IED is implementing this project at 10 unions of Dharamapasha Upazilla under Sunamgonj district with financial support from CDMP-UNDP. The project has been started in April 2006 and will be continued till October 2007. The aims of the project are to reduce the vulnerability to disaster risks of Dharmapasha Upazila under Sunamgonj district through enhancing the capacity of community people and Union Parishad Disaster Management Committee (UDMC) following CRA process.

So far, 90 Community Platform at Ward level involving 3000 local people and 10 UDMCs is being actively involved different awareness raising events regarding the disaster preparedness against the local hazard emerged out from the CRA process. Local Disaster Risk Reduction Action Plan (LDRRAP) has also been developed for all 10 unions with the active participation of local community, Union Parishads, government line agencies. Implementation of some of the interventions arose from CRA findings in collaboration with local govt. and community people are going on. The project will indirectly benefit around 150,000 people.

IED and its staff members posses substantial knowledge and experience in disaster management activities through implementing different programme on disaster preparedness, management and rehabilitation activities during Flood 2004, 1998, 1988, cyclone in 1991 in Sandwip island of Chittagong, Netrakona and Barhatta. with the funding support of Swiss Agency for development Cooperation (SDC), ICCO-The Netherlands, EED-Germany. More specifically 25000 families had received emergency relief support and 550 families have been rehabilitated through undertaking different livelihood mechanisms after the 2004 devastating flood with the support SDC, ICCO and EED.

Presently IED is implementing several projects in these areas. All the projects has blended an excellent mix of rights, governance, women empowerment and livelihoods improvement issues/aspects in its approach and strategies. Following are the brief of the project:

The project is being in 10 unions of 3 Upazilas under Sunamgonj and Netrakona district with the financial support from Manusher Jonno Foundation. The project has been started in April 2007 and will be continued till March 2010. The major objectives of the project are: --

The primary beneficiaries of the project are poor, extreme poor and vulnerable especially women and youth of the community. The project will also involve the middle income families, school teachers and other opinion makers. Around 12000 households, 400 opinion makers and other local level influential persons and 1200 youth will be covered during the project period. Moreover, around 40,000 people of the working area will be benefited indirectly.

IED is implementing this project in Netrakona municipality in partnership with CDS (community Development Service-a national NGO) with the financial support of Asian Development Bank (ADB). The major objective of this project is to strengthen the capacity of poor people and involve them in mainstreaming in municipal governance. The project duration is August 2006 to October 2007

IED has implemented this project during May 04 to October 05 at 13 Unions under 3 Upazillas of Netrakona and Sandwip coastal island Upazilla of Chittagong districts with the financial assistance of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation-Switzerland. The main objectives of the project was to enhance capacity and effectiveness of Union Parishads through different capacity building activities and increase community participation in development planning and implementing process by the Union Parishads.

The project is a combination of voter and civic rights education, election reform advocacy and domestic election monitoring activities funded by The Asia Foundation. The project period is November 2006 to March 2008. The project aims to contribute to an enabling environment for a free, fair and non violent democratic process and election results are accepted by the people of Bangladesh, major political parties and the international communities. IED is assigned for 56 parliamentary constituencies all over the country.

lED is implementing two projects in these programme area. The projects have an excellent mix of rights, involving local government and Livelihood Improvement. The names of the projects are “Stimulate Mobilisation towards Empowerment of Women (SMEW)” and “Drive towards Empowerment of Women (DEW)” extend special emphasis to support the disadvantaged and distressed through local platform. Through its various programs and activities it has been able to reach out approximately 12454 families of beneficiaries directly and 85,000 indirectly. Both the projects SMEW and DEW are designed in an integrated manner and implemented also with equal incorporative way. The grassroots level activities of the projects are being implemented at 14 Upazillas and municipality areas of Mymensingh, Jessore Chittagong, Netrakona, and Dhaka. Both the projects were commenced in July 2004 with the financial support of ICCO-The Netherlands and EED-Germany and will continue up to June 2008. The major objectives of the Projects is involving Grassroots poor women in the process of positive socio- economic change. Following are the components under this program:

