Evolution

Micro-Finance Program:

Micro finance Program is the core program of all DUS activities. DUS has been implementing its major program in partnership with Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) since 2000. It provides collateral free micro-credit to its around 40K+ group members where 97 percent are female. Under this program, DUS has savings scheme for poor women who has no access in mainstream banks due to lack of capital and assets.  Most of the targeted beneficiaries of DUS are poor women, marginal farmers and small micro entrepreneurs. Major borrowers are women who used these loan funds to promote various income generating activities for their earnings and employments. As a result, micro finance program has positive impact on poverty reduction especially at grass rote level, income enhancement, consumption, the promotion of rural businesses, education and health and finally the empowerment of women and their employment in rural island communities.

Jagoron: Jagoron is the name of a credit instrument of PKSF to initiate household based enterprise development in Bangladesh. As a Partner Organization of PKSF, DUS is implementing this program which is now comprised with Rural Micro finance and Urban Micro finance. Rural Micro finance is that types of loan which allows rural women to finance their small scale agriculture production at homestead level. RMC Loans are allowed as working capital loans to promote poor and disadvantaged households in income earnings. RMC loan range from 10K to 59K to allowed for one year and service charge is 24% (Reducing Balancing Method)/12.0% (Flat Rate Method) per year. The weekly savings of RMC members are 10/= per week.

Another program under Jagoron is Urban Micro finance which allows Urban Poor People specially women to operate their economic activities in small scale. UMC loans are promoted for small business promotion in urban areas. UMC loans are allowed as working capital loans to promote poor and disadvantaged households living in urban slams. UMC loan range from 10K to 59K to allowed for one year and service charge is 24% (Reducing Balancing Method)/12.0% (Flat Rate Method) per year with 50/= savings per week.

DUS is operating Jagoron through 26,640 group members where 23,342 are female and 3,298 are male.

Sufolon: PKSF launched Seasonal Loan (now known as Sufolon) programme in the year 2006 and from the groundbreaking programme of PKSF, DUS is covering a major part of the yearly loan disbursement. Since its inception, this unique loan product has created tremendous impetus for the investment of different IGAs such as crop cultivation and processing, livestock, fisheries, agro-forestry agro-processing etc. The provision of the loan repayment in a single installment after the sale of the product has made it very popular among the borrowers, especially those engaged in beef fattening and crop cultivation.

DUS has operated Sufolon Loans where the range from the need based but up-to 50K are allowed for one year which service charge is 24% (Reducing Balancing Method)/12.0% (Flat Rate Method) per year. Now DUS is operating total 16 groups where 15 are female and 1 are male groups in this section.

Buniad: Previously this was named as Ultra Poor Loan Support which is aims to incorporate the extreme poor women households living under poverty line.  In order to incorporate the poor in savings and credit program, DUS has implementing this program in the furflang char areas of Noakhali and Bhola district. This programme promotes small farming, Poultry & Duck rearing, Kitchen gardening with health support program to the most vulnerable women household families. DUS has enrolled 3,800 members from new accreted charlands and hard to reach areas of Hatiya island. 3,725 are female member and rest 75 are male members.

Agrosor: Micro Enterprise is now renamed as Agrosor. This loan is assessed on the basis of household cash flow, business projections and the reputation of the old borrowers. The Agrosar borrowers are expected to generate equity and wage labor employment. ME loans range from 60K to 100K are allowed for one year which service charge is 24% (Reducing Balancing Method)/12.0% (Flat Rate Method) per year with minimum Tk. 50-Tk. 100/= savings per week. Now DUS is operating total 4,159 where 2,506 are female and 1,653 are male borrowers in this section.

Microenterprise Development Project (MDP): With a view to further strengthening PKSF’s Microenterprise development program, PKSF has launched a new project titled “Microenterprise Development Project (MDP)” with the financial and technical assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). MDP is designed to assist micro-entrepreneurs throughout the country carrying out environmentally sustainable and financially viable enterprises. The project aims to include an additional number of 40,000 micro-entrepreneurs under PKSF’s enterprise development program that has a present program participant base of 1.3 million at the end of 2017. This project has been designed with PKSF’s business cluster development approach. MDP loans range from 60K to 100K are allowed for one year which service charge is 24% (Reducing Balancing Method)/12.0% (Flat Rate Method) per year with minimum Tk. 50-Tk. 100/= savings per week. Now DUS is operating total 171 where 64 are female and 107 are male borrowers in this section.

