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Strengthen implementation of the tobacco control laws in khulna divisi |
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Strengthen implementation of the Tobacco control act, particularly provisions of making public places and public transports smoke free in 6 districts of Khulna Division through collaborative efforts with local civil society organizations, local administrations, owners and authorities of public places and public transports, teachers, imams and local government institutions. |
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AID initiated this program in 2001 and now it is going on covering 8 premises in 6 six upazilas of Jhenaidah district. The program is being operated comprising of IGA training, group savings, providing financial support for IGA (like-micro enterprise, cow rearing, goat rearing, cow fattening, fish cultivation, purchasing van-rikshwa, sewing machine, loom, and agricultural products, setting up small shops, handicrafts etc.), and group meeting on various issues relevant to their life as well as identifying their problems and information dissemination on know how to solve their problems.
It is estimated that about 22% people of the country have no shelter. They pass their night at platform; footpath and some are in the house of others. Underprivileged people of urban area live in the slum, while the people in rural area live on riverbanks, roadside, irrigation canal and at some other similar places. Their children are growing up there. To ensure the shelter facility of underprivileged people, with the financial assistance of Bangladesh bank, AID launched low cost housing project for the shelter less people in 2003, with a view to rehabilitate the shelter less people. The program has covered all the villages of Sadar and Kotchandpur upazillas of the district. During the reporting period a total number of 146 families have been provided with housing facilities. About 650 members of the families living they’re in their own house. Now they are no more shelters less
AID established a two-storied training center namely AID Central Training Center (ACTC) at the premises of its head office in 2002 with the financial assistance of the Embassy of Japan. The main objective of the training center is to upgrade the quality of life of the underprivileged and disadvantaged people, especially the persons with disabilities, by enhancing their income generating capacity through various technical and vocational training.
The training center is furnished well along with a 200 seated Hall Room, 18 seated Conference Room (Air condition), 36 seated Dinning Hall and a Guest House containing 08 Residential Rooms (including 03 air conditioned rooms) having the capacity of 25 person’s accommodation. Other facilities like training materials, projector, recreation, support-services etc. are available here.
AID has a training cell consisting of a group of skilled and experienced personnel. They are engaged in development of all sorts of training materials as well as conducting various skill development training like Disability Development, IGA, Human Resource Development, Gender Development, Good Governance, Human Rights, WATSAN, Community Health, Organic Agricultural Development, Environment Friendly Woven Production, Organizational Management, Project and Program Management, Financial Management etc. The ACTC not only serves the purpose of AID and its stakeholders but also various Government and Non-Government Institutions and Organizations of the country avail the opportunity here to conduct training, workshop, consultation meeting, seminar, conference, research activities etc.
AID believes that the PWDs are the unnoticed wealth of national human resources and if they are provided adequate scopes and opportunities in enhancing their capacity they must be a part to carry on our development initiatives. Considering this reality, AID is serving for the PWDs since its inception. 2 CHDRPs of AID provide PRT both indoor and outdoor to the PWDs as per their needs, which helps the PWDs to be capable to move easy and free, and makes their life agony free. The PWDs, who needs PRT, are identified through baseline survey.. To make the PWDs self-dependent through creating employment opportunities, AID provides financial support to them for initiating income-generating activities (IGA) after providing them capacity enhancement training. AID has established an orthopedic workshop in 2002 with the assistance of the Embassy of Japan where assistive devices like crutch, parallel bar, walker, AFO and KFO etc. are produced for the PWDs. AID arranged different skill development training for the PWDs as well as their guardians. We do believe that appropriate training will enrich the capacity of the PWDs and help the guardians to be more practical on disability issues.
Lack of proper educational infrastructure and coordination among GO-NGO CWDs are not getting education facility properly. Realizing the fact AID launched DCR & AEP project to establish an educational environment where targeted children get an opportunity to become educated and other facilities. As part of creation of educational environment, AID has established 02 accumulated education centers at Shatbaria and Kalikapur village in Jhenaidah sadar upazila. In this connection 02 well-trained teachers have been recruited for providing education to the children in a comprehensive manner. AID also arranges parents meetings to make them careful about their children’s education at home. Besides this all the enrolled CWDs are provided with skill develop training and medical support (where applicable).
