USS has implemented “Community Development and Monga Mitigation for the Poor through Upgrading Social Capital (CAMPUS)” project at Bhodaburi, Ketkibari, Gomnati and Bamunia Union of Domar Upazilla under Nilphamari district since 2008 and it was continued 31st December 2017. Project area was located in remote border side, where people are fighting extreme poverty. Realizing the area context USS and AAB launch a program with a specific goal of socio-economic development and controlling livelihood security through accessing public resources, empowerment of extreme poor and marginalized people where justice and democratic governance issues are being addressed in a comprehensive and integrated manner. People were living in poverty in remote areas especially the women of working area are the direct programme participants.
Impact: People living in poverty especially women, children and youth including persons with disability (PWD) with secured access to and control over resources, and quality services leading to an improvement of their livelihood condition.
Outcome (s): 1.People with strong support of the community is calming rights on collective way.
2. Poor people’s especially women, children and youth including persons with disability
access to public resources & services enhanced (Health, Social welfare, Upazila
woman affairs, agricultural, land office and livestock).
3. Local govt. and different service providing institute become responsible to deliver their
services to poor and person with disability (PWD) people securing democratic space
and commitments for accountable service delivery and gender responsive governance
mechanisms.
4. Local Governments implementing progressive tax policies, regulatory systems and
equitable distribution of resources for public service provision.
5. Women, girls, and youth including persons with disability have capacity and leadership
developed to the extent that the culture of silence is broken and challenging against
gender based violence, discrimination and harmful traditional practices and getting
support from law and enforcing authority.
6. Poor people’s especially women, youth including persons with disability involved in
alternative livelihood option along with CRSA that is more sustainable.
7. Quality education has promoted considering PRS in govt. primary school that enhanced
inclusiveness considering CWDs and children’s performance & potentiality.
Major Activities/ Interventions were:
- Empower People living in poverty through Reflection-Action process.
- People’s capacity building on accessing public resources & services.
- Develop capacity of poor people & SMC to establish right to quality education as an alternative model.
- Linking & providing technical support to the people living in poverty and PWDs towards sustainable livelihood
- Facilitate participatory planning and budgeting of local government institutions through active participation of people living in poverty
- Operate 19 child spaces for 455 Sponsored children
Key change areas
- 122 Landless families received permanent settlement on Khas/public land (16.24 acre) as part access to services and resources movement.
- Alternative livelihood options have been created for 1249 women and they have come out from the vicious cycle based informal loan system.
- Poor people have established 34 RICE Banks in 34 villages with a storage capacity range from 1 ton to 4 tons to mitigate Monga (hunger in lean period). These rice banks have been covering 782 poor households.
- Now 1074 poor households have food security for round the year through diverse income generating activities.
- Program participants are accessing different government allowances under social safety net program, Health service, Education services, Land management, Right to education, etc
- 123 persons with disability have been included in the Government Social Welfare Department and 19 are receiving disabled allowance, 15 are receiving education allowance and 20 received training on tailoring from social welfare department.
- Movement on SVAW has been strengthened from Reflect circle that has reduced the number of violence incidences, stopped early marriage in working areas.
- Total 85 Reflect circles with an average membership of 26 formed 9 Loko Kendras, established as effective peoples’ organizations. Out of reflect circle two organization has formed by the landless and marginal land owners that’s, 1. Land Right Committee, working on Khas land management issue especially access to allotted khas land grabbed by locally influenced persons. And 2. Land Rights Committee, working on access to own land grabbed by forest department.
- Land rights committee has build relation with national level actors, NGOs and CSOs; like ALRD, TIB, BLAST, Nijera Kori, Media, etc through AAB and getting support in local level rights movement.
- Landless families are going to obtain access to and control over their grabbed land; government land office decided to ensure eviction of grabber gradually form allotted khas land and get back to 91 landless families in Bhugdaburi union.
- Sponsored children are having access to extra curriculum activities through child space that have increased their physical and mental development
