bangladesh country report to the global board 2014 q3-q4 · campaigns on nutrition and women’s...

Bangladesh Report to the Global Board for 2014 Q3-Q4 (May 2015) of 8

Bangladesh Country Report to the Global Board

2014 Q3-Q4

Executive Summary

The Hunger Project-Bangladesh expanded work

in 2014 to 171 unions. Over the course of 2014,

THP-Bangladesh proved their ability to innovate as

leaders in the field of improving local governance, training, leadership

development, and community mobilization.

Specific advances occurred through the creation of new workshops and trainings

such as the citizenship trainings and social

harmony workshops, and increased support provided to the formation of social units

such as Ward Action Teams. In developing stronger ties between local government officials and members of their communities, while supporting trainings in citizenship and human rights, THP-

Bangladesh is starting to see social transformation take place through mobilized communities making visions and planning futures together, toward a more inclusive and peaceful Bangladesh.

Accomplishments National Girl Child Day. The Hunger Project-Bangladesh jointly celebrated National Girl Child Day on September 30, 2014 with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, the National Girl

Child Advocacy Forum (NGCAF) and Shishu Academy under the theme “Ensure Health and Education: Stop Child Marriage.” The day was observed in 502 places across Bangladesh, in more than 300 unions, with an estimated 600,000 people having participated.

The day started with a rally inaugurated by Ms. Meher Afroz Chumki, the State Minister of the

Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA). Over 2,600 participants from 51 organizations took part in the rally. Many distinguished members of society spoke on behalf of

National Girl Child Day rally in Dhaka, featuring the Honorable State

Minister Meher Afroz Chumki of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs


girls’ rights and their commitment to ensure education, proper nutrition, and an enabling environment for gender equality, and the empowerment of girl children throughout Bangladesh.

The objective of this year’s events was to raise awareness on how the many forms of violence against women and girls limit the choices girls are able to make every day, from attending school

to participating in their community. Events then encouraged participants to come together to find ways to help create an enabling environment for girls and women to lead a life free from violence. Events included a rally, discussions, cultural programs, and competitions in art and

debate.

5th Annual National Network

Conventions – Shujan and

Bikoshito Nari Network. An

essential strategy for maintaining engagement in THP networks is

holding annual conventions for volunteers to come together to share and celebrate their experiences from

the past year. Around 800 people attended the Shjuan Convention, held

in December in Dhaka. The convention was attended by many former politicians, academics, media

personnel, and civil society members. Shujan Secretary and THP Country

Director Badiul Majumdar presented two significant achievements made by Shujan in the past two years, including i) the collection and publication of candidate information, ii) increasing dialogue on political reform and

advocacy for strengthened local governance, iii) activities involving youth in democratic processes and debate, and iv)

information and mobilization for active citizens. Participating members discussed proposals for a Citizen

Charter, and renewed commitments to work toward good governance for a

peaceful and harmonious society. The Bikoshito Nari Network

(Unleashed Women’s Network,

BNN). The Unleashed Women’s

Network celebrated its fifth national convention in November in Dhaka, with over 1,300 women leaders in

attendance. The women came from throughout Bangladesh to celebrate

their successes, share their experiences with one another, set priorities for the future, and develop plans for leveraging their work together at the national policy level. The State Minister of the

Woman leader and BNN Secretary Era Hoque from Rangpur, shares her successes at the 5th National Bikoshito Nari Network Convention

Convention

Global President/CEO Åsa Skogström Feldt and Country Director Badiul Majumdar speak at the Bikoshito Nari Network Convention


Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Meher Afroj Chumki, attended, in addition to special guests in town with a THP-Sweden investor trip. Individual women leaders took turns sharing

their achievements in their communities, including child marriages halted and awareness raising campaigns on nutrition and women’s rights.

Union Parishad capacity building in 5-Year Plan Books. Under the Local Government Act of 2009, Union Parishads (UP) have been mandated to perform new functions in their roles as local

councils, and as vital institutions for local governance and local development. One such function is preparing and enacting 5-

Year Plan Books for their unions. The Hunger Project-Bangladesh has

been working with UP bodies to improve the

capacity of elected UP representatives on this new initiative, providing

technical support through planning workshops, in

addition to forming a sub-committee to guide the process. The sub-

committee, Plan

Coordination Committee (PCC), will work to make the process transparent and inclusive, hosting meetings with civil society, Standing Committees,

and other government entities. The limited capacity of UP members to plan and fulfill their duties remains a challenge, but through planning workshops and skills trainings, THP-

Bangladesh is working to support effective and engaged leaders who support the principle of decentralization.

