Strengthening Local Democracy in Bangladesh

Local solutions require local democracy

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — eight goals for progress in overcoming hunger and poverty by 2015 — are global targets, but the solutions must be worked out locally. And the only way grassroots people can ensure that this happens is through strong, accountable local democracy.

Local democracy is weak in Bangladesh, and corruption is widespread. In addition, severe gender discrimination marginalizes the participation of half the population.

The Hunger Project-Bangladesh has implemented nine large-scale interventions to strengthen local democracy, transform gender inequality, and demonstrate that — when these steps are taken — the people of Bangladesh can succeed in building lives of self-reliance and dignity.

 

Nine Large-Scale Strategies for a Self-Reliant Bangladesh 

Animators are highly trained grassroots volunteers who mobilize their communities for self-reliant action. The four-day animator training deeply grounds participants in the principles of gender equality and self-reliant development. Animators meet monthly in their area, and more than 10,000 gather each December for a national reunion. To date, we have trained nearly 100,000 animators across all 64 districts of Bangladesh.
The 40-Point Protocol is a measurement tool used by animators to focus community efforts in the 40 most high-leverage actions to achieve the MDGs. Progress on issues like school enrollment, sanitation, prevention of dowry and other issues are tracked in every community each quarter.
Vision, Commitment and Action Workshop (VCAW): Mobilization begins when villagers participate in a one-day workshop. The VCAW transforms people’s resignation and has them recognize that they are the key change agents for a better future. People create a vision for their village free from hunger, set priorities, and make a plan to start actualizing that vision into reality based on their own resources.
Strong Union Parishads: The union is a cluster of 10–20 villages, and the union parishad (UP) is the elected local council — the basic unit of local democracy. All the work of our animators is focused in 508 unions in a coordinated strategy with the UP leadership. A 10-point strategy is under way to demonstrate that combining a strong UP with a mobilized population can achieve the MDGs.
National Girl Child Day: Each September 30, 800-1,200 events are organized across Bangladesh by an alliance of organizations catalyzed by The Hunger Project. The events are a milestone in yearlong campaigns by the alliance to focus attention on ending all forms of discrimination against girls.
Youth Ending Hunger (YEH) mobilizes more than 100,000 secondary- and college-age young women and men across the country to work for the development of the country. YEH activities range from debate clubs, to advocacy with the media, to establishing young farmer cooperatives.
Self-Governing UP Advocacy Group: The Hunger Project has catalyzed the creation of a bottom-up advocacy movement made up of elected UP representatives, who press the central government to shift more resources and decision-making power to the local level. The UP representatives, many of whom have taken the animator training, are pressing the central government for greater resources and decision-making authority.
SHUJAN, Citizens for Good Governance: The Hunger Project has also catalyzed a top-down advocacy movement of highly respected and influential people, including former government officials and representatives of the media and academia. SHUJAN is organized at both the national and district levels to press for policy reforms to reduce corruption and strengthen local democracy.
BACHAN, Keep Our City Alive: Dhaka is officially the most polluted city in the world, and dirty water and air are major killers of malnourished children. The Hunger Project has catalyzed the creation of an environmental movement — which has combined protests against industrial polluters, advocacy for the elimination of plastic bags and high-polluting scooters, and direct citizen action — to clean up the city.