Learning Good Practices of Four IRD Projects to Each Other
17 March 2007 witnessed a decision to formulate a Coordination Committee to learning good practices of four IRD projects to each other at a national seminar organized by CIRDAP (Center on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific, an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Dhaka). The four IRD projects are SLGDFP (Sirajganj Local Governance Development Fund Project of LGD/UNCDF/UNDP, and it is going to be a component of the big LGSP), LDCP (Local Development Coordination Program of LGED/JBIC/JICA), CVDP (Comprehensive Village Development Project of RDCD/BARD/RDA/BRDB/Coop. Directorate) and our PRDP-2. The Committee will be consisted of (a) representatives of LGD, RDCD, Planning Commission and IMED, (b) representatives of executive organizations including BRDB, BARD, RDA, Coop. Directorate, NILG and BIDS, (c) project directors of the four promising IRD projects, and (d) CIRDAP personnel including Director General (Coordinator), IRD Expert and Pilot Projects Division (Member Secretary).
The four IRD projects have been exchanging field-level staffs occasionally for mutually learning good practices. However, the idea of forming a central coordination body originates in the interest shown by CIRDAP in Prof. Kaida's (IRD Expert of CIRDAP and concurrently Chief Advisor of PRDP-2) presentation on "what if the four promising IRD projects get coordinated better?" at Technical Committee-22 of CIRDAP held last September at Bandung, Indonesia. CIRDAP wasted no time to organize a few brain-storming among project directors since October and 4-day exposure trip to visit the four project sites last February. Through these exercises, the projects personnel concerned have developed ideas on what one can give and what one can take to each other, to mention a few for examples, open budget session of SLGDFP, making UPC a one-stop-service-center of LDCP, good use as envisioned by village-level service volunteers developed by CVDP, and VC/UCC/ UDO/O system of PRDP-2.
The one-day national seminar was attended by Advisor of LGRD&C, Ambassador of Japan, Secretaries of both LGD and RDCD, all the six heads of the six executive agencies, all the project directors and deputy project directors, and CIRDAP staffs including Director General in addition to professionals from relevant institutions. The Coordination Committee will meet soon to decide on its course of action as soon as all the members will be nominated.
PRDP Personnel Visit Sirajganj Local Governance Project
"A total 27 PRDP-2 Kalihati personnel visited, on one fine spring day of 8 March, Sirajganj Local Governance Development Fund Project (SLGDFP). The group was consisted of five groups of UP Chairman-Secretary-UDO-O, and other project staff from Kalihati research section and LMTC at Tangail. They had thought of finding the secrets and clues for empowering UP involved in the project, which has no provisions of facilitator like our UDO/O. SLGDFP has been working since 2000 to strengthening UP by providing direct block grant fund for development. It is also going to be a component of the nation-wide LGSP (Local Governance Support Project of LGD/UNDP/WB/EU from the coming July 2007.
After being given project briefing by Mr. Azizur Rahman Siddique, Monitoring Advisor of SLGDFP who kindly joined our group from Dhaka, the group was split into two sub-groups; one attended at Sonamukhi union meeting in Kazipur upazila, and the other went to Potazia union in Shahjadpur upazila. Through the intensive discussions with their counterparts in Sirajganj, our project staff learned a lot about empowered UP personnel, particularly women folk and open budget session organized by UP, and at the same time renewed the confidence in our present system of VC/UCC/UDO/O. PRDP-2 plans to have more project personnel exposed to other projects such as SLGDFP in order to pave way to give more decision-taking power and responsibility to UCC.
Impact of PRDP Women Training
As a part of 'linkage', we have been organizing village women for having skill training from NBD professionals including chicken vaccination, sewing and bamboo-crafting. Though yet limited in number, some who completed the training are now earning cash. Ms. Sewli Begum, chairman of a Mohila Dal (MD) who got chicken vaccination training from Livestock Department is practicing her skill to earn about 600 taka in a few months. Ms. Alpona Rani who got sewing training at Bangra Union Parishad bought her machine and now self-dependent with stable earning of several hundred taka per month. It was beyond our expectation that more than half of trainees who completed three to four months course bought their own sewing machines, in Bangra, Narandia and Balla unions. Of the 50 Pukuria Icchapur (Shahadebpur union) MD women who got training in bamboo crafting from LMTC specialist, three are selling bamboo chairs to earn about 500 taka each per month.
A Cultural Program held for Sanitation Awareness Campaign
Village Committee (Mr. Saiyad Abdul Mojid, chairman) of Hindu Pakutia of Nagbari union arranged a cultural program for awareness buildup on sanitation while implementing sealed latrines to cover all the households as a VC Scheme. Local actors and actresses of the village performed a dramatized sanitation campaign written by a local writer Md Salim. Ms. Maya Rani Ghose, the village folk singer sang a campaign song written and composed by herself. 'Meena series' of cartoon film on sanitation was also screened using PRDP multimedia projector. A large crowd of villagers enjoyed the informative cultural program.
PPR Vaccination for 300 Goats
in Chadpur VC
Responding to the request from Chadpur VC, PRDP-2 helped Livestock Department organize a vaccination program for goats. At the VC Meeting held on 5 March VC took decision on the vaccination and Mr. Rasel, VC chairman and other VC members wasted no time to propagate the news to the villagers by using loud speakers and by visiting door to door in every para. On 12 March 2007, when Mr. Akbar Ali, Veterinary Field Assistant, appeared in the village with PPR vaccines 300 goats were awaiting to receive his service.