8.2: Livelihood Restoration Project:

This programs aims to reduce the vulnerability of the household’s who lose their economic and valuable assets following any natural disasters affects in particular community. The LRP loan ranges allowed from 1 K to 5K with 4% service charge per year with a view to livelihood restoration of poor households those affected by natural calamities every year.

8.3: Group Member Insurance Scheme:

Under this program DUS is providing this financial assistance to the members along with their family members who die during her/his membership tenure.

8.4: Social Development Program:

DUS has been implementing number of social development projects under its catchment area of Noakhali, Laxmipur and Bhola. These are:

8.5: Legal and Human Rights:

Following 30 years of working experience with the char dwellers, DUS  learnt that most of the settlers have inadequate knowledge about their fundamental rights especially about land rights, registration & mutation process, family laws like marriage law, registration. The new settlers at char-land lives in a very vulnerable condition regarding access to land ownership. Besides, violence against women and children are regular scenario in the project catchment area. As such, women rights issues within the family and society are now addressed in Char Development & Settlement Project run by DUS.  

DUS is implementing this project in Hatiya Upaziala with the financial support of GoB and Netherland Govt. The objective of the program is to inform the members and community about several critical laws, human rights issues through training and awareness raising activities. According to the program plan, DUS is responsible for organizing and conducting training and awareness session to the group members, UP chairman, elites regarding Human rights and different laws for marriage. The program also observed the important days related to rights like human rights day, women day, children day etc.

The program is also aim to get secure land titles for the dwellers. DUS is responsible a plot to plot survey to identify parcels of land and their current occupiers for registration of title which is carried out by the land staff of the local administration. DUS also support to improve the land record system into computerized of records so that the records less vulnerable to improper alteration and more accessible to the public.

8.6: Agriculture and Value Chain:

Agriculture (field and homestead crops) is the main source of livelihoods for char dwellers. DUS has found from its long experience to work with the char-dwellers that, child nutrition is in dire state, with very visible child under-weight and stunting. Most of the men of household leave the area for seasonal work and the women have the responsibility for food. Sometimes, these women are responsible for homestead agriculture, but their knowledge of farming is limited. Thus the program is designed to overcome the challenges and develop & expand crop or non-crop products.

With the assistance of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), DUS is implementing this program aimed to developing field crops especially focused on fruits and vegetables and enable farmers to make better use of land resources. In this program period, DUS will promote fruits and timber trees to operating nurseries and qualitative & climate resilient seeds and trees for homestead gardening to the group members of DUS. There are two Agriculturists who are implementing the program at Chanondi and Nanguliar char of Hatiya under Noakhali district. The program also included ToT for agriculture coordinator, farmer’s orientation & training on the basis of demand and opportunities to introduce new technologies and Training on Nursery development. 

The program is also included demonstration on high value crop. DUS is providing climate resilient seeds, plants, fertilizer, insecticides, signboard, new technology for farming and the demonstrating the block in the two respective program areas. Training on high value chain will be also conducted for the farmers.

There are field days and motivational tour in this program activity. To disseminate the result of successful demonstration, the field days will be observance and the local visit will be conducted to exchange the farmer’s experience. There is also study on homestead agriculture and value chain. The study will identify the key production constraints and potentialities for the program intervention including adaptable new crops and technologies.

8.7: Non-Formal Education:

DUS has 0had experience of working on Non-Formal Education (NFE) since early nineties offering opportunities for basic education of children from ultra poor families unable of the char-land to get enrolled in formal primary schools, or dropouts before completing primary cycle due to poverty and/or social-structural constraints and thus remain deprived of their basic right. In this program, DUS is operating 10 nos. schools in the char-land areas comprised with 30 nos. learners in each school.

The project was initiated to enhancing the life options of the children and adolescents of the char land to give them access and rights to education, protection and development and participation. Under the project the activities there is implementing Establishment of Learning Centers, Learner selection, Teacher and Supervisor Recruitment, Teacher and supervisors’ Training, Center Management Committee (CMC) formation and activities, Livelihood Skills Education Program, Linkages with livelihood skills education providing agencies, Livelihood skills training through Advocacy, Social Mobilization and Communication for behavioral change, Capacity Building and Experience Sharing, Program Management and Monitoring, Learner’s Selection for Quality Basic Education etc.

8.8: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Education Program:

Now a day, ICT is the important subject of the development sector. Besides university level education, students need to know the knowledge of ICT. The most of beneficiary of DUS is char-land area and there is no opportunity to learn about new technology. Thus DUS has provided this program for the char-land area’s student to pursue a professional career immediately after graduation. DUS has designed the program with the aim to familiarize students with the use and workings of computers  and related accessories.  This program was initiates since 2001. There are two training center of DUS, one is in Hatiya and another is in Maizdee.  The Center is facilitated with computers, printer, scanner and internet. Both male and female facilitators are conducting the training session. DUS is implementing this program with its own fund.

