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| The Research Division (RD) of Dhaka Ahsania Mission |
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Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) is one of the few development organizations in the country having a strong Research Division (RD) to conduct quality research in diverse areas of human and social development sectors, covering most importantly education, health, livelihood development, environment, human rights and social justice. RD works as a professional support services unit to fulfill the growing demand for generation and systematic analysis of information in connection with the increasing involvement of DAM in its development activities. Thus it engages in survey and research activities addressing the in-house needs of the organization for exploring and examining the feasible approaches for development, planning, designing, piloting, assessing and improving the implementation and performance of a wide range of projects, and determining the best practices and models of socio-economic interventions.
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Secondly, the Division responds to the expanding demand for research from external development agencies comprising various national, regional and international agencies. Studies conducted for external agencies are of diverse nature dealing with different aspects/concerns of social and human development and focusing on exploring and examining development approaches, assessment of efficacy of models of socio-economic interventions, good practices and outcomes, policy and programmatic issues having relevance to the concerns of national, regional and international stakeholders etc.
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The Division also contributes towards DAM’s advocacy initiatives at various levels for bringing about positive changes in the existing situation by providing research findings and analytic works focused on micro-level projects/programmes as well as macro-level (national/regional) situations. RD engages particularly on issue based and thematic research works for generating documents for advocacy.
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The Evaluation of Ganokendra |
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In a situation of low literacy, widespread poverty and lack of information support it is a big challenge to bring a visible impact of non-formal education program in the life of the neo-literates and on the community at large. Without adequate provision for retaining the newly acquired literacy skills by the illiterates, the chances of losing much of the impact of literacy skill, is always there. In order to provide an institutional base and a structured post-literacy and continuing education program, Dhaka Ahsania Mission launched in 1992 its newly designed and structured post literacy and continuing education program through organizing a number of Ganokendras or community learning centre widely known as CLC. One of the main objectives of the GK is to provide gender development and empowerment of poor rural women. This study aims to identify the strengths and gaps of GK for promoting gender equality. Two Ganokendras were selected for the research study named Madhukari & Mitali. Information and data were collected from two types of sources: a) Primary and b) Secondary. The sources were: (a) The Area Project Officials (the officials directly related to the surveyed GK) (b) DAM Project Staff (c) The members of GK: Male and Female. (d) Non GK members of the community: Male and Female (e) Community leaders (f) Published Books, Reports, Journals of DAM (g) Documents of National policy, plan and implementation strategy (h) Attendance, proceeding and resolution books and other documents of surveyed GKs. The GK members and non GK members were selected randomly. The techniques used were: (a) Focused group discussion (FGD) (b) Individual interview (c) Informal discussion. (d) Structured questionnaire (e) Review of documents (f) Observations. As per TOR the Area Project Officials were engaged as interviewers for fulfilling the questionnaire so that they take on the responsibility of monitoring from the vantage point of the beneficiaries. The objective was also to familiarize them with the gender issues and targets of the GK for promoting gender equality. 20 GK and 20 Non-GK members from each GK were randomly selected for interview for filling up the questionnaires. Two FGD of 15 GK members, one FGD of 15 Non-GK members, one FGD of 5 community leaders were made in each GK. Findings of the study indicate both the GKs are implemented in a marginalized poor rural area. There is not even a primary school or Bazaar in the locality. The occupational pattern and income range of the two areas also show most of the people are very poor. In both the surveyed GKs, nearly 75% of the beneficiaries are women. It is seen that in both the GKs, there is no female member in the category of president or secretary which are the top post in the management committee. Female members’ participation is formed only in the executive committee.
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Evaluation Study of Community Based Continuing Education [An Action Research Project] |
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The community based continuing education project, which is an action research project, has been designed in such way to assess the impacts of the interventions on the socioeconomic conditions of the members. The project has been conceptualize in such a way if the interventions were given then what would be its impact on the community members. The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the impacts of the program on the welfare of GK members and to assess the reduction of poverty. The goal of the project was facilitating the process of poverty alleviation and improvement of quality of life of the vast rural population. In order to achieve the objectives a number of inputs were provided thorough GK to bring changes in the lives of the community. With this perspective, it was expected that Ganokendra (Community learning center) would evolve an effective community organization in the villages. The sample sizes were drawn in such a manner so that member from all training groups can be captured. This was done to determine the effectiveness of the different training components. A total of 194 GK members (experimental group) and 1223 respondents (control group) outside the GK were interviewed to meet the objectives of the study. In addition, survey of Community Workers (CW) of GK, FGDs with GK members and Ganokendra Management Committee (GMC) and case studies were conducted to supplement the survey findings. The mean age of the respondents was about 30 years. Most of them were housewives. They mostly came from landless family (about 60 percent were landless). The occupations of the household were dominated by agriculture, business, rickshaw/van and day labor. The average homestead land was 16.5 decimal. About half of the household population was illiterate. About half of the households have access to hygienic latrine. Only one third of the respondents possessed radio. A small percentage claimed that they possessed sewing machine. Proportion of under five children was below 10 percent indicating decline in the fertility over the last decade. The proportion of women in the reproductive ages is increasing possibly due to high fertility in the past (i.e. Population Momentum).
