Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) was established in 1958 as a philanthropic organization, gradually to become a national level Non-Government Development Organization. DAM works in a large number of fields including Non-Formal Education, Continuing Education, Technical/Vocational Education & Skills Training, Human Resource Development, Women’s Development and Gender, Poverty Alleviation and Institution Building, Environment, Health, Tobacco Control and Drug Abuse Prevention, Child Rights and Child Labour, Child & Woman Trafficking Prevention, Information and Communication Materials Development, Training and Research & Consultancy. DAM has also established a number of specialized institutions including a Cancer Detection Centre and Hospital.

It needs to be mentioned that Dhaka Ahsania Mission enjoys the Consultative Status (Special Category) with UN ECOSOC, is in Operational Relations with UNESCO and in Associate Status with UNDPI. DAM is a Member Global Partnership for Tobacco Control, International Agency on Tobacco or Health and UICC Global Link and International Council on Alcohol and Addictions (ICAA).

The founder of Dhaka Ahsania Mission served the department of education of the then British India and held a very important and high position. He was a prolific writer and author. It can be mentioned, that in one of the teacher's manuals the founder mentioned “Teacher will give two lessons on injurious effects of smoking in every class (1935)'. Based on the philosophy and idea to fight against tobacco, Dhaka Ahsania Mission has been advocating the same till today.

In addition to that, it was seen that in Bangladesh, a huge number of adult males and females consume tobacco in some form or other. Poor and low-income smokers are not fully aware of the dangers of smoking and tobacco use. Many cannot recollect how they acquired the habit; others would say that they acquired it from their parents and never thought it could be bad in anyway when the elders used it. Also, alluring publicity with pictorial presentations attract the illiterate and the youths. Very large advertisements in print and electronic media carrying the messages of success behind smoking are always tempting and the publicity is quite liberal and more aggressive, presenting smoking as a socially desirable habit and relating it to success in life. And by the passes of time the number of smokers increased a lot which also caused tobacco related illness and hazards. Considering the above circumstances, DAM lunched its anti tobacco programme in the decade of 90s.

The programme is designed to involve the entire community, which depends mainly on voluntary involvement of youths, students, teachers and other conscious citizens. DAM is composed of a network of Branch Committees at the local levels and a Central Committee at the apex. It also offers cooperation with different international Anti Tobacco organizations.

Since 1990, 402 network committees throughout the country were formed to highlight the dangers of tobacco and drug use. The branch committees comprise of youth groups, clubs and local NGOs as well. DAM provided training, technical support and some financial grants to assist in spreading the message of the risks and consequences of smoking and drug use. They have organized mass public awareness campaigns through seminars, rallies, symposiums, debates, street drama and essay competitions emphasizing the harmful effects of tobaccos. They raise awareness amongst the community not only on the risks to the smoker but also created the dangers of passive smoking.

DAM worked in raising mass awareness amongst the community especially among the youths about the harm related to tobacco use. The following programmes below briefly outline DAMs campaign:

Over the last two decades, DAM implemented two month-long programmes against the use of tobacco and the abuse of drugs. The programme was divided into two phases. In Dhaka, the central committee organized seminars, discussion meetings, round table meetings, rallies, award giving ceremonies and developed posters, stickers and leaflets. They also assisted the government agencies in organizing other programs and advocated a comprehensive tobacco control law to be established. Other networks, NGOs and alliances participated in the activities undertaken by AMIK. Through the branch committees, the AMIK network was able to spread throughout the country and discussion meetings, rallies, school programmes, folk songs and art competitions were organized to raise societies awareness of consequences of tobacco use at a local level.

The impact of the month long programmes were significant in creating a mass movement by the public against tobacco control. Heads of offices and public leaders also declared their decision to quit smoking providing inspiration to others to follow their lead.

Meetings and discussions were organized in around 200 schools throughout to create awareness about the dangers of tobacco in society. In these programmes, speakers including students, teachers and the elite expressed their strong commitment towards anti-tobacco activities. Materials like posters, leaflets and stickers were distributed to raise awareness. Furthermore, the schools where the programmes were undertaken were declared as No Smoking Zones and signboards were displayed for the occasion. Around 50,000 students were involved in the activities.

