment to sick ones.

Activities under the project also include vocational training and employment to the grown-up children, giving medicare service and legal aid to their mothers to ensure human rights, holding community meetings with the local elite, guardians' meeting, ensuring social justice and preparing reports on rights ofsexworkers.

Talking to this correspondent, JCF Director Azadul Kabir Arju said, "We had to face so many obstacles in implementing the project. Even

their mothers created problems at the initial stage. Now we face less trouble".

Manager of the project said children from she months to 14years are getting all facilities there, including entertainment. The children get education up to class five. When they are promoted to class six, they are admitted to other schools. They are no more neglected.

These children go to the Shahid Miner with flowers on the Shahecd Day on February 21. They go to Eidgah and mosque for prayers, wearing punjabi, paj ama and cap.

The Imam of the mosque teach them Arabic and the holy Quran. "He (Imam) sometimes comes to the complex and praise the project officials for their noble work.

"Though they are bom in darklane, they are innocent It is the greatest virtue to bring them up," the manager quotingthelmam as saying.

This correspondent found good spirit among theinmates.

"I do not like the profession of my mother. I want to grow as other children", said lOyear-oldLaboni.

We want to grow as good human beings, saidBiplab andRana