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A Baseline Report on Action Research on Community Based Continuing Education |
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Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) planned to undertake an action research to evolve a model of community based continuing education for lifelong learning of the rural population aiming at poverty alleviation and improvement of quality of life of the community. The proposed project was implemented through strengthening of 10 existing community learning centers (Ganokendra) of Dhaka Ahsania Mission located in the selected villages of Jhenidaha district. Different components were determined through baseline need assessment survey and ethnographic study in the selected communities, where the Ganokendra were located. Experimentation of different intervention models was made with different groups of beneficiaries to determine effectiveness of variation of the intervention models with regards to the objective of the project. Out of six interventions four were common for all target beneficiaries. Those were advanced literacy, further education to out-of-school children, empowerment and human development education and micro-credit. Two control areas were selected in the project areas. The control areas were selected from the existing Ganokendra of DAM so that they were not influenced by external interventions. In the base line survey a number of characteristics of the members from each centre were collected. From each centre 100 members were selected, 75 female and 25 male. The information collected in the baseline survey were education level of the members, marital status, income, homestead land, housing condition, agricultural land, household assets, status of adult education, attainment of literacy level, training status, participation in micro-credit. Besides, training skill and interest of the members in training and areas of training and involvement of the members with the Ganokendra by duration in month was also collected using a pre-designed schedule.
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An evaluation of each one teach one (EOTO) project |
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Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) believes that illiteracy is the root cause of poverty. But acquiring literacy is not enough if there is no provision for retaining literacy skills through continuing education and using skill in practical life situation. Promoting adult literacy and initiation of new approaches have been its important programme goals. DAM evolved a guided self-learning innovative approach. It was implemented as a pilot project and was called EACH ONE TEACH ONE (EOTO). The Hague-based Cordaid (an international NGO) funded the pilot project. Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) has implemented the pilot project with active cooperation of Association for Social Advancement (ASA). The pilot project was implemented in four districts of Bangladesh -- Narsingdi, Barisal, Satkhira and Gaibandha. The current evaluation of the EOTO project was expected to assess its performance and examine the lessons learned from its implementation. It was limited to the EOTO project in Barisal district as decided together Programme & Research Divisions of DAM. In accordance with objectives of the evaluation, multiple methods and tools were used for data collection. At first, attempts were made to review necessary information from available books and documents from DAM and ASA. The review was designed to understand the project goals and implementation procedures so that the evaluation objectives might be formulated in terms of the TOR. The current evaluation found that Each One Teach One Project of DAM was an innovative approach to adult literacy, especially for the learners who had difficulties in attending centre-based non-formal literacy programme. This was obviously very appropriate approach to literacy promotion, especially among borrowers of micro-credit programmes.
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Adolescent Issue as a Development Agenda in Bangladesh |
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This report presents an analysis of issues and concerns of adolescents living in Bangladesh and initiatives taken by the Government, NGOs, INGOs, and the role of development partners, in regard to policy, legal measures, programmes toward developing the vast population of adolescents as productive and responsible adult citizens of tomorrow. The analysis seeks to identify the gaps that currently exist in the above areas. And as such it makes an exploration into the significance and scope of having a comprehensive policy framework for adolescents. The study is based on both primary and secondary data. However, analysis of secondary data constituted a major part of the study. A number of relevant persons like GoB officials, NGO/INGO implementers and development planners and academics/researchers have been consulted. To give a voice of adolescents themselves several group discussions were conducted among urban and rural adolescents from both poor and middle-income group. Before finalizing the report, a sharing seminar was arranged where policy and implementation level stakeholders including GO, NGO/Civil society members and academics/researchers or experts were present. The adolescent population has grown from 21.85 million in 1991 to 27.82 million in 2001, which is an increase by 27.32 per cent. This represents the highest growth rate compared to any other population group during the same period. 53 per cent of the adolescents are male and 47 percent female. 76 per cent live in rural areas and rest 24 per cent in urban areas. According to the stages of their physical and mental growth, adolescents are further divided into three sub-strata: early adolescents, mid adolescents and late adolescents. In Bangladesh the larger group (47%) is that of early adolescents.