8.9: Remittance Money Transfer Program:

More than one crore people of Bangladesh live in different foreign countries for earning money who are sending huge foreign remittance in a day. Most of the people are from the root area and they don’t know about the banking services which is very fast and modern to receive money from abroad. That’s why money laundering is happening regularly. Lots of beneficiary’s family members of DUS live in abroad.

In view of this situation, DUS has contracted with Bank-ASIA and Western Union Money Transfer to deliver fast and secure services of the modern banking to the group members as well as the poor people of Noakhali district. DUS is implementing this program to the respective program area with 20 nos. branches with the aim to ensure compliance with anti-money Laundering and combating financing of terrorism and access fast banking services.

8.10: Climate Change and Disaster Management Program:

DUS is geographically located at very exposed disaster risk area of Coastal Bangladesh, most of its beneficiaries as well as core staffs of the organization and volunteers including general members are experienced by the influence of topography & living experience with the community, to cope with and face any natural disaster. Further during its lifetime DUS was active in major emergency in relief and rehabilitation programs following Nov. 1970 cyclone relief, 1988/ 1991-cyclone recovery, 1998 flood response, SIDR 2007 etc. DUS is now moving beyond relief and rehabilitation into institutionalized preparedness, risk reduction and management interventions as well as long term adaptation strategies as consequence of lessons learnt while helping communities cope with the devastating effects of Cyclone SIDR, which struck in November 2007.

DUS is now implementing its Climate Change and Disaster Management Program for four thousand six hundred and five (4,605) nos. households in two char area of Hatiya Upazilla in collaboration with GoB with financial support of the Netherland Govt. The main component of the program is to focus on awareness on climate change issues and disaster preparedness through organizing and conducting disaster preparedness and mitigation issues to the staffs as well as group members. Over the project period, lot of refresher training will be also conducted. A number of pilot activities has incorporated in this program like introducing new climate resistance technologies such as improve stove, bio-digesters and wave/flood protection measures such as house-plinth-raining, strengthening to demonstrate effectiveness of these technologies for replication through private initiatives.

Union Disaster Management Committee (UDMC) is overall responsible for disaster related issues of a union. But in a remote area, it observed that, the UDMC don’t functioning actively. One of the vital components of the Program is activating UDMC as per the Govt. structure and functioning them actively. Thus DUS has linked with UDMC and arrange meeting and organized training on awareness raising on disaster and climate issues. 

DUS CCDM Program is also comprised with Climate-Resilient Infrastructure sub component which will be implemented by the LGED. Infrastructure for communications, market access and cyclone protection would be built on the respective area. This would include roads, bridges, culvers, cyclone shelter-cum school, killas, markets etc. These activities would be undertaken by LCS which would channel income directly to some of the poorest women who will be selected from the group members.

8.11: Health Program:

From its organizational inception, healthcare interventions have been an integral aspect of DUS’s holistic and rights based approach to development. The two major objectives of the DUS Health Program are to improve maternal, neonatal and child health and to reduce vulnerability to communicable diseases and common ailments. Our Health program is a combination of preventive, curative, rehabilitative and promotional health services.

DUS is implementing the Essential Health Service Delivery program with its own fund as well as financial support by Bangladesh NGO Foundation & the Netherland’s Govt. Now The Organization is operating three health clinics.

8.12: Essential Health Service Clinic:

Nizum Dwip is an isolated island from Hatiya main island. This is situated on the southern part of the Noakhali District and approximately 10000 families lives here. Most of the families are living below subsistence level who are deprived from minimum national service especially health services. DUS has established Nizum Dwip Health Clinic in 2008 with the financial support of Bangladesh NGO Foundation with the view to increasing access to quality maternal, newborn and child health services to rural populations.  The intervention employs Community Health Resources like paramedic, Shasthya Shebika, Newborn Health Worker and Community Skilled Birth Attendant to provide basic primary healthcare at the community level, to work with village health committees to motivate behavior change in the committee by addressing issues of pregnancy, newborn and child health, and also to facilitate access to obstetric and newborn care at public and private facilities.  Currently the program is promoting preventive and curative maternal, neonatal and child care practices, adolescent personal healthcare, family planning issues, basic health care, different sexual diseases through targeted household visits and community mobilization, resulting in a sharp rise in pregnancy identification, antenatal care, access to skilled birth attendants during delivery, safely menstrual practices, nutritional food habit, access birth-control services etc. In an average, 200 people are getting health related services from the clinic in a week. Besides these services, DUS also provides primary medicine in a cheap and reasonable price with the own revolving fund

