Endline Evaluation in Dhaka Urban Impact Area: Sponsorship Funded Shishuder Jonno Program (Bangladesh, 2026)

The SJ program demonstrates that meaningful and sustainable change is effective when driven and owned by communities. In the SJ program, various interventions were supported by youth and other volunteers’ engagement and further reinforced through local partnerships (e.g., local NGOs and local government). In the urban and informal settlements in Dhaka slums, the program addressed several challenges, including deeply rooted social norms and habits inhibiting children’s rights endorsement, such as the strong norm of child marriage, resistance to traditional gender roles, irregular school attendance, and limited health and education facilities coverage to ensure sufficient support to pregnant and lactating women.