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An Evaluation of IBI Programme of Dhaka Ahsania Mission |
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Dhaka Ahsania Mission conducted an evaluation study of IBI program which had been implemented with its own fund. The evaluation was an assessment of its impact and the efficacy of its approach. Accordingly, the evaluation focused on two broad areas: Impact of the program, and Management issues. The evaluation was conducted in Narshindi, Barguna and Satkhira districts where the IBI program had been in operation for more than five years. The study was limited to three Areas of Raipura, Doyatola and Kulia. The selection of the Areas was made in consultation with the Program Division. The selected Areas had 147 samities with 3637 active members. A sample of 37 samities was selected from the official list through systematic random sampling. By using the same procedure, a total number of 296 active members (8 members from each samity) were selected. A random sample of 66 recent dropouts (during 2002-2004) was selected from the list of the Area Offices. Both qualitative and quantitative information was gathered to realize the objectives of the study. The data was collected through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative data was obtained through structured interview. The qualitative data was collected through group and individual discussions and review of official records. The primary target group of the IBI program was women from poor households. The primary goal of the IBI program had been poverty reduction through distribution of small loans to the primary target group. It was expected that credit would be used for increasing employment and income of the women from poor households as it was noted before, according to the official record, about 18 percent of the active members did not borrow, may be due to inability to utilize loans in profitable income generating activities. It was found that most of the respondents (97%) had borrowed from different sources for different purposes. Most of the respondents reported current outstanding loan from the IBI program and the average loan size was Tk. 6520.42. About 9 percent of the respondents reported to have loan from other NGOs, and the average loan size of which was Tk. 7237.04.
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Assessment of Literacy Status in Bangladesh |
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UNESCO, Bangladesh commissioned Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) to undertake a study in order to assess and analyse the Literacy Situation in Bangladesh in 2005. The Education Watch Survey made the first nation-wide test-based literacy assessment in the country in 2002. Since the present study followed the research design including the definition and test instruments of the Education Watch Survey, it was expected to indicate change in the literacy situation in the country during 2002-2005. The data from the Education Watch Survey was used as the baseline in assessing changes in literacy. The majority of the adult population remains non-literate mainly due to little or no schooling. The literate seems to be aware of the usefulness of their literacy skills, and they mentioned their ability to read, write and do calculations. But the link between literacy and livelihood is not clear to the majority of the people. Appropriate conditions and opportunities are needed to practice and use literacy skills. The demand for literacy skills would grow, as the country progresses towards a knowledge-based society. Further studies are needed to identify conditions and opportunities for applying literacy skills in improving living conditions of individuals, communities and nations. It has been evident that illiteracy has a poverty face accentuated further by gender dimension. The poor, the women in particular are lagging behind in literacy. Earlier interventions like NFE campaign did not produce desired results. The need for adult education is to get emphasis with the elements of life skill and skill training helpful to improve the condition of living, while primary education has to be made accessible with the provisions for quality to sustain literacy and establish a knowledge society. Continuing and lifelong learning is suitable to reduce relapse and sustain progress in eradicating “illiteracy”.
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KABP Baseline Survey on SRHR and HIV/AIDS among Madrasah Adolescent Students and Madrasah Teachers in Selected Areas of Bangladesh |
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The present study is a baseline survey among the adolescents living in the district project sites of the Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (FPAB). It is designed to explore existing knowledge, attitudes, behavior and practices (KABP) of the madrasah students of adolescent age (10-19 years old) about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues. The SRH issues being sensitive, the survey is limited to the `teenagers’. It is expected to generate information and help identify barriers to access information related to SRH issues relevant to the madrasah students of adolescent age. The survey has also ascertained the nature of knowledge, perception and perception of the madrasah teachers on SRH issues. The adolescence is a critical stage in human growth and development. What the adolescents learn during this phase about sexuality and reproductive health profoundly influences their normative outlook their sexual attitudes and behavior. The baseline survey confirms the general belief that the adolescent boys and girls, as they grow up, become aware of the changes in body and mind and become curious about sexual life. The prevailing socio-cultural norms suppress open discussion on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues. The gatekeepers seldom recognize the rights of the adolescents to know about relevant SRH issues. The survey found that most of the adolescent students of madrasah were less informed about sexual and reproductive health illness and had little opportunity to talk to outside their peer group about their feelings, queries and anxieties relating to their sexuality and sexual heath. The majority of the madrasah students, especially from Qaumi madrasah perceived SRH issues from religious perspective. Their teachers also had similar perception. Thus, many male students had expressed misconception, fear and guilt about nocturnal emissions and masturbation. The female students also expressed misconception about menstrual period.