Active Citizens youth leadership trainings and youth-led campaigns. The Hunger Project-Bangladesh’s partnership with the British Council has resulted in numerous trainings of Youth

Ending Hunger volunteers as transformative leaders and Active Citizens. The Active Citizens training is specialized with an emphasis on identifying social challenges and finding solutions, in addition to developing organizational and leadership capacities for campaigns and social action

projects in their communities. They learn to plan social action projects, work on their communication, and are trained as leaders. Resulting youth-led campaigns in the latter half of

2014 have included campaigns for safe drinking water, sanitation, nutrition and hygiene, immunization, and elimination of social ills such as child marriage and dowry. There was also a coordinated effort in November and December among youth leaders in partnership with Acid

Survivors’ Foundation to raise awareness of the violence against girls through acid attacks.

Active Citizen Youth Leadership Training graduates in Barisal proudly display

their certificates and Social Action Plans following their training in November 2014


Challenges and Lessons Learned

Participation of women. THP-Bangladesh has observed that fully engaging women in trainings

and meetings remains a challenge due to the social barriers that exist in preventing women’s participation. Family pressures, responsibilities at home, and dominant perceptions of the role of

women in society often restrict women’s ability to make changes to their routines. As a demonstration of THP-Bangladesh’s commitment to gender equality, they began hosting Animator trainings at the union level, rather than at the upazila or district level to facilitate easier

and higher participation of women. Furthermore, they have adapted materials to suit illiterate women with lower education levels by including more photos and images rather than words.

This has enabled more women to become engaged and participate more readily in trainings and helps them to retain what they have learned by having resources to take home with them.

Skills development and capacity. Intensive capacity building of all stakeholders is necessary to

achieve the desired results nationwide, particularly in issues of local governance and citizens rights. For the Union Parishad, many elected representatives have little to no experience in issues

of local governance, particularly as it relates to community development and planning. Coordination is complicated, and it is a challenge to promote transparency and citizen engagement. However, having acknowledged this skills gap, THP-Bangladesh has prioritized

Union Parishad involvement and trainings in 5-Year Plan Books and other systematic processes, improving their ability to identify key priorities and carry out plans.

Resistance from the government. With the objective of making governments more responsive and accountable, THP-Bangladesh continues to experience some resistance from Union Parishads who are not used to the level of transparency and active involvement of their Unions in

development projects. Furthermore, demands for amending certain public policies such as the Early Marriage Act of 1929 have not encited any change, as government officials are proving to be reticent to make changes to the Act.

Ownership and partnership at local government. A challenge in community development work is the risk of community partners’ not taking ownership of their visions for their own

community. THP-Bangladesh constantly works to ensure sustainability at the community level, and has seen greater ownership by community members and Union Parishad representatives through the relationships built by working together in Ward Action Teams, as they plan and

share together. Challenges and solutions are identified by citizens themselves, and solved together. Furthermore, there is increased understanding of rights as citizens, and as a result,

increased patriotism.

Volunteer retention and motivation. THP-Bangladesh’s volunteers are extremely committed to their work, but it is a challenge to plan for their involvement without an explicit commitment.

Volunteers and animators have many obligations beyond their time with THP-Bangladesh, and as most other NGOs offer stipends or per diems for the work their volunteers commit, it is

becoming challenging to retain motivated volunteers. It therefore makes long-term planning at the Union level difficult, as there is concern that volunteers will not be available. Furthermore, due to social constraints, as mentioned earlier, it is difficult to ensure women’s participation.


Program Reach Completed Activities per Program, 2014 Q3-Q4

Number of Girls/Women (in Q3-Q4 2014) who participated in activities* related to:

Community Reported Outcomes** (Q3-Q4 2014)

15

765

5029

539

85

155

192

33Advocacy and Alliances for Policy Reform

Community Mobilization

Food Security and Livelihoods

Literacy and Education

Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition

Strengthening Local Government

Water Environment and Sanitation

Women Empowerment

Youth Engagement in Social Action

905

1032

1311

446

1078

2136

1260

1562

649

Birth registration

Caring for Pregnant Mother

Halting Early Marriage

Marriage registration

Preventing Domestic Violence

Dowry Free Marriage

Immunizations during pregnancy

Nutrition awareness

Safe delivery awareness

2959

295

276

73

Birth Registrations

Dowry-Free Marriages

Halting Child Marriages

Marriage Registration

Birth and Marriage

802

305

439

Adult Literacy Centers

Dropouts Re-enrolled

Girls Enrolled

Education

971

1083

127

Income GeneratingActivities

Self-Help Groups

Skills Training

Women Empowerment

7 Regions

171 Unions

3,539 Villages

9,576 Female Animators

4,536,953 Individuals

** Numbers only reflect girl/women participants and exclude boy/men participants * Activities include campaigns and courtyard meetings

Bangladesh by the Numbers


Shamima Jahan speaking to women in her remote community of Alowa

Partner Story

Shamima Jahan, Animator, Woman Leader

Alowa Union, Mymensingh Region

Shamima Jahan lives in the remote union of Alowa, in the Mymensingh region.

Before getting involved with The Hunger Project, she

considered herself just an ordinary housewife, but is now considered a

transformed community worker.

