Hasina Begum (38) is the Member Secretary of 1 no. ward Social Support Group (SSG) under Fazilpur Union Parishad which formed by the leadership of GRAWHREE Project-JSKS, Dinajpur. Several times Hasina used to go to the Union Health Centre but always she found the assigned Doctor (Dr. Tofazzol Hossain) was absent. She asked to officials when will the doctor come to the Health Centre? Answer is doesn’t know. Because Doctor of the Union Health Centre doesn’t continue his duty properly or timely; always he performs just one or two hour’s duty at the midday. Several times Hasina Begum noticed to the local UP Chairman but failed to regularize the doctor which resulting the community of Fazilpur UP always deprived from the Health Service. As the Member Secretary of SSG, Hasina were participated in different training/meeting/workshops organized by GRAWHREE Project-JSKS and she is well known about the Right to Information Act 2009 which she has informed earlier through SSG regular meeting.
Afterward, she applied to know, what about the actual office time of Doctor and the present stock position of Medicine following the RTI prescribed format to the Designated Officer in November 28, 2012. And the designated officer was informed to Hasina Begum the required information timely. Finally through the leadership of Hasina Begum and others SSG Members ensured a citizen charter to the Health Centre which is the sign of transparency and accountability. At last Hasina Begum shared this experience to others community and now people are going to take health service from the Union Health Centre and Doctor is also using attend his office timely.
Md. Shamim Reza, SSG Member of Model Village Ghoshpur. He heard the experience of Hasina Begum through meeting and he applied to their Community Clinic for information about the stock position of the clinic following the RTI prescribed format and finally he got the information within the timeframe. As a result here also created an enabling environment and through applying this process the clinic officer changed himself and emerged as a real service provider of the clinic.
Morzina Khatun Rupa, PIO-JSKS went to the Fazilpur UP Office to collect the information about safety net program of Union Parishad but was refused by the Secretary to provide the documents and told her to come some other day. Later, she went to that office several times, but did not get the desired information. After passing someday this way, she applied by RTI prescribed format and got the information within the timeframe. PIO shared this information to the group meeting and SSG meeting which ultimate result some new people specially women were involved with the Safety Net program of Union Parishad.
Nari Nirjatn Nirodh Committee (NNNC) of Sundarban and Fazilpur union of Dinajpur Sadar Upazila under Dinajpur district has taken an effectual and noticeable initiative to protect early marriage. Two letters individually signed by Md. Mobarok Ali Shah, Chairman 3 No. Fazilpur UP and Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique, Chairman, 2 No. Sundarban UP has provide (as notice) to the Imam, Purohit and Marriage Registrar (Kazi). In this letter they are requested not to execute any early marriage any way. Mentioning “Executing early marriage is a punishable crime” in that letters and adds more that, early marriage lead to occur violence, and violence against women suppresses talents and potentials of children, they deprived from education as fundamental rights and pushes them to be abused and fallen scare. They can not contribute to the family, society and the country. Adverse effect of early marriage is not only for individual its effect falls on every one living in family and society also. So women-men everyone should have one platform to protest and protect early marriage. Our accord initiative can stop early marriage in the society. Two UP chairman declared that, `we have taken initiative’ on behalf of NNNC and SSG in our community. Nobody can execute any early marriage if you all stand on defend. Without their consent no early marriage can execute and complete, they have the authority to administer and registry marriage. So we want to attach all of you with the initiative or movement until and unless we could be able to stop the early marriage. In these letters also mentioned that, if you build awareness about the bad effects or despondency of early marriage it must be effective in the community. The chairmen assured them for any kind off support from the chairmen is available. Carbon copies (Cc) of those letters have provided to UNO Dinajpur sadar upazila, OC Katwali thana and ED JSKS.
