Concerned Women for Family Development (CWFD) is a non- political, non- profit, voluntary, national level organization run by the women of Bangladesh for the women of Bangladesh. We work “Because Women Matter” to us.
Emergence of CWFD
CWFD emerged from an emotional response to help women in need of reproductive health care counseling. The organization, originally named as “Concerned Women for Family Planning (CWFP), started its voluntary activities in 1974 to help the refugees coming to Dhaka city after the devastating famine of 1974. The organization was registered in 1975 with the Directorate of Social welfare and formally launched its project activities in 1976 with only 5 female staff to cover an area of Dhaka city comprising around 50,000 people. Rather than following any working model, these workers used their hearts and logic to disseminate family planning information amongst poorest slum dwellers.
Most of them came to Dhaka and lived in makeshift shelters/camps made by the Government without proper water, sanitation and health care. Women and children were the worst sufferers. In this situation a group of Volunteer women started going out to the camps to provide them with necessary primary health care and hygiene information and services and other support like distributing clothes, blankets or any other necessary everyday essentials. These volunteers got emotionally involved with their less fortunate sisters and ready to do anything possible for them.
Most of the women of these camps had too many children and were too close. They were not ready for this, but they do not have any idea what they can do about it. They knew about family planning services but were unaware of where they could get it. Also, there were so many social barriers which prevent them of getting the services like most of the GOB clinics service providers were male and women were not comfortable to discuss very personal issues of family planning with them, women cannot travel alone and mostly they do not have ready cash to pay for travel, husband, in-laws don’t approve the idea of using family planning. Therefore, this group of women volunteers decided to take family planning services to the doorstep of the women and motivate their families. Thus, they started a one-to-one approach, face to face communication and door to door services with the slogan “for the women, of the women, by the women.”
Initially, CWFP had a single focus program of family planning. Over time, the organization realized that mere improvement of health status through family planning would not sustain a significant change in women’s life in Bangladesh. Accordingly, the organization initiated new programs for women, men, children and adolescents encompassing primary health care, life skill development, creating economic opportunity and women’s empowerment against social injustice. In conformity with this shifting focus, the organization changed its name from Concerned Women for Family Planning (CWFP) to “Concerned Women for Family Development” (CWFD).
The previous vision of CWFD was (1975-2020): ‘To empower women of Bangladesh to achieve better status within the family and society.’
Legal Status
- Registered with Directorate of Social Welfare on 25.10.75 Registration Number: 0435
- Registered with NGO Affairs Bureau under Foreign Donation Act on 22.04.81 Registration Number: 72
Evolution of CWFD:
Community mobilization for making a positive social change:
In conformity with its vision, the community as a whole and women in particular remain at the center of all activities of Concerned Women for Family Development (CWFD). We believe that for making any social change we have to work with the community people, understand their values, culture and beliefs, start with what they have and take them along our journey. In 1976 when CWFD (the then Concerned Women for Family Planning) started its family planning activities in the slums of Dhaka. CWFD workers were going out to the community, building relationships with them, gaining their confidence, trying to understand what they think about family planning, how and what services they want and planned activities accordingly.
Gradually, the program was expanded to cover a larger population in Dhaka and extended to other parts of Bangladesh. New activities were added as per the needs of the community people and from the realization of the organization that mere family planning information and service will not make much difference in the life of the people without dealing with other social issues. Therefore, new initiatives were undertaken like broad based reproductive health, health and nutrition education, health service marketing, trade skill development for women and creating economic opportunity for them, investigate the issues of the large adolescent population, arrange family life education and gender training, reducing incidence of domestic violence, deal with the issues of dowry, early marriage etc. Community people were with us, realized the issues of social injustice and disparity, prevalent misconception on different social norms and worked with us hand to hand to make a positive social change.
Community mobilization is one of the main focus of all CWFD activities.