8.13: Static Clinic & Satellite Clinic:

DUS is implementing this health program in the area of kaladurbazar and Bhumihinbazar under Nangolia and Nalerchar in Hatiya Island. With the financial support of the Netherland Govt. under the “Char Development & Settlement Project”, DUS has established two static and six satellite clinic in the respective area.  Actually, there are no organized family planning and health services from either government or NGOs in these areas. Though some village doctors and medicine sellers are providing health services to the char dwellers, but the facility is not sufficient for them. As there is no adequate service, people are going to mainland, which is time consuming and expensive also. And sometime the local people don’t get any services for expensive. 

One paramedic, three Health & Family Planning Workers (HFPW) along with 15 Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) are responsible for each clinic. The paramedic attends the patients three days in a week through a fixed schedule of static clinic and other three days conduct mobile or satellite clinic to cover the whole beneficiary and provide services. These services cover general health & nutrition, mother & child health care, immunization, pregnancy related care, safe delivery, basic curative services and family planning for the targeted people of DUS command area. The program also distributes the ORS, contraceptive, de-worming, micro-nutrient etc. 

8.14: WATSAN Project:

Building on its long experience of providing water and sanitation services to communities, DUS started its Water and Sanitation program with the financial and technical support of the Netherland Govt. The program is implementing in Nangolia Char and Nalerchar under Hatiya Upazilla.  Our goal is to provide sustainable and integrated WATSAN services in the rural areas and break the contamination cycle of unsanitary latrines, contaminated water and unsafe hygiene practices, as well as ensure sustainability and scaling-up of WATSAN services. The program aims to ensure access to sanitation services for four thousand six hundred & five household, safe water services with 250 nos. DTW and hygiene education for around 20000 people of the respective working areas of DUS at hatiya, nizumdwip and noakhali region.
The core of the program is the Tubewell User Group (TUG), made up of 15-20 households – with representation from all stakeholder groups. The TUG meets to assess existing water and sanitation situation of the entire community and identify issues that need urgent action. They select sites for community water sources, collect money and monitor usage and maintenance of latrines. To strengthen the capacity of TUGs, two key members from each group (both are female) is provided leadership training at a DUS facility. Till now approximately 40 nos. female have got there training. About 500 female will be trained by DUS.

Components of the programs are Water & Sanitation with Hygiene. To provide communities with access to safe water, we undertake various activities, including development of a water safety plan, DTW site & user group selection, DTW site finalize and submit DPHE, Contribution money collection, contribution money deposition, installation of deep tube well.

 
Each and every household of the project area is going to get one latrine. Thus DUS has built 400 nos. latrines and around 4200 latrine will be built in the project period. The sanitary latrine is produced, supplied and installed by DPHE. DUS also raise awareness on sanitation issues, which creates community demand for using sanitary latrines.

 
We know that installation of water supply and sanitation facilities is not enough to improve people’s health – good hygiene practices are essential. Thus DUS has adopted a number of practical approaches to promote hygiene messages that are based on socio-economic and hydro-geological conditions, culture and existing practices. Cluster meetings, using innovative communication tools, create awareness about the use of safe water, sanitary latrines and well hygiene practices.

8.15: Community Radio Program:

Now a day, a community radio is a vital issue for a development sector especially community development. It acts as a vehicle for the community and voluntary sector, civil society, agencies, NGOs and citizens to work in partnership to further community development aims, in addition to commercial or public broadcasting. A community radio stations are operated, owned and influenced by the communities which they serve.

Bangladesh Government has already acknowledged the importance of community radio and announced the Community Radio Installation, Broadcast & Operation Policy. Bangladesh is the 2nd country in South Asia in formulating policy for Community Radio. Meanwhile, Govt. has approved and provided license to 14 initiators to install Community Radio throughout the country which are already started for community broadcasting. Another 22 radios are waiting in pipeline for installation. DUS’s Community Radio is one of them. 