Several dramas were organized by the Ganokendras (Community Learning Centers in some districts). They emphasized the bad affects of tobacco use in a very convincing manner seemingly affecting the audience tremendously.

In some districts, a special type of folk song known as Jari Gan was organized by the Ganokendra of DAM. Through Jari Gan, the artists publicized various aspects and bad affects of tobacco use and it drew the attention of the common people.

Debate competitions were also organized on the theme of various tobacco issues like “smoking is taking poison” and so on. The children of local schools participated in the debates participating in awareness rising activities, which impacted, on the community. These methods were also convincing for the mass people, hence they also participated in those programmes and became extremely supportive.

On 9th June, 2001 a Human Chain was formed in front of the National Press Club demanding a full-fledged law against tobacco. The Executive Director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission along with officers and employees of the Mission, Members of the Central Committee of AMIK comprising university teachers, doctors, lawyers and other members of the civil society, elites of the city, the leaders of the community and the students participated in the Human Chain.

DAM announced its working boundary as a non-smoking zone. All institutions (College, University, Hospitals, Vocational institutes, primary and higher secondary schools and teachers training colleges) of DAM are tobacco free and volunteers are dedicated to continue its tobacco free status.

“Create a Smoke Free Area” was a campaign run by DAM and was successful in declaring 758 institutes as smoke free zones at its own cost through volunteer participation. At present, smoke free stickers are required to be pasted on water vessels and launches in Dhaka which was implemented after a discussion on a Smoke Free Environment organized by DAM in collaboration with WHO. Continuous awareness and advocacy has enabled DAM to become successful in making the community aware about tobacco use. After some time, it was successful in making certain areas smoke free places ensuring reducing harm to the environment and protecting the health and rights of non smokers.

AMIK has played an instrumental advocacy role as a member of the Anti-Tobacco Alliance in lobbying the government of Bangladesh to inciting a tobacco control law as well as restrict tobacco use. Tobacco control law was passed in the year 2005 as a result of advocacy with the Government. The law will be helpful to protect the rights of the non-smokers. There are many significant clauses in the law. As per the law, now it is an offence to advertise tobacco products on any media in the country. Furthermore, cigarette packaging must contain warning labels of the risk of tobacco use and public areas and vehicles have been declared smoke free zones with the creation of smoking areas for smokers.

Materials development was also an important activity of DAM. DAM developed and distributed tons of BCC and other materials related to tobacco. Two types calendars, Two types posters, Five types stickers and Three types leaflets were distributed all over the country. One monthly wall magazine, quarterly news bulletins are also published as information dissemination and awareness creation materials. In addition, materials developed by other anti-tobacco organizations were collected and distributed among communities to create awareness of tobacco control.

DAM received training from WHO on tobacco cessation counseling and the same was provided to other organizations for building their capacity in the filed of tobacco cessation. Building capacities of own staff as well as others is an ongoing activity of DAM. The two-day programme involved education on counseling patients to stop smoking and highlighting the health benefits of ceasing tobacco use.

Every year for observance of the World No Tobacco Day – 31 May, DAM takes a month long programme. Such programme includes calling Press Conference at the beginning of the programme, organizing discussion meeting in the HQ of DAM and at the Districts and in the Field and Area Offices of DAM to discuss various bad affects of tobacco on the person, in the community, in the country as a whole and among the coming generation.

Over the last two decades, DAM’s anti tobacco programme is covering the above areas.

DAM has developed close relationship with a number of organizations and agencies having international level activities and programmes in the filed of tobacco. They are:

• Global Partnership for Tobacco Control-GPTC.
• International Agency of Tobacco and Health-IATH
• UICC, Global Link
• World Health Organization
• MEMISA, Rotterdam, Netherland
• Bangladesh Anti Tobacco Alliance (BATA)
• WBB Trust

DAM is the recipient of Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance Award -2002

There has been a great impact of the anti-tobacco programme. The news and features of the programme were publicized through the print and electronic media which created tremendous awareness among the masses and really created a movement against tobacco use. A large number of educational institutions and public offices were instantly declared no-smoking zones and heads of many offices and public leaders were quitting tobacco setting examples for others. This will be a great inspiration for all workers and promoters of tobacco control activities particularly the Networks members.