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Baseline Survey: Action to Safeguard Human Rights of the Indigent (ASHROI) |
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This Report presents the findings of the Baseline Survey of the Project, “Action to Safeguard Human Rights of the Indigent” or ASHROI in brief, conducted during August-September 2007 by Dhaka Ahsania Mission under the auspices of the European Commission (EC). The Baseline survey was designed to be one major project activity. Objective of this survey was to provide an overall scenario of Project intervention locations with respect to human rights and justice. In this sense it was also a situation analysis exercise. As it is given for all Baseline survey, the present one was also a benchmarking of prevailing situation in each of the Project locations. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were applied to analyze community situation and benchmarking the pre-intervention state. Methods of data collection included one-on-one interview at household level, group discussion (GD) with different categories of community members, in-depth interview or case study of victims, and collection of relevant information/data from local government, other community based organizations, government and non-government agencies working at project spots or at union/upazila level. Highest proportion of respondents (about 73 %) reported slapping as a family violence. Other incidences mentioned are beating (61%), Kicking (43%), and Verbal abuse in general (52%), Call by parents’ name (57%), Push out from home (47%), always scolding (32%), Show fear of divorce (2%) etc. A negligible proportion mentioned about Repression for dowry (0.19%) and mental torture (0.23). It appears from the types of violence at family life reported that the active agent of violence or the repressor, in most of the cases, is husband and the prey of his violence is, undoubtedly, the wife.
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Impact Evaluation of the Training of CBDP Project |
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Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) with the support of Concern Universal has implemented the Community Based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP) project in three (3) disaster-prone districts of Patuakhali, Bhola and Mymensingh since October 1, 2007. Under the CBDP project, training was provided to the six categories of primary training recipient that included CLC management Committee members, Volunteers, Training of Trainers (TOT), Training of School Teachers, Training on Disaster Preparedness to UP members and Orientation for Radio Spot Managers. After the training the above groups of individuals were supposed to work in the community to disseminate information, create awareness among people toward disaster, to organize meetings with community people to develop action groups, to coordinate at community and Union Parishad levels and to prepare action plans for disaster preparedness through using local resources. A study was undertaken to evaluate impact of above training. The objectives of the evaluation was to assess the understanding level, adequacy, effectiveness and practical application of the training and to know whether the community people were more aware of the disaster preparedness today than before the training and also to assess the role played by the primary training recipients in providing training to others i.e. disseminating knowledge. For the Evaluation Study a sample of 192 respondents was selected randomly from six categories of primary training recipient groups of the 4 Upazilas, two Upazilas were from Mymensingh district and two Upazilas were from Patuakhali and Bhola districts. Two FGDs, one for male and one for female, were conducted for each Upazila and thus a total of 8 FGDs had been conducted. Semi-structured interview schedules for six categories of primary training recipient groups, covering all the issues of interest, were developed by the experts of research division. Separate sets of schedules were applied for the six categories. A guideline was prepared for the FGDs to maintain the uniformity in the to-be collected information. Data were collected by trained investigators who had masters level of education in social science. It appears from the enquiry that majority of the respondents could recall the topics they taught such as the meaning of disaster and it’s types, signals to make alert, steps to face disaster, social awareness programs, collection and exchange of disaster related information, role of natural forces in occurring disaster, role of human beings in occurring disaster and also they had gained very clear or clear understanding of the above concepts. The topics which, majority of the respondents could not recall were use of external resources, communication with Union Parishad and Upazila, planning for disaster management, role of management committee members, use of local resource but it might not indicate that the respondents had no understanding of these concepts. Rather due to the passes of time they could not recall the topics. But it could be concluded that recurrent training may clear the understanding of the topics.
