Kalihati site office has moved from Elenga office to Kalihati Upazila Palli Bhaban (BRDB) whose first floor was newly built on top of the existing building. A 30-member working force including URDO, a full-time ARDO, a JICA expert, 11 UDOs, 11 Os, 8 JICA-employed RAs, RS and RO, and 4 JOCV volunteers share two large office rooms, with minimum partitions following Japanese working style. A spacious meeting room is offered for common use by the Upazila officers for important meetings. The total working sapace is about 200 m2. UDO/O offices are also being furnished in the respective UPCs, or tentativespaces offered by union parishad where UPC are yet to be built.
WTI
The old WTI (Tangail Women Training Institute) has been renovated for common use by WTI and PRDP's training. It has ten well furnished hostel rooms that accommmodate 20 trainees. As an agreement was made for the existing 11 WTI staff to be incorporated in PRDP training program, the total working force of about 20 staff will be accommodated in this facility. Most of the furnitures and equipment are being renewed.
Titas As this newly established Upazila is now developing its own office compound, PRDP has rented an office space nearby the existing UCCA building. A UDO/O office is accommodated in a UPC, and another continues using a part of the old UDC built by the Model Rural Development Project back in the late 1990s.
Meherpur Sadar Meherpur Sadar site office has been accommodated in the existing Upazila Palli Bhaban. Two UDO/O offices are accommodated in the respective UPCs.
VC Scheme (3)
As of the end of January a total of 23 VC schemes are proposed from the existing VCs in the 6 on-going unions for immediate implementation in the current dry season. Implementing the VC schemes is a fresh challenge for our newly recruited UDOs/Os. They are going to help VCs carry out the schemes right after they will have undergone an intensive one-week training in the early February on the basis of a revised VC Scheme Guideline that has been developed by the project experts.
The 23 schemes are para road repair (19), ring culvert (1), village-wide sanitaton (1), walling of school compound (1), and soil-filling of school ground (1). Although PRDP had been suggesting more diversified schemes including even "software-schemes", constraints of closing scheme account before March (for JICA) and June (for GOB) have forced them to come up with regular somewhat "hardware-schemes".
As noted repeatedly in the earlier news bulletins, PRDP has placed a relatively high hurdle for each VC to clear prior to scheme implementation. They are (i) a relatively lengthy steps in scheme proposal to ensure bottom-up process of scheme planning, (ii) UP tax clearance from all the households in the village, (iii) the scheme ceiling cost of Taka 50,000, (iv) contribution of the minimum 20% matching fund either from all the households or by direct beneficiaries, and (v) contribution of the minimum 10% matching fund from the UP.
Seven Union Hold First UCCM
Seven unions held their first UCCM in January 2006. They are Birbashinda, Elenga, Kokdahara, Nagbari and Paikara unions in Kalihati; Pirojpur union in Meherpur Sadar; and Jiarkandi union in Titash upazila. The first few UCCM are "quasi-UCCM" among UP, NBDs and a few NGOs. VCs are yet to join them after being formulated one after another.
The RS (Research Associate) of Meherpur Sadar site reports about the first UCCM of Pirojpur union held on January 9, 2006: URDO (Meherpur Sadar) made a briefing about the concept, framework and methods of PRDP-2, while each attending NBD officers introduced their respective job performance and plans. UNO of Meherpur Sadar, who was invited as a guest of honor, encouraged the participants to leap forward by making best use of the link-model mechanizm. 42 members attended out of 50 eligible UCCM members.
Another example: Paikara union in Kalihati upazila held its first UCCM on January 26, 2006. Following UDO's thorough briefing about the concept, methods and essential elements of the PRDP-2, each attending NBD officers and UP secretary introduced their respective duties and activities. In the Q&A session that followed, a training instructor, who is the ex-UDO of PRDP-1, LMC staff and JICA experts who were present there helped the UDO interact with the participants. UP Chairman, in his concluding speech, expressed his determination and motivated the participants to changing the quality of life of villagers by actively participating in the Link Model.
JOCV, Working at Project Sites
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) is one of JICA's technical cooperation schemes. Currently about 50 JOCVs in different specialties are working in various parts of Bangladesh. At PRDP-2 project sites, five JOCVs in rural community development are assigned on union basis and one Senior JOCV Program Officer is posted at LMC to coordinate the JOCV activities. They are working in close collaboration with UDOs/Os for (a) motivating and empowering villagers through the formation of Village Committees (VCs) and Mohila Boithok (MBs), and (b) organizing NBDs' VC visit and training of villagers to improve the quality of villagers' life, and (c) monitoring VC schemes. JOCVs are sent to Bangladesh after 3-month intensive training of Bengali language. During two years assignment, they can not only polish Bengali but also get familiar with local culture, society and value system by working always among villagers, sharing food and cha with people. They are recognized by villagers as friends, members of family and the society. JOCV play an important role as young Ambassadors at the grass-roots bridging the two countries and promoting mutual understanding and trust between Bangladeshi and Japanese.
Other than the six JOCVs currently assigned here, Mr. Ryohei Segawa, Mr. Takaaki Yano, and Ms. Noriko Numata left for home after successfully completing their assignment at Meherpur Sadar (kutubpur union), Kalihati (Shahadebpur union) and Kalihati (Narandia union), respectively. Their devotion has been highly appreciated not only by the villagers but also by all the project staff.
Kalihati Project Office 
WTI
As of the end of January a total of 23 VC schemes are proposed from the existing VCs in the 6 on-going unions for immediate implementation in the current dry season. Implementing the VC schemes is a fresh challenge for our newly recruited UDOs/Os. They are going to help VCs carry out the schemes right after they will have undergone an intensive one-week training in the early February on the basis of a revised VC Scheme Guideline that has been developed by the project experts. 
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) is one of JICA's technical cooperation schemes. Currently about 50 JOCVs in different specialties are working in various parts of Bangladesh. At PRDP-2 project sites, five JOCVs in rural community development are assigned on union basis and one Senior JOCV Program Officer is posted at LMC to coordinate the JOCV activities. They are working in close collaboration with UDOs/Os for (a) motivating and empowering villagers through the formation of Village Committees (VCs) and Mohila Boithok (MBs), and (b) organizing NBDs' VC visit and training of villagers to improve the quality of villagers' life, and (c) monitoring VC schemes. JOCVs are sent to Bangladesh after 3-month intensive training of Bengali language. During two years assignment, they can not only polish Bengali but also get familiar with local culture, society and value system by working always among villagers, sharing food and cha with people. They are recognized by villagers as friends, members of family and the society. JOCV play an important role as young Ambassadors at the grass-roots bridging the two countries and promoting mutual understanding and trust between Bangladeshi and Japanese.
