News of February 2006


			Kalihati Project Office Inaugurated
			20 February 2006 saw an opening ceremony of PRDP-2 Kalihati Office with Mr. Abdus Samad Mullick, DG of BRDB and prof. Kaida, Y., Chief Advisor of PRDP-2 and Mr. Shaifullahil Azam, Kalihati UNO presiding over. PRDP-2 Kalihati Office occupies the newly built 300-m upper floor of the existing Palli Bhaban (BRDB) located in the Kalihati Upazila compound. House Hold Survey Under Way in (Kalihati) Village-wise simple household survey covering each and every household provides basic information for organizing Village Committee (VC) in the new project unions. The survey is now in full swing mobilizing all UDOs/Os concerned and RO/RS/RAs in close collaboration with UP members, village leaders, para leaders and general villagers. In February 2006, the survey work has been completed for 17 villages in the five unions (Birbasinda, Elenga, Kokdahara, Nagbari and Paikara).

			First Kalihati Joint Coordination Meeting Held
			Taking the opportunity of the official opening of Kalihati project office, first Kalihati Upazila Joint Coordination Meeting was held with attendance of DG BRDB, DD BRDB (Tangail), UNO and other NBD officials, UP chairmen, UCCA chairman, UDOs/Os, JOCVs, JICA experts and LMC staff. The NBD officials proposed various measures to improve the efficacy of project activities with limited man-power available in the departments, while UP chairmen from the new unions expressed their determination of and hope for full involvement in the PRDP-2 activities. All the participants consented to hold the joint coordination meetings either bi-monthly or quarterly every year.
			Four New VC Schemes Start in Kutubpur Meherpur Sadar Three VCs (Uttar Salika, Suwarajpur and Halsonapara) in Kutubpur union in Meherpur Sadar Upazila inaugurated the VC Schemes in February 2006. On 14 February, Kutubpur UP chairman, Mr. Chand Ali swung the first hoe ceremonially to build a para-road in Uttar Salika village, which was immediately followed by enthusiastic 120 villagers who flocked at the site including VC chairman, members, women members and general villagers. Within the very day, most of the earth cutting, carrying and filling was completed by their own labor for the parts that must be done by 20% VC matching fund. Shortly the fourth VC, Subidpur Uttar Para, will implement a village-wide sanitation project. 144 households will place sealed latrines comprised of a slab, 5 rings and a tin-cot with 40% cost borne by themselves, with which this village will be able to declare itself as a "fully sanitized village". The entire households of the four villages cleared UP tax as a precondition for approval of VC schemes at UCCM. The total tax collected was Tk. 16,493. UP disbursed 10% cost of the four schemes amounting to Tk.23,595. All the staff members at Meherpur Sadar site are hopeful that this will make a breakthrough in participatory rural development and local governance in this region.

			Prof. Utagawa Studies Kalihati Site
			Prof. Utagawa, T., a sociologist at Hokkaido University of Education, Japan made a four-day study (13-16 February) at Kalihati site on the performance of PRDP-1. Through his site visits, attending UCCM and VCs, interviewing with those UP chairmen, VC functionaries and project staff who were involved in PRDP-1, and thorough documentation surveys, Prof. Utagawa tries to evaluate how does the earlier official evaluation by JICA and GOB reflect the reality that he observes, and intends to improve methods and procedures in the ODA project evaluation. He says this is one of the new trends in "development sociology" in Japan. Kalihati site has received a number of visitors from home and abroad including GOB and GOJ officials, foreign donors' missions, educational and training tour groups of both GOs and NGOs, and scholars and students in development studies. PRDP-2 welcomes all of them and tries to facilitate their visits to UCCMs, VCMs and VC Schemes.

			Mohila Boithak Training Held
			Upon receiving request from a group of Mohila Boithak (MB) members to holding a training class on some specific subjects of their concern, Humayun Kabir (Salla UDO) and Chizu Kadooka (JOCV) arranged a one-day pre-training to identify the most interesting subject at Salla UPC, Kalihati on 19 January 2006. The MB members identified (a) kitchen gardening and seed preservation, and (b) poultry rearing with disease control most important. Accordingly, on 30 and 31 January, two SAAO (agriculture) and Upazila Livestock Officer imparted trainings on the two subjects to 34 women participants at Kalihati Palli Bhaban. The Upazila Livestock Officer facilitated practicing vaccination of a chicken for trainees following his lecture. In mid-February, a series of follow-up meetings were held at each MB, including practical training of eligible women on vaccination of village chickens.

			Condolence
			Mr. Humayun Kabir, Assistant Director, PRDP-2, BRDB/JICA suddenly passed away on 19 February 2006 at Bangladesh National Heart Foundation Hospital. He joined in PRDP-2 in May 2005. He was 53. He was a veteran Freedom Fighter, and was a spiritual and efficient team worker in the project. His immature death is an irreparable loss to us. After graduating from Chittagong University (M.Sc. in Statistics), he first joined BRDB as Deputy Project Officer of Chandpur Irrigation Project in 1983, and served as Upazila Rural Development Officer in Chauddagram upazila from 1986. He was born in 1953 in a respectable Muslim family in Daulatpur village of Chatkhil in Noakhali district. He left behind his wife, two sons, a daughter, and many friends as well as well-wishers. We sympathize for the bereaved family to overcome their deep affliction, and deeply mourn and invoke the blessing of Almighty Allah for the salvation and eternal peace of his departed soul.