AID’s orthopedic workshop is a pioneer of this region in the context of producing artificial limb. The workshop produces crutch, Walker, Parallel bar, AFO and KFO. This is not a business; we are producing these products to help the PWDs and CWDs. The product of AID’s orthopedic workshop is providing unique support to the physically disabled men and women through assistive device. A good many number of PWDs are getting the device facility from AID’s Orthopedic Workshop, which is contributing to lead an agony free life of PWDs. Samia Khatun a one legged <physical disabled > women; now she can move freely.
Traditionally, agriculture production in Bangladesh is oriented towards paddy cultivation, to the extent that signs of monoculture have appeared during recent years, with partly decreasing yields. AID intends in this sector to promote sustainable agriculture technology and practices of land use for making economically profitable, socially just and ecologically sound towards the improvement of environment. AID also intends to focus on the alternative utilize of available land, particularly for social forestry and homestead gardening. Attention is given to the best use of the alternative land in a profitable agriculture sector so that it could lead to the improvement of the local resources base and employment scopes of small and marginal farmers and entrepreneurs especially women and poor people.
Current activities of SAEP are:
• Transfer technology for sustainable agriculture
• Diversify crops
• Establish market linkage for product marketing
• Transfer modern fish culture technology
• Tree plantation
• Provide agriculture technology training
• Reform & development lands for maximum utilization
• Provide homestead vegetable gardening training
• Facilitate nutrition education
• Promote village nursery
• Provide logistic support
• Promote poultry for nutrition
• Organize campaign on sustainable agriculture and sound environment
• Conserve tropical forest
• Raise awareness on wildlife protection and ecologically critical area conservation
• Create alternative income and employment for wetland community,
• Advocating local government and private, institutions for sustainable agriculture and environmental balance
• River conservation , Nabaganga Bachao Andolon
AID has played a dynamic role in the past 5 years by initiating and implementing program in organic agriculture, which influenced government policies and policies of voluntary organizations in favour of organic agriculture. AID in co-operation with several NGOs and thousands of organic farmers developed the first set of organic standards with relevance to agro-climatic and agricultural practices in the country. In order to promote organic agriculture based upon local and domestic markets, AID has also developed the first manual on organic bazars and initiated the process of producer-consumer partnership in sustainable agriculture. AID also has done pioneering work in the field of bio-diversity by identifying various legume, cereal and pulses, which are not cultivated, but included in the food basket of rural poor and developed programs to conserve these crops in order to ensure foods security in the local area. For the Jhenaidah, AID in collaboration with Bangladesh Agriculture research institutions has prepared a manual for appropriate organic farming methods taking into consideration the situations in the region – soil, climatic, social, economic, and biodiversity. This manual is being followed by the organic farmers of the region and is also used as training material during the training of local farmers.
AID, with its experience of working in the area of organic agriculture for more than 5 years, has vast knowledge and resources in this field. Tapping on this expertise, AID is successful in conducting various training courses, workshops, and seminars in the field of organic agriculture and related practices of certification and marketing. AID regularly conducts training courses for small and marginal farmers in Jessore – Jhenaidah region, particularly women farmers of Jhenaidah, on organic farming practices and environment. With AID’s initiative in some parts of the district in bringing about alternative marketing methods for organic products that benefit small and marginal farmers, AID organizes regular training in alternative marketing or organic bazaars.