Fourth All-the-Staff Quarterly Review Meeting Held
The two-day quarterly review meeting was held on 28 February - 1 March 2007 at Tangail LMTC, participated by almost all staff members of our five sites including Kalihati, Titas, Meherpur Sadar, Tangail LMTC and Dhaka LMC.
Mr. AKM Nazibullah Khan, the newly installed Project Director as from 1 February, made an opening remark while introducing himself to all. Prof. Kaida, Chief Advisor, suggested some revisions in project policy and strategy from the coming new fiscal year to ensure more active participation of UP personnel. It was, for an example, open annual budget of VC Schemes allotted to each UCC, so that UCC can actually take decision on the scheme on priority basis.
The performance of VC/MD formation, VC Scheme implementation and Notice Board erection was evaluated for each one of the 15 unions against respective numerical targets. Amid VC Schemes rush in the current dry season, some unions faced difficulties in ensuring 100% UP tax clearance and 10% UP contribution to finance the schemes. These unions were suggested to closely monitor annual flow of budget of both ADP and Block Grant. Some cases were found where VC Schemes were proposed prematurely right after the VC was formed skipping intimate discussions among the VC members. On the discussion of training needs, Ms. Sachiko Tanaka, JICA Expert (Training) reported field proposal type training, including 'Let's make a Beautiful Family' training being offered to young newly-wed women folk of Durgapur and Narandia unions. This course will cover all the 15 unions in the similar manner and sequentially in the coming months. Mr. Watanabe, Senior JOCV and three out-going JOCVs summarized their two-years' activities using colourful slides.
The second day's discussion concentrated on straightening out technical shortcomings of VC Schemes being implemented in all the unions. After presentation of monitoring reports by two ROs and Mr. Ken Kozai, JICA Expert (RD), participants were divided into five groups for detailed group discussions to work out solutions to smoothly implement the VC Schemes.
17 March 2007 witnessed a decision to formulate a Coordination Committee to learning good practices of four IRD projects to each other at a national seminar organized by CIRDAP (Center on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific, an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Dhaka). The four IRD projects are SLGDFP (Sirajganj Local Governance Development Fund Project of LGD/UNCDF/UNDP, and it is going to be a component of the big LGSP), LDCP (Local Development Coordination Program of LGED/JBIC/JICA), CVDP (Comprehensive Village Development Project of RDCD/BARD/RDA/BRDB/Coop. Directorate) and our PRDP-2. The Committee will be consisted of (a) representatives of LGD, RDCD, Planning Commission and IMED, (b) representatives of executive organizations including BRDB, BARD, RDA, Coop. Directorate, NILG and BIDS, (c) project directors of the four promising IRD projects, and (d) CIRDAP personnel including Director General (Coordinator), IRD Expert and Pilot Projects Division (Member Secretary).
"A total 27 PRDP-2 Kalihati personnel visited, on one fine spring day of 8 March, Sirajganj Local Governance Development Fund Project (SLGDFP). The group was consisted of five groups of UP Chairman-Secretary-UDO-O, and other project staff from Kalihati research section and LMTC at Tangail. They had thought of finding the secrets and clues for empowering UP involved in the project, which has no provisions of facilitator like our UDO/O. SLGDFP has been working since 2000 to strengthening UP by providing direct block grant fund for development. It is also going to be a component of the nation-wide LGSP (Local Governance Support Project of LGD/UNDP/WB/EU from the coming July 2007.
As a part of 'linkage', we have been organizing village women for having skill training from NBD professionals including chicken vaccination, sewing and bamboo-crafting. Though yet limited in number, some who completed the training are now earning cash. Ms. Sewli Begum, chairman of a Mohila Dal (MD) who got chicken vaccination training from Livestock Department is practicing her skill to earn about 600 taka in a few months. Ms. Alpona Rani who got sewing training at Bangra Union Parishad bought her machine and now self-dependent with stable earning of several hundred taka per month. It was beyond our expectation that more than half of trainees who completed three to four months course bought their own sewing machines, in Bangra, Narandia and Balla unions. Of the 50 Pukuria Icchapur (Shahadebpur union) MD women who got training in bamboo crafting from LMTC specialist, three are selling bamboo chairs to earn about 500 taka each per month.
Village Committee (Mr. Saiyad Abdul Mojid, chairman) of Hindu Pakutia of Nagbari union arranged a cultural program for awareness buildup on sanitation while implementing sealed latrines to cover all the households as a VC Scheme. Local actors and actresses of the village performed a dramatized sanitation campaign written by a local writer Md Salim. Ms. Maya Rani Ghose, the village folk singer sang a campaign song written and composed by herself. 'Meena series' of cartoon film on sanitation was also screened using PRDP multimedia projector. A large crowd of villagers enjoyed the informative cultural program. 
Responding to the request from Chadpur VC, PRDP-2 helped Livestock Department organize a vaccination program for goats. At the VC Meeting held on 5 March VC took decision on the vaccination and Mr. Rasel, VC chairman and other VC members wasted no time to propagate the news to the villagers by using loud speakers and by visiting door to door in every para. On 12 March 2007, when Mr. Akbar Ali, Veterinary Field Assistant, appeared in the village with PPR vaccines 300 goats were awaiting to receive his service.
