ICA Bangladesh: Highlights



1.Community Empowerment Ghoramara Human Development Program in Chandpur

  • School building used as a multipurpose human development centre
  • Community sign installed at the entrance on the school wall
  • Student enrollment hits 100, fee collection initiated and teacher doubles up as  community facilitator
  • Two community meetings and four small consultation meetings conducted
  • Colleagues Richard and Maria Maguire from Australia and an intern (Ayano) from Japan visited and helped facilitate community meetings
  • School furniture for 50 students purchased with ICA members contributions
  • Working Gifts fund raising program initiated, a Bangladeshi family in the  US expressed  interest in supporting a child’s education
  • Community people serve on the Project Implementation Committee

Phulki project with street children in Dhaka City

  • Education, skills training, educational materials and stipend provided for 30 children.
  • Guardians, voluntary organizations and city councilor help with literacy and life skills projects
  • A project management committee is being formed.

2. Research and Advocacy             Understanding religious militancy and terrorism in Bangladesh

  • The project was completed in 2011 and reports published in the ICAB website, ICAI magazine and other social media
  • ToP methods used in the presentation of the findings at various forums
  • Two conference papers produced from the report
  • Positive evaluation and appraisal made by the funder’s review committee

3. Training and facilitation

  • Members and staff practiced ToP methods at various meetings.
  • Three members and a staff member used ToP methods at the projects in Chandpur and Dhaka
  • “Virtual” participation by two members at regional ICAI meetings
  • Visits by colleagues, including Duncan Holmes from Canada and Sylvia from the US, help local team building and faculty development
  • Three members and staff attend trainings with Plan Bangladesh and BLAST
  • The research team learnt to use participatory ToP methods in the terrorism study

4. Organizational development and team building

  • ICA Bangladesh awarded a new membership in 2010 and two general memberships in 2011.
  • We had one intern from Japan and another from Bangladesh in 2010.
  • Office decorum and regular meetings for training and planning activities, accounting system and communication system are in place (2011 AGM held; audits done for 2010 and drafted for 2011; Budget 2011 and action plan 2012 devised)
  • Board expanded from 5 to 7 members
  • ICA brochure published and distributed at home and abroad; website updated
  • Established book keeping and accounting procedures, including use of software, monthly financial statements and audit report; staff taught to manage correctly.
  • Maintained office with paid staff, two in Dhaka and two in Chandpur for teaching, community facilitation and life skills training. Five part-timers hired for different projects
  • Virtual attendance at ICAI regional meetings and sub-continental meetings
  • Winning proposal for Phulki submitted, and TUC Japan funded for 2012
  • Two local partnership fund raising begun; income generating scheme from business royalty introduced; a consulting agreement with USAID through MSH initiated for 2012
  • NGAOB quarterly reports, annual report, DC (District Commissioner)  reports related to foreign funds cleared in 2010 are submitted along with 2010 audit
  • Continued to receive sponsorship from Bangladeshi members and colleagues in Australia and Japan

We face various challenges. ToP faculty is not able yet to offer courses for income generation; most members do not have the time for regular training. Next is fund raising for core expenses such as office and staff. We receive support from ICA Australia. We have had some success with income generation through consulting service and royalty from business development. But without a trained and skilled team, we cannot submit big proposals for campaigns such as education for street children, village projects, women empowerment, income generation activities, and water and sanitation facilities.

 

 

ICA Bangladesh was registered in 2004 as a charitable society under the Societies Registration Act and in 2009 as an NGO under the Foreign Donations Regulations (Voluntary Activities) Act. The above are some of our latest accomplishments:



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