Date of visit: 08 December 2014
Place visited: Chatnai Block-8 & Daholpara Gucchagram of Purba Chatnai Union under Dimla Upazila
Name of the visitors:
- Mara Russell, Director Food Security, CARE-USA
- ATM Zubaidur Rahman, Resource Management Coordinator, SHOUHARDO II Program, CBHQ
- Subrata Kumer Saha, Regional Coordinator, Rangpur Region
- Mohabbat Ali, Regional Program Manager, Rangpur Region
- Mustafa Kamal, Executive Director, JSKS
Objective of the visit: To see the activities under taken by SHOUHARDO II Program implemented by Jhanjira Samaj Kallyan Sangstha (JSKS) in Dimla Upazila of Nilphamari district.
Major Events visited: Meeting with VDC, Cattle vaccination program, ECCDC, Pond fish culture, Key hole garden, CHD, Community led initiatives, Meeting with Mothers group, Hotchpotch program by Mothers Group, Meeting with EKATA group members and School renovation.
The distinguished visitors keenly visited all the events carefully, shared experiences/feelings of the beneficiaries, the contribution of SHOUHARDO II in changing the daily lives in particular for the poor and extreme poor (PEP) families. The beneficiaries highlighted before the visitors that:
- Due to having training and support in the form of cash and kind their income is raised and can managing food for the family members three times in a day. Learned and practicing modern farming system
- Health, hygiene and nutrition status improved for the pregnant/lactating mothers by practicing some of the basic hygiene practices they usually ignored before
- Supplementary ration support kept the mothers and their children far from diseases and they understand the importance of food for mothers and children
- Women are becoming empowered and are involving in the family level decision making process, having control over assets, increased the mobility
- Establishment of ECCDCs for the development of the less privileged children for their physical mental development
- Liaison/coordination with the govt. service providers increased and Union Parishad become supportive to the poor and extreme poor families
- Increased access to the local resources such as road side cultivation, khas land etc.
- Sensitized over disaster and climate change adaptation
The beneficiaries proposed to continue such a comprehensive program like SHOUHARDO II for the development of the PEP households in Bangladesh.
The distinguished visitors concluded the day long visit with a vote of thanks to the beneficiaries for their enthusiastic and honest comments on the program. Particularly Mara Russell strongly underlined that she would advocate to the people of United States to continue their best support in Bangladesh.