Why the initiative? In the answer Md. Mobarok Ali Shah has said that USHA and JSKS work with some development agenda and formed NNNC and SSG by their facilitation and initiatives. Project has conducted Gender sensitivity training, orientation and workshops. Thus the members of NNNC and SSG become gender sensitive on the other hand they put effective contribution to enable women friendly environment. NNNC and SSG continuing monthly meeting regularly where presented, analyzed, criticized relating issues and the decision of including Imam, Purohit and Marriage Registrar (Kazi) with the movement has taken through these forum.
Without that there has to face many challenges to proceed this movement marriage-seeker parents make the NNNC and SSG enemy, the unaware parents or family members put out of sight and complete the marriage of under adult children. In some of cases parents maximized age from Notary Public. In that way the Chairmen already informed UNO about all of the consent matters and requested to take more actions to get stop in the way. There were decided that JSKS has to follow-up the actions of the movement, initiative and the Imams, Purohits and Marriage Registrars (Kazi) should be attend at Upazial Coordination meeting. This initiative already succeed near to the benchmark and this kind of initiative can make sustainable change towards broadly development of society.
Women of our rural society can’t think that they can do so, they didn’t deserve yet. Abuses or deprivation violence suppresses potentials and will power of women and pushes them to be isolated in house and make ones homesick.
Shefali, of Bhusirbandar village of Tentulia union of Chirirbandar upazila under Dinajpur district. Shefali’s Parents Rahim Baksh and Rahima Begum have done an undeserved with her. Shefali had to get married in class eight when she was only fourteen by their unjust decision. Her husband Sadekul Islam is a surveyor of land settlement department. She was birthing two children after and after with a short interval. Shefali and Sadekul’s family was going on a passable time. Unexpectedly her husband got a road accident and they fall in a critical scarcity with her family. Her husband Sadekul had to lay on bed treatment for more than five years. Shefali had been fighting to get come round of her husband and sold her land- property, living assets and such kind of everything of her family. On that time Sadekul lost also his job. Shefali isolated by too much crisis and was sinking in dark space. She got upset but she could not think to go out of his family to overcome the crisis with her family. On that time she started poultry rearing, tailoring etc. and income lumpsum to maintain her family. Shefali’s husband recovered his health hazard after a long time and he got back his job but he lost his physical ability to deliver labor. Their family could not bring the solvency. Thus they were living with fallen status.
Shefali got membership of JSKS-GRAWHREE project earlier in 2009 and received training on ‘ Male-Female relationship’ and ‘ Small entrepreneurship’ in the same year. These trainings changed her mindset and thought that she has to take forward step to generate income. She decided to go out side the home and to bring back family solvency Then she got 20,000 /= (Taka twenty thousand only) as capital from JSKS’s Women friendly Micro credit program. She started Beef Fattening project and beside it poultry rearing etc. IGAs. Now she has 7 Cow; she earns 200 Tk. to 250 Tk. every year by selling eggs, seasonally she earn 13,000/= to 14,00 Tk. every season by selling birds. She could be able to make a capital of 150,000 Tk. Shefali didn’t stop only improving her solvency.
In 2010 she got training on Assertiveness conducted by USHA under GRAWHREE project where also took part the Saleha women UP member elected from reserve 7, 8 & 9 No. ward of Fazilpur union. Shefali inspired by seeing saleha and she decided to take part the next UP election. She informed her husband about her optimism her husband agreed with her desire and responded positively. At last Shefali took part in the UP election held in 2011 and she got win with 1210 vote differ from her immediate competitor. She expresses her acknowledgement to the Small entrepreneurs’ Forum and all of the residents. She added that, I could be able to establish myself as a self-confidant and to be determined with JSKS through the GRAWHREE project. The project supported me to be self employed, economically empowered. I created my political position. Once upon a time I was isolated within a house, very recent she received allocation by discussing with MP. `Assertive training’ build me today’s UP member. I thought to complete marriage of my younger daughter when she read in class Nine (IX) but remaining with JSKS GRAWHREE project I changed my hope and could realized how harmful act I went to do, that could spoil my daughter’s future! She thanked God that her daughter now reads in BA Honors. She deserve that her daughter will be self dependent by joining job for being economically empowered.