Several years of experimentation in local marketing of organic produce by AID has resulted in the development of a system of local marketing suitable for the rural and urban context in Bangladesh. Organic Bazaars in Jhenaidah will be strengthened through workshops for consumers, increased involvement of the organic farmers and consumers and with better infrastructure. Local farmers organization, farmer based training programmes and low cost community based certification are the salient aspects of organic bazaars
Tissue Culture system of banana sapling production is one of the innovative steps to produce large number of banana
sapling at a time. In this method, within a short time, a large number of disease free saplings of same age and size are produced that are similar to mother plant in terms of productivity and quality. Considering the above, AID strong-willed to introduce Tissue Cultured Banana Production (BARI Kola-1) in Jhenaidah district. 03 villages have been identified through an assessment survey where 75 beneficiaries farmers have also been selected in order to introduce the proposed technology 75 beneficiaries farmers have been imparted training located at 03 project villages in 03 separate batches comprising with 25 participants in each batch. Mainly the farmers are made to familiar with the Tissue culture banana technology by the training for 03 days period. 03-demonstration plots have been established in three project villages, each plots contains an average 1-acre of land. A total of 16 farmers have provided their land for demonstration plots.
Almost every year we are confronted with various natural calamities like absence of rainfall, heavy rainfall, flood and cyclone, etc. As this calamity causes a severe loss of our lives and wealth, it affects on our total economy. Consequently, AID kicked off environment development program in its working area in 1996. The program covers the following environmental concern. AID has included discussion session on environmental issues during meetings with its target groups organized under various projects and programs. Staffs of respective program and project disseminate information relevant to nature, ways and impact of the environmental pollution as well as the duties and responsibilities of the people in protection and promotion of environmental balance to save all of our lives. It is a matter of concern that atmosphere of the world is warming day by day; if this process is continued then 15% territory of Bangladesh will go under water by 2040. AID has started its social forestation program since its inception. Besides, AID provides large number of saplings to its group members to motivate and inspire them in homestead gardening and plantation on roadside, pond side as well as around their lands. In Bangladesh most of the people use wood, bamboo, leaves, straw, dried cow dung etc. as fuel for cooking. When these things are burnt out produce dense smoke. Smoke causes serious harm for health especially of women and children. To this context AID initiative is to transfer environment friendly improved oven production and installation technology and produce low cost oven for beneficiaries. To ensure smooth flow of Nabaganga river AID has taken massive program, which includes advocacy, mass awareness and research activities. Besides conventional method of public sensitization AID has initiated more up dated means.
Biodiversity Conservation from the perspectives of preserving on farm and off farm bio-diversity, safeguarding medicinal herbs, providing food security and generating more incomes for small farmers are implemented. AID has worked in the field of bio-diversity during the past years and has identified cereals, pulse and legume crops, which are getting fast extinct. Documentation of these crops, cultural practices and economic value of them has been assessed. A manual has also been prepared to propagate these crops in the region. Efforts are made to stress on the economic value of the crops and integrate them in organic farms. Consistently introducing bio diversity and indigenous knowledge related products in the organic bazaars and the local marketing initiatives.
AID feels a deep responsibility to care for the local environment and to encourage others to do so too. AID has provided training and seedlings to encourage community groups to plant trees and grow vegetables, which not only improves their local environment but also provides families with nutritional food. AID’s current agricultural program is an action research project in based in a village in Kotchadpur entitled “Poverty Alleviation through Group Farming Approaches”. The project is investigating how group farming approaches and the formation of a farmers club, coupled with training can be used to increase the crop yields of resource poor farmers. AID has also carried out campaigning against the excessive planting of tobacco in the Kushtia districts.
The overall objective of AID-HNW is to achieve a sustainable improvement of the health, nutrition, including family planning of the population particularly vulnerable groups of it’s working area through reducing maternal mortality rate, reducing total ferity rate, reducing malnutrition, reducing infant and under five mortality, reducing HIV/AIDS, malaria and other common diseases.
As the water level of this region is going downwards one after another rapidly and this is causing a serious problem of arsenic contamination. As the contamination magnitude is acute here in Jhenaidah district, so as a leading NGO of this district AID is operating a massive initiative with the technical and financial supports of different donors and partners. 
