“Empowering Disadvantaged Tribal Poor in Northwest Bangladesh” in Dinajpur, Thankurgaon and Panchagar districts

Background

RDRS established in 1972 has been implementing development projects promoting skills, awareness, capacities, and confidence and technologies in order to raise the living standards of disadvantaged and rural poor in Northwest Bangladesh specially disadvantaged population including the indigenous population within its working area RDRS with support from Stromme Foundation has therefore launched the project" Empowering Disadvantaged Tribal Poor in Northwest Bangladesh" in Dinajpur, Thankurgaon and Panchagar districts to contribute to the uplift of marginalized indigenous/tribal community. The project has implemented activities over a five-year period from 2001.

Purpose/objective

a. Assess the physical progress of the project and its impact that has taken place in the lives of the project participants.
b. Identify the problems and weaknesses, if any, in the project design, implementation strategy for future interventions.

Methodology

The evaluation used participatory approaches at all levels, utilizing a) unbiased Group/Client selection, b) Participatory Rural Assessment (with clients from both in credit and education programs) and Focused Group Discussions c) SWOT Analysis with project staff and d) Group Discussions with senior management staff with active participation of the professionals of RDRS.

Key findings

The project adopted a basic approach whereby addressing immediate needs of the clients, their rights and accesses and social intervention. RDRS implemented huge activities during the five years period and these include activities on education, credit and savings and training. RDRS put a lot of emphasis on training for building competence and capacity of the members, on cultural development by staging theaters, folk cultural program and conducting rural workshop. Training also included on human rights & gender awareness, inheriting property and land rights, family and labor laws, healthcare and childcare, traditional birth attendance, food habit and nutrition, home gardening training, crop production training, livestock, fish and pig rearing training, etc.

Recommendations

i) Adult and Adolescent Education: Adolescents and adult education program should be continued. The adolescents should be provided with hands-on training to promote skills for livelihood. They may be provided with factoring support if they can get valid orders for supply. Some funds may be earmarked by RDRS/Stromme Foundation for this purpose.
ii) Children Education: Children's education program should be continued and may be further expanded. The program should look at this as a future investment as children would basically be the engine of poverty reduction.
iii) Cultural activities: Cultural activities should be continued and steps should be taken to air such programs in the Television.
iv) Beneficiaries training: Training component should be further strengthened. Sectoral training program should be undertaken on poultry, livestock, vegetable gardening, handicrafts, handlooms and sewing/embroidery.
v) Developing marketing linkage: RDRS should be assisted in establishing a local marketing network to link the Adibashi producers with markets in Dhaka and other cities to promote sales of the products.
vi) Microfinance: Microfinance program has to be run very cautiously and prudently. Voluntary savings product can be introduced. A short-term petty loan for Tk 2,000-3,000 can be thought of for a period of 3-6 months with a flexible repayment schedule in order to prevent them from going back to moneylenders.
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vii) Housing loans: Hygienic houses are needed. Housing loans should be introduced with concessional interest rate on long term basis say 8-10 years. It would be most appropriate if some fund like the land redemption is created for housing purposes.
viii) Land redemption loan: Land redemption program should be further strengthened and continued.

Comments from the organisation

Both SF Partner: RDRS and SF are not completely satisfied with the above evaluation of the first 5-year phase of the pilot project for the development of the tribal communities in the Northwest Bangladesh. The reasons being i.e. review lacked critical analysis and clear guidance on the forward. Perhaps these may have come about due to constraints either or all or some of the following: the TOR, Resource Person, time allocated and fees. SF therefore agreed to assist the partner with a strategy review of the project later in the year: 2006.