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A Study on Tobacco Consumers: Effectiveness of Pictorial Health Warning Message in Cigarette or Tobacco Packet to Control Smoking and Tobacco Use |
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Package warnings on cigarettes improved significantly with passage of the tobacco control law in 2005 and the rules for the law in 2006. While warnings were previously one sentence in small print, often in barely contrasting colors placed on the side of the pack, the new warnings rotate each six months, occupy 30 percent of the two main surfaces of the pack, and include comparatively strong messages. While most cigarette companies obey the law, the few that do not are not strongly punished. It is also observed that bidi, consumed mostly by poor consumers, does not contain warnings. Further the law does not extend to smokeless tobaccos at all. While pictorial warnings were discussed during law drafting, they were not included in the final version of the law. Other weaknesses in the current law include the fact that all packs contain the same warning for six months, so that a variety of warnings are not seen at any given time simultaneously; also, the final warning on the list is a weak one (“Smoking is harmful to the health”). There is thus great need to sensitize policymakers to existing weaknesses and the potentials for improvement. The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) undertook a project with in partnership with four organizations active members of the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA) network. They are MANOBIK, WACC, PHOOLKURI and Pratyasha. WBB Trust (Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust) provided technical support in specific thematic areas on this project. As part of the Project implementation of a research study was undertaken on impact of precautionary messages on tobacco products on people from different walks of life in the country. Major objective of this research was to facilitate the advocacy activities with relevant and supporting information/data from ground level. It was also supposed to help identify the gaps in existing packaging and labeling of tobacco products and in terms of style of warnings needed to reach illiterate people. The study is based on primary data. A large number of respondents, totaling 1603, from among both the tobacco users and non-users, were interviewed on one-on-one basis. The respondents were selected randomly from all the six administrative Divisions of the country in an attempt to make the sample nationally representative. Among the studied 1603 respondents, a total of 995 (62.7%) were found to be tobacco consumers. Among them 64.4 are cigarette smoker, 14.3 are tobacco user (gul, sada leaves, zarda etc) and 21.3 percent are both smoker and tobacco user. Further, among these 995 tobacco consumers 699 (70.3%) smokes Cigarette, 213 (21.4%) smokes Bidi, 156 (15.7%) uses ‘sada leaves’, 277 (27.8%) uses ‘Jorda’, and 42 (4.2%) uses ‘Gul’. It is evident that cigarette occupies, exceeding others by far, the major position among all the tobacco products consumed.
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Strengthening Governance in Primary Schools in Bangladesh to ensure Quality Education |
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This present report furnishes the findings of the baseline survey undertaken to benchmark the pre-intervention situation of the project, ‘Strengthening Good Governance in Primary Schools in Bangladesh to Ensure Quality Education’, and known as SGGPS in brief. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were applied to analyze community situation and benchmarking the pre-intervention scenario. The baseline survey covered three unions (Shelbarash, Joysree and Dharmapasa Sadar) in Dharmapasa upazila of Sunamganj District. Findings of the survey indicate prevailing state of the good governance and quality education in primary education system in the target areas. Being a less served and poor area most of the people are ignorant about education. Infrastructures of most of the schools are very poor. Less coordination among the stakeholders and lack of sufficient teachers has left behind this upazilla from education. The total education system in the upazilla is supposed to be closed in six months of rainy season. Neither teachers perform their duty properly nor do parents send their children to the school regularly. The state of education in this marsh-surrounded upazilla is very poor. Awkward situation of this Upazilla has made different stakeholders careless about their role in education. As a result the good governance situation of the region is unstable because of the reluctance of all stakeholders to play their role.
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A Study on Use of ICT in Rural CRCs |
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This study was conducted with the objective of documenting DAM's ICT based interventions in rural communities through select Community Resource Centers. The study was based on qualitative data collected from five CRCs operating in three districts in two different regions of the country. Findings of the study indicate that CRCs have successfully initiated a process of introducing ICT interventions in rural communities, particularly targeting the rural poor and the disadvantaged groups. Area of intervention includes health, education, agriculture, IGA and community mobilization through dissemination of information for establishing greater access to and utilization of existing services in the locality.
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Study on Effectiveness and Achievement of Using Mother Tongue for Ethnic Minority Learners |
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This study was commissioned by UNESCO Bangkok as part of a regional study to generate scientific evidence on how the mother language based education (MLE) programmes have been effective for ethnic minority children. The study applied both quantitative and qualitative techniques to study the impact of learning in mother language. Large sample based competency tests were conducted across two regions where ethnic minority children from various tribes participated – both from MLE based and national language based programmes to compare and contrast. Qualitative information were also collected from a wide range of stakeholders that include the project implementing staffs at various levels, parents/guardians, learners, facilitators, teachers of formal schools (both primary and secondary), managing committee members, government education officials, and other Key Informants. Findings of the survey indicate that, in general, education programmes in mother language has initiated a positive change process in primary education scenario for ethnic minority children. Teaching learning in their own language is resulting in better learning outcome – particularly at initial levels of learning. It has also opened up a new avenue that should ultimately prove helpful to attract greater number of children to education.