According to Shamima, she never thought that she would

leave her house and do something for other women

in her community. But following her training with The Hunger Project, this has

become possible.

Shamima learned of The Hunger Project from a neighbor who invited her to join the women’s leadership development training. Through this training, she learned about the reality in which many women lead their lives throughout Bangladesh. She was shocked to hear how women were

treated throughout her country, and committed herself to do something to improve her community.

After returning from the training she realized that she was alone, and that she must be organized to fight against the existing patriarchal society. To start, Shamima arranged a self-help group

consisting of 34 community people (32 men and 2 women). She motivated the organization by insisting that positive change would not be possible without collective initiatives. They jointly

analyzed problems within their community and set two goals: (1) to achieve self-reliance, and (2) zero tolerance for child marriage in their community.

Additionally, the organization turned into a cooperative through collecting regular savings of the members. Over a couple month period in late 2014, the cooperative jointly saved 60,000 Taka

($770), and Shamima has continued in her goals of raising awareness among community women about the consequences of child marriage.

In 2014, through the leadership of Shamima, three more self-help groups have been created, a total of five child marriages halted, 36 court yard meetings facilitated, and four community-

based campaigns organized. Shamima’s community has even declared their village a child marriage free area.


Country Director Badiul Alam Majumdar distributes

winner’s certificate on National Girl Child Day alongside the Country Director of CARE

Partnerships, Advocacy and Events

During this period, THP-Bangladesh has established or maintained alliances with the following

organizations:

ASF

Acid Survivors Foundation and THP-Bangladesh promote positive, healthy and respectful relationships between men and

women, and boys and girls to address gender-based violence (December 2013 – July 2016).

BRAC The Hunger Project-Bangladesh and BRAC

initiated a two-year (February 2014 –

December 2015) joint project in 61 unions. The

objective of the partnership is to strengthen Union Parishads for transparent, accountable

and inclusive governance at the local level in order to accelerate the achievement of the MDGs.

British Council

The Hunger Project has partnered with the British Council to deliver the Active Citizen Program (AC) since September 2009. A key theme of this program is “locally engaged, globally

connected” and is dedicated to working with young people to take part in community work on different issues-based activities. This partnership also supports projects such as the adult literacy center, sanitation and safe drinking water workshops.

Halting Child Marriage

THP-Bangladesh is working on a project with the objective to reduce child marriage in the intervention areas of THP-Bangladesh since July 2014. The project covers 104 unions, through an investment from the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs through July 2015.

UNDEF

In collaboration with BRAC, this project will build on recent legal reforms to demonstrate that improving governance at the UP level – by building the capacity of the UP and uniting it with an active, mobilized citizenry, particularly through implementation of the village assembly (Ward

Shava) – can accelerate progress for social and economic development. The project will work to

promote the results throughout the country in partnership with local and national media.

ITVS

US-based Independent Television Service (ITVS) – National Girl Child Advocacy Forum Partnership to Combat Child Marriage is a joint campaign, led by local youth volunteers, to recognize those who participate by awarding the Best Schools for Girls and the Best

Communities for Girls. The selection process is based on the points awarded by girls and boys for facilities provided, scoring the suitability of the school for girls. Through this assessment, a

“Best School” is awarded and what is needed to improve the schools is determined.


Future Plans

Community Mobilization

Further replication of the MDG Union strategy throughout planned Unions for 2015,

including new unions through a new project called Political Participation of Women for Equal Rights, from the Dutch Human Rights Fund through 2017

Mobilize community people through Animator trainings in existing and new unions

Host mass action campaigns and mobilizations

Hold community planning sessions and a review meeting with volunteers and Ward Action Team members to ensure that committees and teams are properly functioning

Women’s Empowerment

Conduct monthly follow-up trainings at the union level of women leaders

Celebrate International Women’s Day

Community Development for MDG-focused Unions

Hold courtyard meetings on Essential Nutrition Actions and Maternal and Child Health

and Nutrition

Launch a campaign on preventing child marriage across MDG Unions

Host skills development trainings in income-generating activities

Strengthening Local Government

Develop Five-Year Plan Books with all Unions, and facilitate their publication in at least

six unions

Operationalize the MDG Union strategy in partnership with BRAC

Hold ward shava for grassroots involvement in local democracy

Increase community participation in decision making at the ward level

Participatory Action Research (PAR) & Livelihoods

Hold PAR refresher courses for improving knowledge, the capacity to identify problems and solutions, and ensure that the cooperatives are properly functioning

Youth Engagement in Social Action

Conduct follow-up meetings for increasing awareness among youth on different issues

Advocacy and Alliances

Continue to implement campaign on best school for girls to increase community awareness on managing schools with attention to the girl child, such as through separate

toilet facilities for girl children

bangladesh country report to the global board 2014 q3-q4 · campaigns on nutrition and women’s...

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