·        To generate employment opportunities for the rural poor, especially for the women.

WFP provided resources to the Government of Bangladesh to generate income during lean period under this project. However, it has re-excavated 43 ponds during the period of 1996-2002 where a total of 325 beneficiaries (72% of them are women) are cultivating fish. Our beneficiaries have right to cultivate fish in those ponds up to 1215. UU provides micro-credit and training support to its beneficiaries in cultivating fish.

Development of Fish Drying System

It provides technical support to the fishermen of Chanda Beel in developing fish drying system. It had improved the traditional fish drying techniques and introduced household based domestic driers for this purpose under the project in 1995-96. The Directorate of Fisheries (DOF) provided financial assistance to the project. However, the project has a micro- credit fund which is used to continuing micro-credit support to the fisherwomen till now.

e.   Water and Sanitation

Arsenic Mitigation Programme

The news of arsenic contamination in the ground water in the early 1990s came as a great shock to both policy makers and ordinary citizens of Bangladesh. The hand tube wells were once projected as the source of safe water for the rural inhabitants, which ultimately raised the indicators related to primary health care. Bangladesh was acclaimed as a success story in this field. However, this success is now being questioned by many quarters. To address the national problem it implemented the `Arsenic Mitigation Programme’ with the assistance of UNICEF and DPHE during 2002-2003. Second, it carried out ‘Monitoring and Quality Improvement of Traditional Dug Well to Mitigate the Arsenic Problem’ under special allocation of the Ministry of Science and Information & Communication Technology for the financial year 2004-2005.

At present, it carries out awareness campaign on arsenic problem and use of safe water - four alternatives sources identified by DPHE, UNICEF and others concerned since 2002. It has been working to demonstrate a model programme in harvesting rain water to meet up the need of the dry season at coastal region through community management.

Village Sanitation Centre (VSC)

Unnayan Uddog has been implementing this programme aiming to ensure proper sanitation for the rural poor at Tangail and Gopalgonj from its own fund. It mainly advocates for use of proper sanitation through group meeting, arranging orientation sessions to the school students and teachers, adolescents who have not enrolled in schools, imams, etc. It shows Video and distributes educational materials to develop health awareness among village people. Unnayan Uddog produces slab latrine at its VSC to provide sanitary latrine to the target group at low cost.

f.    Programme for Poor and Street Children

Unnayan Uddog believes that `a society or a company which relies on child labor is eating its seed corn.’ From this point of view it puts emphasis on the proper care of children, especially the working children. It provides basic education, skills development training and provides micro credit support so that they can do economic activities after the completion of the education. It provides basic education and skills development training to the street children. It runs this program from its own resources and remaining resources, such as, training equipments, which were saved from the Child Labor Elimination Project (funded by ILO).

Unnayan Uddog is implementing a child sponsorship programme which is quite different, innovative and sustainable in nature. To do sponsor a child, it helps to establish a small family-business to the sponsored child with the commitment of the parents that they will send their child who is not enrolled or drop-out due to extreme poverty causes.

For the child sponsorship programme it has been developing a network of good people around the globe who are providing moral support as well as helping to raise funds. Under the programme it has provided sponsorship support to five children on experimental basis. The target of the programme is to provide sponsorship to 10000 (ten thousand) children by 2009.

g.   Nari Kendra (Centre for Women)

Women are discriminated and most oppressed class in male dominated society in Bangladesh. Though they are mostly confined in household works but they have little influence on the family. Their opinions are rarely considered in decision-making process of the family. It happens partly because they have no participation in the direct earning process of the family.  Facts reveal that if they could earn for the family they would be empowered. On the contrary, opportunity to work in the formal sector is limited for them and they are often exploited as cheap labor. But if they could have education or skills training they would be involved in the economic activities. Considering it, UU has established a center namely `Nari Kendra (Centre for women)’ to render different types of services including skill development training to the disadvantaged women so that they could be involved in the self-earning economic activities aiming to develop their socio-economic conditions.

Unnayan Uddog provides skills development training to the rural and disadvantaged women on sewing Nakshi Kantha (embroidery quilt/decorated bed sheet with special motif) tailoring, boutique, candles and different types of jute and cane items. After the completion of training it provides micro credit support so that they can start their economic activities. UU helps them to sell their products in the renowned outlets in Dhaka. Under the supervision of UU, the poor women are showing outstanding performance in self-employment generation. Now a portion of them is self-dependent and can contribute to their family.

