Area of Activities

Program Description

 Accomplishment

Strategy: Social Mobilization for Self-reliant Action

Animator Training

Animator training.

Animator Training is a highly empowering, inspiring and motivating training course; it is the bread and butter of all activities. During the last decade, we imparted Animator Training to nearly 100,000 social-activists. They have continued to catalyze social movement, involving people of all walks of life, to create a hunger-free, self-reliant Bangladesh.

During the period from April to September 2007, we provided Animator Training to 8,039 social activists, 3,432 of whom are women.   

Vision, Commitment, and Action Workshop (VCAW)

VCAW is our most powerful mobilization tool.

65,940 people: 40,564 of whom were women, participated in 942 VCAWs.

Local Organization

Our trained Animators and grassroots people formed multiple organizations

327 local organizations have been created.  Among them, 183 are led by women

Skills Training and Income-Generating Activities

Skills training is the key to reaching self-reliance, which enhance one’s potential.

About 5,980 men and women received skills training.  About 62% of those participants have established their own business. Through their activities their incomes have increased 1000 – 7000 Bangladesh takas (US$15-$30).

Strategy: Intervention for Gender Equality

Year-long Foundation Training Course on Gender Issues

Women leader foundation course.

Women in our country are deprived of their rights; they are subjugated. To empower them, and unleash the catalytic leadership qualities of these women, we have been imparting special training focusing on gender issues to grassroots women leaders. They, in turn, mobilize other grassroots women against social injustice, discrimination, dowry, early marriage etc., and establish their participation in decision making processes, from within the family, to various levels of state.

During the last six months, special trainings on gender issues were given to 750 women.  They formed a platform named Bikosito Narre (Enlightened Women), and 1,302 workshops were organized where 55,100 women and men participated. These trained women have arranged 512 courtyard discussion meetings and carried out campaign rallies of their own initiative and with their own financial means, to raise awareness about early marriage, dowry, malnutrition etc. They also stopped 64 early marriages, formed 112 women’s groups/ organizations and are providing skills training for self-employment.        

100 Success Unions

Our trained animators are intensively working in 508 Unions following ten steps to bring about an overall improvement in the quality of life of the people of these unions.

During the last six months, through individual, group, and coordinated actions of all concerned, the following accomplishments have been made:

a) Primary education rate 81% to 95%.

b) Immunization coverage of children 85 to 95%,

c) Sanitary latrine coverage 75% to 100%

d) Early marriage 40% to 25%

e) Birth registration 100%

f) Dowry 45% to 30% average.  

Local Democracy and Mobilization of Local Elected Representatives

Strong and effective local government is one of the preconditions to building up a hunger and poverty-free, self-reliant Bangladesh. The Hunger Project - Bangladesh has been working towards strengthening local government under the banner of Self Governing Union Parishad Advocacy Group (an organization of elected representatives of local government). We are also mobilizing the elected representatives to raise their voices for decentralization of power and resources. 

Active initiatives of the elected representatives during the period April to September resulted in the following accomplishments:

a) 102 union Parishads have reached 100% sanitary latrine coverage.

b) 133 Union Parishads declared 100% birth and death registration.

c) 105 Union Parishads arranged open budget meeting to ensure transparency and accountability.

Shujan: Citizens for Good Governance

SHUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance), a platform of committed, active, honest and conscious citizens, has been created by The Hunger Project Bangladesh. The purpose of Shujan is to: strengthen grassroots democracy, ensure transparency and accountability of local administration, and take initiative at the national level to reform and formulate pro-people policies. Participants also work for election reform so that honest and competent people can be elected at all levels of government.

Over the last six months, Shujan organized 20 roundtable discussion meetings, 26 television talk-shows, and 15 election olympiads and debate competitions, to raise awareness and put pressure on policy makers. As a result, The Election Commission has incorporated about 70% of the suggestions in their proposed new Election Law. This will hopefully ensure a free and fair next parliament election, and prevent dishonest, corrupt people from running in elections.  

National Girl Child Advocacy Forum

The National Girl Child Advocacy Forum is the only forum in Bangladesh focusing on the eradication of all forms of discrimination against girl children.

There were 2,103 events, which included: 299 local and international organizations, eight round tables cooperating on different issues, and 32 human chains (demonstrations), protesting violence against women. 

Participatory Action Research
(PAR)

PAR Workshop.

The Hunger Project recently initiated a program called 'Participatory Action Research' (PAR) in order to help the most deprived and disadvantaged groups of society to think together and take responsibility for and be authors of their own future. These deprived poor people examine the causes of their own poverty and come to realize that they must individually and collectively provide leadership to improve their own condition. This program is now running in five districts, with over 10,000 participants. Local animators are playing the role of facilitators.        

The members of PAR activities have formed 27 poor people’s organizations to change their socio-economic condition through different types of productivity.  They also stopped 12 early marriages.

Youth Ending Hunger

Youth leaders training.

"Youth Ending Hunger" is a forum of thousands of meritorious students.  The Hunger Project-Bangladesh is mobilizing students across the country under the banner "Youth Ending Hunger" to unleash their leadership and creative faculties as well as to instill a sense of social responsibility.    

YEH volunteers organized 102 different issue-based campaigns covering: nutrition, education, family planning, tree plantation, the environment, and more.  Moreover, they also helped to build nine libraries and organized 95 study circles, 37 debates and multiple blood donation programs.