Inter-departmental/Organizational Coordination and Networking
ISDCM through its activities on different projects has built up excellent coordination and working relationship with government departments, local government institutions and other development organizations and the communities. The level of such relationship and coordination helped greatly in successful implementation of different projects. Apart from personal relationship of the persons involved in ISDCM its institutional strategies also helped to a great extent to reach the present stage. In the implementation of Community Based Arsenic Mitigation Project ISDCM received tremendous support and cooperation from the concerned UNOs, Executive Engineers DPHE, SEs DPHE, SAEs DPHE, H&FPOs, UAEOs, USSOs, URDOs, UEOs, Chairmen, Members of Union Parishads, local Principals of Colleges, Headmasters/Headmistress of High Schools, Primary Schools, local Press and NGO representatives etc. It has also established better relationship at central level of DPHE officials and Development Agencies by working closely and demonstrating better performance in implementation of the project.
ISDCM IS a member organization of BSAF, NGO-Forum, CDF and HIV/AIDS network and VHSS. It has Micro-credit Programme in partnership with ASA, a leading national NGO and partnership with NGO Forum in Sanitation Project. By working in close liaise and cooperation with the NGO community and by sharing mutual experience it has been possible for ISDCM to build up a good network.
A solid foundation of working relationship has been laid which may help immensely to build up future cooperation in effective implementation of any development programmes.
4. Project Proposals and Training Modules Prepared
for ISDCM and other organizations
During the reporting period following project proposals were prepared:
Monitoring/Evaluation
ISDCM has established a Monitoring system of projects. Monthly reporting system of every project has been institutionalized. The projects are reviewed in Monthly Staff Co-ordination meeting and identified the problems and bottlenecks and adjustments suggested. The Project activities were supervised by the Head office officials. Upazila Manager responsible for the project implementation. In the Annual Report of the organization progress, constraints, suggestions and recommendations of the projects were reflected. Joint field visits system with government counterparts, donors and other stakeholders were organized during the reporting period which is an established practice of ISDCM.
Future Projection
Unfortunately poverty has been deeply rooted to the marrow of the teeming millions of our country. All problems actually generate from this root. It needs to be addressed systematically, diligently and with adequate care. Poor people have ‘situation-forced’ acceptance of problems of life and they have a natural tendency to carry the problems along with them because they are helpless and downtrodden. They need a shake for any change to come out of this helplessness. They need a life style that offers them a sense of direction and knowledge to understand the situation they are in.
This is not an easy task and it cannot be done by government alone without the help of partners who wish to join this gigantic task and also to bring the poor people into confidence to share the responsibilities and duties to reduce the problem that is killing them for so long. Fortunately, now-a-days micro-credit facilities have come as a relief for the poor. But credit alone may not address the problem. It needs something more. Financial assistance is a necessity but what the recipient of such assistance really do with that needs to be seen. For efficient handling of investment in small business some functional knowledge and counseling may be required. Use of such knowledge in daily transactions need to be regularly monitored to help improve their performance. This will not only help their business to grow in size and strength but also this will bring change in their life style. ISDCM strongly advocates for such a change and it looks for partners to work together.
Social mobilization can be a useful step to involve the community and motivate them to participate as partners in social development activities. Without community participation efforts may not sustain. The question is whether social mobilization can be a regular project activity. It may not be necessarily so, though. But community participation needs to be sustained through a process, which ensures smooth continuation of efforts until the community claims to own it. Social mobilization may come to electrify community action to continue. ISDCM feels that there be a cadre of skilled social mobilizing and advocacy activists to do the job at the community level. This may be part of human resource development as a built-in process in the project line. It may be a demand of time and subject commensurate with the trend of the new millennium. ISDCM desires to take a step in that direction in the future and it looks for partners to join hands.
Development of Project Support Communication (PSC) for community participation is a dire necessity. Because, to involve the community to participate in project implementation in any form requires a clear understanding the role the community is expected to play and their commitment to do it. It will be the task of PSC to clearly describe and frame project support communication materials in simple language so that the community may know WHO is to do WHAT? WHERE? WHY? HOW? and WHEN ? Social mobilization can be tagged to PSC as both can act as a sharp vehicle to facilitate community participation effectively and meaningfully. ISDCM considers this an important project component and, therefore, ISDCM is ready to work along the line in the future in partnership.
It is being contemplated that all
future development programmes of ISDCM will be child rights driven and local
level planning system will be evolved to reduce regional disparity with
emphasis on women empowerment far and near.
