Ongoing Projects

Projects

Project Name: Ethnic Peoples Rights and Resilient Livelihoods (EPRRL)

Supported by DFID through Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF)

Project duration: 1st January, 2019 to 31st December, 2021

Project budget: 11,995,586.00

Own Contribution: 3, 67,490.00

Major Stakeholders of the Project

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Horticulture department, Livestock department, Youth Development, Women Affairs, Health department and Primary Education Department. Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, NGOs, Bank, Chittagong Hill Tract Regional Council (CHTRC), Hill District Council (HDC) Upazila Parishad,  Upazila administration, etc.

Project coverage area details...

Dighinala Upazila

–        Boalkhali Union – 8 SHG

Guimara Upazila

–        Guimara Sadar Union- 7 SHG

–        Hafchari Union – 7 SHG

–        Sindukchari Union- 8 SHG

Beneficiaries Coverage:

Self Help Group (SHG) – 30

Female- 782, 

Male- 418, 

Total-1200

Local Community Youth Forum (LCYF)

Male- 150, 

Female-150, 

Total-300

Background of the project

The Chittagong Hill Tract comprises total three hill districts namely Bandarban, Khagrachari, and Rangamati representing 10% of the total surface of Bangladesh. The total population in the CHT is approximately 1,587,000 (census 2011), 90% of this living in the rural areas. About 30% of its inhabitants are living below the poverty line. Most of the CHT areas especially in Khagrachari District are covered by hilly landscape, which are inaccessible, underutilized and unproductive.  Out of the 5, 25,664 hectares of total land area, only 10% is cultivated and utilized. Problem related to inadequate knowledge on how to use hilly landscape; little access to potentially useful inputs such as quality seeds, institutional credits; extension services; and inadequate technical support from GO and NGOs’ to develop the potential of the hilly lands adversely affecting the agricultural production which is the main source of livelihood of the CHT people.

Ethnic children in Chittagong Hill Tracts are among the country’s least literate and at heightened risk of dropping out of school. More than half of all household members surveyed in CHT (55.2 percent) have no formal schooling, according to a recent study by Khondker and others. And for those who start schooling, fewer than 8 percent complete primary education while 2 percent complete secondary education, according to a study by Human Development Research Centre.

There are three ethnic groups in the proposed project area (Marma, Chakma, and Tripura communities) living in Guimara and Dighinala, face increasing constraints in meeting their subsistence requirements from Jhum cultivation and forest gathering. Poor infrastructure, low literacy rate, reduced their access to forest resources, are among factors related to increasing periods of food insecurity and lack of cash incomes among these communities.

  • With the funding support from MJF, the organization successfully implemented ISHF project in 2 Upazila of Khagrachari district with 2000 beneficiaries from May, 2011 to March, 2017. Based on the experience gained from this MJF funded project and other projects, the organization intends to initiate a new project on Ethnic Peoples Rights and resilient Livelihoods by addressing a) livelihoods problem, top soil management, and promotion of organic fertilizers; b) organizing participatory Self-help Groups (SHGs) and c) supporting government service delivery or project implementation. This new project will keep village and family united and culturally integrated and will enable ethnic women to build up a strong relationship. The total BDT 1, 19, 91,647.00proposed in budget will be used to achieve the goal of the project.

Project Goal

Improve economic well-being of women, men and youth from ethnic communities in proposed areas and enhance their rights and dignity by the end of the project.

Outcomes and Outputs of the project

Outcome1: Increased rights and resilient livelihood opportunities for 1200 HHs covering 1200 women and men including person with disabilities directly and 4800 people indirectly in 30 villages under 4 unions of Guimara and Dighinala Upazila.

Output1.Capacity of SHGs, village level inputs service providers, market actors and other stakeholders enhanced on entrepreneurship, livelihood opportunities and value chain development for practicing environment friendly agriculture, horticulture, livestock, fisheries and alternative livelihoods. Specific outputs are:

  • 1200 targeted beneficiaries received agriculture service and inputs from horticulture and extension of agricultural extension department during the period of project.

1150 beneficiaries (Men-350 and women-800) from marginalized groups provided skills development training and entrepreneurship development assistance by the service providing agencies

Outcome2: Improved social status, relationship, understanding and cooperation of ethnic women, men and youth including person with disabilities reducing violence against women and restoring indigenous rights, knowledge, identity, tradition.

Output 2:Capacity of women, men, girls and youth is enhanced to represent themselves in different traditional and local forums/ institutions; raise their voice against violence, inequality and promote human rights through policy advocacy, building greater unity, cultural integrity among the ethnic communities; and claim their rights and entitlements. Specific outputs are:

  • 805 (Men. Women, boys and girls) trained/informed/aware on the issues of violence against women and girls

1200 House Hold (700 women and 500 men) beneficiaries economically empowered to involve project activities in different session and programs.

       230 children enrolled in primary school.