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Baseline Survey of the project “Prevention of Violence against Woman through Empowerment” |
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The report was based on the findings of a survey conducted to capture the pre-intervention scenario prevailing in 3 different regions covered by the project, Preventing Violence against Women through Empowerment (PVAWTE), which was being implemented by Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) and its partner organization Concern Universal (CU), under the auspices of the European Commission (EC). In accordance with the objectives of the survey, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the pre-intervention scenario prevailing in the three regions of the project. To have a more precise idea regarding prevalence of violence in project locations, incidence of violence was inquired from the respondent. A recall method for three months reference period was used for this purpose. Findings indicate that domestic violence like Beating, Rebuking/scolding, Quarrel/clash, Threat to divorce, Overwork, Restrict movement and Stop/Suppress opinion, Create pressure for dowry, Use ill words, and Second marriage etc., are among most frequently occurring incidences. More than 50 per cent of the respondents reported above type of violence
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Upazilla Education Yearbook 2009 |
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Upazilla Education Yearbook (UEYB) was one of the major survey based research implemented by the Division during 2009-2010. This study documented the existing state of primary education scenario in 40 upazillas (sub-districts) of the country – selected from various regions – from Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) to Monga ridden Rangpur Division. Based on elaborate quantitative information as well as qualitative one, the UEYB reviewed and documented the changes in primary education in selected upazilas during 2008 to 2009. Although situation varies upazilla to upazilla, and some progress have been made over the years, the study finds that, in general, there exist some common features indicating low quality of primary education. Some of the characteristic features include higher levels of effective exclusion from the school, an unfavorable student-teacher ratio, limited use of teaching/learning materials, traditional examination system and lack of special measures for backward students, inactive SMC/non–existent PTA, lack of initiatives by local government, and lack of adequate human resource on behalf of the upazilla education administration etc. However, the upazilas are also less served and difficult physical access exists as another major barrier to schooling. While poverty, engaging children in economically gainful work, lack of awareness and positive initiatives keep large proportion of children out of school, non-formal education programmes run by NGOs have started to contribute to bring in some positive changes. But greater GO-NGO linkage and coordinated efforts are needed to make the changes more effective and sustainable.
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ACCESS Upazilla Year Book 2009 |
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The study was conducted with the support of international donor organization “Cordaid” to know the changes and achievements brought forward by the project focusing on health and also to know the good practices of the project. Unlike previous years the study depended more on primary data rather than on monthly reports sent from the Area Offices. The nature of data collected was mostly qualitative. Some quantitative information was also collected from area office and Project documents/records. As explaining study findings various steps taken from the project helped the target people to increase their awareness regarding rights. Their ability to achieve rights is increased. Quality health service is ensured. They have come to know about twenty-six types of medicines provided from the union health centers which information was totally unknown to them. The rate of taking TT injection by the children is increased through the project activities
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Research on Empowerment and Prevention of VAW In Rural Communities: Process and Perspective |
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Broader objective of this study was to develop an in-depth understanding regarding how empowerment impacts violence against women in rural communities of Bangladesh. The study was based mostly on qualitative information. Limited quantitative information was also collected that were most pertinent and was used to supplement/ complement qualitative data. Women live under male domination in every sphere of their lives. Their husbands mostly decide voting choices. Dowry is responsible to fuel family violence. Awareness is low regarding their legal rights and judicial remedial measures. Women acceptability of one who earns is much stronger than who does not earn. Govt. organizations don’t play expected role. Girl children are mentally harassed at school or at the way to their schools. Women’s sickness becomes a reason for mental torture.
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Baseline Survey of the project Improved Food and Livelihood Security in Bagerhat District, Bangladesh in the Context of Increased Disaster Risk and Climate Change |
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This Baseline study was intended to benchmark the existing scenario of the target people in Mongla, Rampal and Sharankhola Upazilas of Bagerhat District in the context of the project interventions. The study generated important information about life and livelihood situation, particularly with respect to patterns of income, expenditure, land and asset holding, food production, consumption, nutrition, food security, impacts of climate change, use of disaster shelter, special needs of disables during disaster, awareness on climate change and rights of climate change refugees etc.
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