To address the social issues like poverty and social exclusion at the community level, empower marginalized rural groups and catalyze democratic processes and ongoing development efforts, DUS is now implementing its Community Radio intervention at Hatiya under Noakhali District. Located in the Bay of Bengal, Hatiya Island is designated as a Cyclone High Risk Area. Every year the island suffers DUS ages by cyclones and their incidental high-tides, especially in the coastal areas. However, at the time of imminent disaster, the most important disaster information and warnings are delivered by volunteers running and carrying loud speakers since the days of ‘70s. Being delivered by human power, its distribution areas and information accuracies are limited. Also even after the warnings of approaching cyclone, some part of the islanders won’t move to evacuate due to the lack of confidence on the information or by the concern of their properties and livestock. With Such background, DUS has understood that only a media to can collect the accurate weather and disaster warning information from the Meteorological Agency which is delivered fairly and simultaneously to the inhabitants. The inhabitants now trust the community radio because it is a broadcast media. Thus, in collaboration with JICA & BHN-Association Japan, DUS is implementing and broadcasting the Community Radio station for the general mass of the Hatiya and Nizum Dwip and will be broadcasted the Disaster Risk Reduction and Livelihood  promotion of the community. The Community Radio Station is approved by the Govt. of Bangladesh.     

The prime role of DUS’s community radio is giving a voice to people who do not have access to mainstream media to express their views on community development. Promoting the right to communicate, expediting the process of informing the community, assisting the free flow of information and acting as a catalyst of change are major tasks achievable by community radio. It also upholds creative growth and democratic spirit at the community level.

DUS is envisioned to provide advisory services through it Community Radio Promotion project where knowledge and information are collected, processed, produced and shared among multi-stakeholders to make it work. The station is co-managed by representatives from the community, govt., non-govt. organization, people’s organization, research institutions, academe and media.

DUS has planned to operate the Community Radio initially for four hours in a day. The programs include knowledge and information on agriculture, fisheries, livestock, science, income generation, women, youth children, disaster management, health, nutrition, social awareness, indigenous community, history, local songs and folk story, success stories and lives of great men. The radio also will air local and national development info and news, special talk shows and entertainment programs. It will deliver weather updates. Each program range will be 20 to 30 minutes in length. Special programs for special days will also be aired.

Radio Sagordwip PROFILE

1. Name of the Radio: Radio Sagordwip 99.2fm_Licence No. 32_Coverage area_ around the tower 17 square feet, Transmitter 100 oat, Hit of antena height 32 miter.

2. Registration status:

3.

2. Telephone No.:

3. Head of the organization:

Name   : Md. Rafiqul Alam

Designation :  Executive Director

4. Staff position:

5. On going programs / projects:

8.16: Research and Documentation:

DUS has a strong Research and Documentation Cell 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. The R&D cell 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 DUS 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.

DUS is implementing a research based project named Hatiya Dwip Livelihood Survey (HDLS) project with the financial and technical support of CSEAS Kyoto University of Japan. The project is being implementing in 4 villages of Hatiya Dwip i.e. Rajerhawla, Charlotia, Aladigram and Shunnorchar.

The objective of the project is to examine the empirical evidence on the natura of present and possible climate-change-induced health, migration challenges and vulnerabilities of the coastal people of Bangladesh with emphasis on women, children as well as to understand their adaptive capacity to climate threats.

This is a questionnaire based survey which is conducting by 2 field officers who are reportable to the Research and Documentation Coordinator. The Coordinator is overall responsible for data analysis, data entry, data processing, report writing, prepare case study regarding history, culture and life of Hatiya etc.

The aims of the study include the following:

• To compile evidence on the impacts of climate change and disasters on health and migration in the coastal areas of Bangladesh;

• Understand people’s especially women and children’s vulnerability, their adaptive capacity and how government programs and policy influence can improve their ability to cope with future climate change;

• Identifying likely patterns of health vulnerabilities, their impulses and the likely number of people who will be vulnerable to climate change induced health challenges;

• Identifying likely patterns of migration, their impulses and the likely number of people who will be vulnerable to climate change induced migration;

• Assessing human insecurities caused by climate-change induced migration including impacts on livelihoods and income, loss of social capital, impact on traditional coping mechanisms, impacts on already marginalized groups;

• Identifying adaptation strategies and policies including options for non-migration;

• To produce recommendations for further research on the availability and appropriateness of data, gaps in knowledge and relevant policy gaps relating to health, migration and climate change;

• Exploring governance and institutional approaches that can support strategies to anticipate, prevent and where necessary, manage climate-change induced health and migration challenges

DUS is implementing the project to assess the present status, challenges and coping mechanism of the local people, to have a clear understanding of the present and potential vulnerabilities as well as way forward to address them adequately. As such, the findings of the study can greatly help in policy advocacy as well as design and undertake appropriate project interventions.