       10 women victims rehabilitated and received compensation, legal services from legal service providing agencies

Outcome3:Increased access to government’s health, education, agriculture, safety net, market, livelihood entitlement and micro credit from financial institutions by ethnic women, men and disable people.(Service providers /institutions (govt. line departments: Union, Upazila and district health center, DAE, educational institutions, UP, Headman, Karbari, Micro-finance institutions).

Output 3: Public institutions are sensitized to provide improved service on primary education, health, safety-net, agricultural extension, fishery, poultry and livestock so that ethnic extreme poor people are receiving increased support from different GO & NGO institutions sustainable livelihoods; Self-help Groups have easy access to financial assistance from micro-finance institutions for undertaking profitable IGAs; and favorable Policy environment ensuring access to quality services; Specific output are:

380 (Man-130 and women-250) received Safety net services from GoB line agencies.

       420(women-150, boys-110 and girls-150) received health services from Health department. 

       Ethnic extreme poor people are receiving increased support from different GO & NGO institutions sustainable livelihoods.

       200 Men, women, boys and girls are representing in the local forums and bodies with the technical guidance of service providing agencies through the project. 

       Self-help Groups have easy access to financial assistance from micro-finance institutions for undertaking profitable IGAs.

       Favorable Policy environment ensuring access to quality services

Description major activities and outputs

  1. Baseline Survey: Identify relevant issues that make up the livelihood of ethnic people in 30 target villages through the use of baseline information where it exists, review of historical data, and interview with people including farmers, input service providers, traders, etc.
  1. Self-Help Groups (SHG): Initial meeting with community members to form 30 SHGs will be organized in all the villages to facilitate group formation and selection of key members of the group such as President, Secretary and Treasurer.
  1. Organizational development training: The project will arrange training on 1) group dynamics; 2) management and leadership training; and 3) accounts and book keeping for managing the group. Roles and responsibilities, rules and monthly subscriptions by the members will be decided during the training.
  1. Business skill training: Entrepreneurship, Market linkage and value chain development will be organized to increase their business and marketing skills.
  1. Technical skill on IGA/vocational training to SHGs members, beneficiaries and local input service providers: The project will organize skill training, once the appropriate livelihood opportunities are identified and finalized by the groups. Local input service providers will also receive training on sourcing/ producing quality inputs and supplying to the project beneficiaries.
  1. Technical skill training on Entrepreneurship/Market linkage, different trades on vocational training to Women and members of local community youth Forum: The project will organize skill training, once the appropriate livelihood opportunities are identified and finalized by the groups. Women and LCYF members will also receive training on different trades by the Youth Development to create self employment and through this they will produce quality inputs and supplying to the project beneficiaries for increasing their benefit and income.
  1. Demonstration: Demonstrations plots will be established to promote homestead gardening, vermin-compost and horticulture with the technical support of Department of Agriculture Extension. This will enable the beneficiaries to adapt new resilient technologies.
  1. Seed and Sapling distribution: This activity will be treated as an entry point for helping beneficiaries to achieve immediate result for being involved in the project. This project will introduce quality seeds and saplings among the beneficiaries.
  1. Economic opportunity support fund: The project will support livelihood interventions for the extreme poor where government and development agencies are unable to effectively reach due to remoteness in lean period. This fund will act as a revolving fund in the lean period of SHGs for their sustainability and through this initiative food crisis will be reduced than before.
  1. Training on gender and technology: This training will encourage the participants to investigate the relationships between technology and the roles of women and ideas of gender. The course identifies categories, such as gender, race, class, and sexuality, and examines how technology offers possibilities for new social relations and how to evaluate them. It will discuss the social implications of technology and its understanding and deployment in ethnic people’s cultural context. It will also explore the effect of technological change on the roles of women and ideas of gender.
  1. Support to 30 Local Community Youth Forum (LCYF): The project will identify energetic members LCYF and motivate them to develop plan for project implementation and coordination/liaison with stakeholders for proper support to beneficiaries.
  1. Awareness raising, policy dialogues, roundtable, etc.: World Women’s Day will be organized throughout the project duration. Women from all the SHGs will be mobilized for mass rally on the occasions. The project also attempts to promote ethnic rights and resilient livelihoods through awareness raising, policy dialogues and roundtables.
  1. Dissemination of publication, IEC materials: The project will undertake a detailed assessment of the target communities to determine different communication needs and based on which the project will develop IEC materials focusing on the ethnic rights, gender and livelihood opportunities and benefit of SHGs. The IEC materials will be displayed at strategic public locations such as community halls, Union Parshad, Upazila office and government and non-government buildings for greater visibility and impact.
  1. Day observation: The project will observe national and international days to make sure that ethnic people’s issues are mainstreamed. The action will increase public awareness and develop collaborative relationship with participating organizations.
  1. Dialogue: Dialogue and reasoning in the best possible way are important methods of communicating, upholding the truth and reaching consensus for collaboration. Taking this into consideration, the project will arrange dialogue between service providing agencies such as agriculture department, social service department, youth department and women affairs at UPZ and district level.