Nakshi Kantha

Unnayan Uddog has introduced this programme with specific objective. Bangladesh is a developing country with limited resources. It has limited items to export as such it faces difficulties to earn foreign currency. In search of an alternative export item it has been giving extra efforts to develop the quality of the artisans who are involved in the project. It has been giving emphasis on developing the design and quality of works. Under this project our artisans produces Nakshi Kantha, wall mate, cushion cover, table clothes, etc. Now, they sell their products in the local market but it has a plan to export it through our organizational efforts.

h.   Rehabilitation of Persons with Disability

Unnayan Uddog has been involved in disability rehabilitation programmes through the community approach in 1997. The objectives of its programmes are:

• To determine the prevalence of disabilities and to assess the socio-economic status and to identify the basic needs of the peoples with disabilities;

• To raise awareness among the community people for the prevention of disability and building positive attitude towards them;

• To identify the available local resources and opportunities for the medical, educational and economic rehabilitation;

• To advocate and motivate the different stakeholders, both in government and non-government sectors for ensuring access to the resources and development programmes;

• To ensure education for the loco-motor and other disabled students at the community;

• To ensure accessibility for all types of PWDs to the public institutions and service centers; To ensure preventive and curative services to the identified PWDs;

• To ensure economic rehabilitation of PWDs;

• To build capacity of local indigenous grassroots NGOs, CBOs, and formal and non-formal community institutions in the field of disability.

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i.   Non-Formal Primary Education

UU has been running 10 NFPE schools for rural poor children since 1995 with the assistance of BRAC.

j.    Savings and Micro-credit

The Savings and Micro-credit Programme of Unnayan Uddog facilitates the people into formation of groups aiming to building up their capacities and skill, use of small loans among the target group members and help them to be involved in income generating activities. This programme has also been working with the objective to achieve the self-reliance, economic empowerment and sustainability of the target group. It encourages the beneficiaries for the regular deposition of saving, proper utilization of loan and refunds it in time.

k.   Salish Kendra

Unnayan Uddog runs two Salish Kendras in its project area.  The majority people can not go to the court for justice as it is expensive and time consuming. In this perspective, it runs this programme. Salish or mediation, an indigenous method of dispute resolution prevailing in the rural areas of Bangladesh, is used to resolve the disputes. Mutual empathy and understanding of each other situations- there is maximization of choices available for acceptable settlements for both the disputing parties. Conflicts resolves and consensus emerges as a natural participatory negotiating exercise under the keen supervision of the mediators.

l.    Advocacy Programme

The Advocacy Programme is a major programme of Unnayan Uddog. Under this programme it advocates for birth registration and defends against child trafficking, dowry, early marriage, rights, child labour, gender issues, health and sanitation, use of safe water, etc. It has been lobbying and networking among the local community based peoples’ organization and the promotion of good governance at the local and national level for this purpose.

m.  Training Programme

Training for NGO Professionals

The approaching millennium promises to accelerate the process of globalization which are already irreversible and advancing dizzily before our eyes to envelop the most remote people of the world in a suffocating embrace structure, values and ideas that we took granted for most of the centuries are disintegrating. Global answers are required if we are to adjust to and understand one another. A host of broad questions have been emerged. How can local cultures retain their sense of identity and dignity in the face of the global onslaught of non-stop satellite television, instant high-tech communication systems? We are failing to connect different points in the global political and cultural landscape. This failure is costing the nation the loss of power and dignity. In the global village concept we are to compete and preserve our identity. Knowledge is the pre-dominant that will enable us to progress. To the given context, the NGOs need more professionalism to blooming as alternative power to cope with the situation throughout the world.

Keeping it in mind, a specialized training programme has been designed by Unnayan Uddog (UU) to strengthen the capacity of the NGOs working at rural areas and the persons interested to set up a new NGO. Fresh university graduates or who completed her/his O & A levels may also participate in the courses- Grant Writing and Fundraising, which will help them to boost up their carrier in non-profit sector.  Active assistance (grant writing and liaison with donor) is provided to procure funds for the respective organization of each trainee. The training programme is conducted on the following themes:

Name of the Courses

Details of Courses

This is an introductory course on conceptual understanding of an NGO, focusing on necessary requirements to establish it. This course highlights the relation and position of an NGO in development process now a day. The participants of this course are to learn the following:

• Conceptual understanding of an NGO

• Relation in development process

• Prospect and future of a non-profit

• How to select a right group of people to set up an NGO

• Preparation of a right constitution

• Technique of drafting resolution, minute of meeting and accounting system

• Rules of maintaining necessary books

• Appropriate authorities of registration

• Source of funds

Please note: Anybody wants to set up a new NGO may be benefited from the course. There is an arrangement to provide necessary assistance in this regard.

ii. Capacity Building: An Organizational Approach

This is an introductory course on capacity building from the perspective of organizational development. Capacity building takes place at different levels, such as at the individual level, organizational level or at a broader societal level. This course concentrates on building the capacity of organizations so that they can work with donors and local partners more effectively.