AID started this program in 4 rural villages as a pilot project in 2000 and by the end of 2008 it covered 182 villages of the district including the activities- Area survey, Testing of arsenic contamination in tube well, The activities also includes community awareness meeting, Introducing and installation of safe water supply technologies like rain water harvesting plant, Pond sands filtration plant and Dug well along with Providing Treatment of arsenicosis patients. AID launched sanitation program in its working area in 2000 and initiating to laying no people out of sanitation in the area by 2010. AID is operating this program including Community awareness meeting, Training for community leaders, representatives of local govt. bodies, GO-NGO health service providers, students, teachers and management committees of educational institutes along with its own staffs, Arranging peoples theatre, film show and folk song, Advocacy with UP, DPHE and LGED and Providing sanitary latrines to its group members at reasonable cost. During the year 2008, AID provided a total of 100 sets of slab and ring to the community people.
Action In Development – AID has been implementing awareness-building activities on HIV/AIDS among the mass people of their respective area since 1999. Besides these AID is working for the development of floating sex workers about their safe trade, blood transmission and drug abasement. During the year 2008 AID becomes a partner of a crucial network, implementing project on “Advocacy and Sensitization of Religious Leaders, Community Leaders, Parents and Policy Makers on HIV/AIDS”. The network is formed under the Global Fund for prevention of HIV/AIDS among young people in Bangladesh. Padakhep Consortium is overall responsible for execute the project. In connection with the implementation, during the 2008 following activities has been accomplished. Imparting training to the women labor surviving with HIV/AIDS risk.As parts of its awareness build up program during the year 2008, a total of 250 chatal women workers have been imparted training in 25 separate batches comprising 10 participants in each baths. The main objectives of the trainings are to make conscious to the people surviving into HIV/AIDS risk. In this connection chatal women workers have been selected who are living dangerously among HIV risk. 02 well-trained trainer of AID conducts the training
Reproductive Health Services; maternal care, family planning, maternal nutrition, adolescent health care, management and prevention/control of RTI, STI and HIV/AIDS, Child Health Services; immunization, treatment and management of diarrhea and other childhood diseases, treatment.
AID’s early learning programs prepare pre-school age children for school by improving reading and math skills and expand access to primary schools. By enriching early learning opportunities prior to formal education, children will increase their confidence and will be less likely to dropout. Promoting school management committees and parent-teacher associations will mobilize family and community support for quality learning and reduce corrupt and unethical practices.
AID is improving children’s and teachers’ skills and performance in the classroom and other settings. The program will help strengthen basic reading, writing, numbers, math and critical thinking skills and will also introduce the idea of “reading buddies,” where children increase their skills by reading to each other. The program will reduce grade repetition, keep children – especially girls – in school and provide more effective learning opportunities for disadvantaged children. Key elements include the following: Improved teaching; Strengthened school management and governance.
This program was launched in April 2000 with financial assistance of Ministry of Primary & Mass Education of GoB. The main objective of this program is to improve the quality of life of the underprivileged children through creating an environment where the society will have a positive attitude towards the street children. It is a comprehensive intervention program for the underprivileged children having 4 components like health service, psychological counseling, skill training, job placement, along with the non-formal education. The main objective of this program is to improve the quality of life of the under privileged children through creating an environment where the society will have a positive attitude towards the underprivileged children. Activities of this program are based on a good number of informal education Centers. Almost 150 underprivileged children are being benefited through this program.
The major portions of AID working areas are in low-lying, haor-basin, mushy and beneath -hill which are commonly affected by floods & flashes while there are heavy rainfalls. Considering the situation, AID is providing services to the community people for disaster risk reduction through awareness buildup, relief and rehabilitation to the victims of natural calamities such as floods, cyclone, heavy rains, earthquake and draughts. Therefore the ultimate goal of the DRRP is to reduce disaster risks and compensate the victims to restart their livelihoods again. After flood agriculture rehabilitation activities implemented by AID, for landless poor farmer.
Action In Development - AID, Jhenaidah is going to observe WNTD on May 31,2010 at 13 upazilas and 6 districts of Khulna division as a part of its ongoing Tobacco control project (BI funded).