Beneficiary result target of the project of ALO

Project Name: Sustainable Management of Community Development for CHTs

PNGO Name                      : Assistance for the Livelihood of the Origins (ALO)

Project Duration                : 26 June 2019 to 25 June 2020.

Total Contract Amount     : 3,447,423.00 BDT.

Project Area                       :  All Upazila Selected PDC in Khagrachari Hill District

Introduction: The Ministry of CHT Affairs (MoCHTA) and UNDP with assistance from a number of development Partners, have undertaken a project titled Strengthening Inclusive Development in CHT(SIS-CHT 2017-21). The main objective of SIS-CHT project is “To strengthen the capacity of population in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to shape and make decisions that impact on their lives” Based on ADB funded ‘Sustainable Management of Community Development for CHTs’ which aims to develop capacity of 100 Para development committees(PDCs) on Operations and Maintains of Community Assets through developing and engaging 42 skilled youths, Asset User Funds in each PDCs, joint planning and ensuring services from Local Government for these activities UNDP will engage one firm/NGO/CSO/Organization for Hill District.

 Major Activities:

  • PDC list collection, data verification list finalization and PDC cluster finalization  
  • Organize Training on Leadership, organizational and financial management ( 3 persons from each PDCs= 100 PDCx3= 300 persons)
  • Organize training on Participatory planning and monitoring towards strengthening governance and rural development
  • Training on Repairing and maintenance on Community assets infrastructure e.g water point, agriculture machineries and equipment, rural road maintenance and RC activities for 8 days
  • Organize 3 days long Training for Youth on repairing and maintenance ( 2 batches training for 42 youths).
  • Provide tool box with necessary equipment’s for repairing and maintenance for trained youths.
  • Organize on negotiation skills to mobilize resources and services from Government institutions (Union/Upazila/Hill District Council, Chittagong Hill Tract Development Board) different line departments and other service providers
  • Organize linkage building workshop at Union level between Union Parishad, service providers and PDC leaders.
  1. PDC list collection, data verification and list finalization:  PDC list collected from CHTRDP Khagrachari office. Targeted PDCs data verification has been done in September 2019. PDC list finalist considering on intervention and ethnicity and final list shared with UNDP and CHTRDP Khagrachari team. Total 100 PDCs are 50 PDCs from 1st phase and 50 PDCs from 2nd phase.
2. PDC cluster finalized– Total PDC clusters 42. PDC clusters have been finalized sharing with PDC members and considering the distances between the PDCs and critical geographical condition and improper communication. Final list shared with CHTRDP and UNDP Khagrachari team.

3. Youth Selection- 42 youth selected on cluster based and sharing with PDCs and who has some experience and interest on technical & mechanical knowledge. Selected youths have been submitted an application with their NID photocopy and a photograph.

4. TOT on Leadership, Organizational and Financial Management: During the project period one day long ToT organized by ALO at ALO conference room and totals 11 project staffs and UNDP representative were present in the TOT and facilitated ALO senior staffs. Through this ToT project staffs and participants have got a clear idea on this subjects and capable to conduct training at field level.

5. Training on Leadership, Organizational and Financial Management: The trainings have been conducted in 12 batches and totals 300 PDC leaders from 100 PDCs were attended in training session. ALO project staffs were facilitated the trainings. Participants have expressed their great satisfaction to receive the training as they have gained much knowledge new to them through these trainings. Moreover, it is also observed that a strong linkage is built up between each other through this training. Most of the participants in the training sessions seemed very attentive and interacted well; they shared their practical experiences. Total participants were 300 (female 88 and male 212, Ethnicity wise- Chakma 148 and 49%, Marma-73 and 24%, Tripura-53 and 18%, and Bangali-26 and 9%).

6. Monthly coordination meetings with staff: During the quarter conducted 04 coordination meetings with ALO project staffs along with UNDP project personnel. In these meetings all staffs and Mr. Ushingmomg Chowdhory was participated, shared and discussed about the progress, challenges, planning of upcoming activities.

7. Training on Repairing and Maintenance of community assets/infrastructure: 

8 day–long (09-16 February,2020) on “skill Development Training for Youths an repairing and Maintenance of Community Assets / Infrastructure” conducted by ALO with overall facilitation of UNDPs consultant, UNDP Official representative, Experienced on training topics and  senior project staffs of  ALO and UNDP Officials were also present during the training session. Total 8 Upazila of Khagrachari district and 22 Youth were attend in the training. All of the participants have expressed their great satisfaction to receive the training as they have gained much knowledge through these training most of the participants in the training session seen very attentive and interested well; they also shared their practical experiences. The participants receive required tools and of training. The training held at ALO Conference Room, Pankhaiya para, Khagrachari.

8. Monitoring & Reporting: Regularly the project activities have been monitored by the field staffs as well as undertaken frequent field visits by senior staffs to gather information and results related to the project. As per requirement all reports timely has been submitted to UNDP.