A Mother’s Heart – The Story of Sufia and Nila

Sufia wakes before sunrise. She gets her daughter Nila* ready and steps out, just like thousands of women working in the garment factories of Mirpur and Gazipur in Bangladesh.

But just a few months ago, every morning began with a quiet fear.

What would happen to Nila while she was at work?

There were no safe spaces nearby, no one to support Nila’s early learning. Sufia worried her daughter was falling behind before she ever had the chance to begin. Children of garment factory workers like Sufia are often vulnerable to child labour and sexual exploitation when left at home. This further distressed her.

Then one day, she heard about a new early childhood development centre just minutes from her factory.

The centre soon became a space of learning, play and care. It wasn’t long hours, but it offered something even more important. Trust, growth and safety.

This initiative is supported by the Garcia Foundation in the Netherlands, led by Terre de Hommes Netherlands and implemented by Breaking the Silence and Village Education Resource Centre. 

With a vision that every child deserves a strong, supported start, no matter their background, each centre is supported by local community-based child protection mechanisms.

Groups of parents, teachers and workers who help ensure children are safe both inside and beyond the centre.

For mothers like Sufia and children like Nila, it opens the door to possibility, to learning, to confidence, to dignity.

These small steps are shaping stronger communities where children receive care and protection, and parents find peace of mind.

*name changed to protect identity