The course focuses on:

• Basic concept of development and identify the role as a change agent

• Examine the link between organizational development and capacity building

• Understanding organizations: How they work, develop and adapt in a rapidly changing environment

• Need of partnership: The demand of time

• Finding out new ideas to intervene (scope of work)

• Finding out the address of appropriate donors (including browsing the Net)

• The right approach to contact a donor

• Technique of preparation of a good profile, annual report, field report

• Monitoring and evaluation

• Cost effective and efficient management system

Please note: This course is designed for people engaged in capacity building programmes with some experience of organizational development, and who wish to explore issues around different types of intervention.

Please note: The participants attended in course no. 1 & 2 is assisted in seeking funds and to make liaison with donors on behalf of their respective NGOs. They are provided with address of donor organizations and format of application for funding. Necessary help provides to prepare project proposals for each participating organization and to submit those to prospective donors. Each participants are provided with address of 500 -1000 prospective donors.

iii. Grant Writing

This is an introductory course on Grant Writing, which deals with the process of grant proposal writing. It teaches the skills needed to become an expert grant writer. It gives a holistic view of the grant process, highlighting the relevance and importance of each phase. Participants of this course are taught each step of the grant process from researching grant leads to developing long-lasting relationships with funding sources. It helps to understand the priority areas of the donors and therefore to build up the concept for grant writing. This broad scope of instruction gives attendees a crucial competitive advantage. This course is designed for both the novice learning how to write a grant proposal and the grant writing professional seeking to streamline a development programme. The participants of this course learn the following:

• Holistic view of grant process

• Understanding of donor’s priority

• Different techniques of grant writing

• Making liaison with donors

Please note: The participants of this course receives 10 grant proposal samples for her/his organization at no additional cost.

iii. Fundraising

This course is designed in such a way that after completion of the training the participants will be familiar with hundreds of techniques and basic keys to fundraising for NGOs, schools, colleges, and other social institutions. The participants learns how to obtain funds from foundations and corporations, donors and, as well as, government sources. This course also teaches the different techniques of Internet based fundraising, finding out the prospective donors through browsing the Net. After completion of the course the participants is able to work as fund raising consultant. The course content as follows:

• Keys to successful fundraising

• Fundraising strategies

• Creating the case for support

• Development of specific programmes

• Appeal for event management

• Techniques of using Internet in searching prospective donors 

Please note: The participants of this course receive dozens of samples of documents (such as pps, fundraising guidelines, sample letter for direct approach, strategies, etc.) on different fundraising techniques at no additional cost.

Skills Development Training

Unnayan Uddog provides different types of skills development training on tailoring, embroidery, boutique, leather goods, making of paraffin candle, poultry and livestock, etc. to its beneficiaries and sometimes to the members of the other NGOs. The objective of this programme is to help the poor people to earn money through self-employment.

Unnayan Uddog has a well equipped training centre at its Head Office at Uttara and two other training centres, one is at Joidevpur, Gazipur and the other is at Muksudpur, Gopalgonj. It has been setting up another training centre at Roumari, Kurigram where its Community Food Bank project (funded by DFID) has been implementing.

13.  Development and Research

Besides, the organization has carried out various research works. Those are:

1.        ‘Empowering Rural Poor Women: Though Implementation of Collective Enterprises by Utilizing the Services of an Educational Institution’ an Action Pilot Project funded by NORAD in 1991-92.

Critical findings: This Action Pilot Research reveals that students and teachers of the local schools/colleges are the most acceptable community leaders in their respective society and they have extra capacity to implementing development programmes without hampering their education.

2.        `Development through an Educational Institution: A Case Study of UDDOG’, an evaluation report prepared for PACT-Bangladesh in August 1992.

Critical findings: The study learned that our educational institutions have extra capacity to implementing development programmes without hampering their learning atmosphere. Rather, the involvement of the teachers and students in implementing development programmes for their respective communities can influence their quality of education positively as well as their involvement can reduce the operating cost of development project.

3.        `Wastage in Youths, Dignity of Labor and Education System: BIKALPA Experience (A highly debatable project of Sonali Bank for employment generation for university students)’, May 1993.

Critical findings: BIKALPA experience shows that our educated youths don’t hesitate to do laborious jobs within the country if they get necessary support from concerned authority. This type of project could reduce the unemployment among educated youths also.

4.        `Manikgonj Association of Social Services: An Evaluation Report’, a report prepared for DIAKONIA, Sweden in September 1993.

5.        `Social Association for Rural Advancement (SARA): An Evaluation Report’, a report prepared for DIAKONIA, Sweden in January 1994.

6.        `Association for Village Advancement (AVA): An Evaluation Report’, a report prepared for DIAKONIA, Sweden in March 1994.