The main thrust of IED’s intervention is to build and strengthen institutions of common people with special focus on poor and marginalized. Capacity building of these institutions and groups are met through various information sharing and skill developing activities. Presently IED is working with 574 groups and 150 unions based Community Forums under these projects. . This component majorly focuses on building leadership capacities in women leaders and organisation building in order to create vocal and vibrant groups of community people and mobilized towards the rights of poor women and marginalised sections of the community at the district, division and national level, and it also envisage that Community leaders and mass people played supportive role in the struggles of women and deprived communities;

IED recognizes the strength of the middle class and civil society’s involvement in highlighting and lobbying with the policy makers. To derive strength from the middle class and civil society in large IED makes special effort like organizing issue based seminars, cultural programs and debates to make them aware and sensitive towards the issues of deprived and discriminated. Court yard meeting, Awareness sessions, Cultural programme and alternative theatre, day observation, debate & discussions in schools, colleges and communities on dowry, desertion, divorce, domestic violence and other gender issues have been organized for grassroots level women’s groups and their leaders, men in the community and with women from middle class under this component.

IEDs intervention in the field of economic empowerment of women is unique in many ways and is in congruence with its goals and basic principles. IED has consistently focused its input in building capacity in women to analyze and understand the microeconomics and small units of livelihood generation. Under this component women’s groups are given skill-building trainings for enhancement of their entrepreneurship and management of daily accounts along with a perspective building on self help.

In Bangladesh the traditional laws over power the constitutional ones and most of these laws deny equal rights to women. Even if there are provisions for equal rights in the laws, women find it difficult to avail them. The challenge is even more severe because women have very little information and awareness about their rights. It is true for the middle class women as well. For poor women it is beyond their imagination to access the expensive legal support. So to make women aware of legal rights and to realize them is a very long, complex and tedious process. In this context the relevance of legal awareness component deserves a vital place in the process of women’s empowerment. Training, counselling, referral are common fashion of activities under this component. The inputs given by IED were not mere piece of information but were supplemented with a process of motivation and inspiration that lead women to plunge into action putting their safety and security at stake.

IED’s main objectives of all the programs are trying to keep an adequate balance between micro and macro level realms of a humanistic development. Making best use of its heritage the efforts that IED has made to build networks of such institutions to influence policies to change in favour of the deprived and discriminated are worth mentioning. Advocacy program takes place at different level. The main objective of this component is to sensitise opinion makers, Decision-makers as well as sector professionals towards the cause of women and other marginalised sections of the community. As a result, IED is involved in almost all major national campaigns in for human rights, gender equality and environmental issues trying to highlight and educate the civil society in general.

In addition, there are ongoing campaigns and advocacy initiatives at the district level also where IED jointly in cooperation with other local civil society groups, community forms, NGOs, trade unions, women’s groups, UP members, local leaders and individuals is advocating on local and national issues. Moreover, IED is the member of South Asian Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) and also the member of internet based information network like Uttorsuri, AHRC, BEN, Jubillelisouth, etc.

IED has been successful in building partnership in various campaigns with around 200 eminent persons including Poet, Writer, Columnist, Journalist, Ex-bureaucrats, Actors etc and 23 NGOs. IED is actively participating in 7 civil society platforms namely: Janouddyog (Peoples Initiatives), Shikkha Bachao Andolon (Education Reform Movement), Paribesh Bachao Andolon (Save Environment movement), Haor Bachao Andolon (Save Haor Movement), Sampriti Mancha (A forum for minority rights) and Adivashi Adhikar Andolon, Green force (Youth Forum), Nari Nirjaton Protirodh Committee. IED’s role was that of creation of space for people’s voices and aspirations and coordinating and supporting in all aspects. ‘Leading from the back’ has been the natural style and strategy of IED which was essential ingredient for building people’s ownership for the movement. All these platforms are landmark endeavour towards collaborative effort for advocacy where people from all walks of life are coming together to bring forth the issues of marginal, deprived and discriminated.

Though IED caters major to women but youth also has been a very important interest group in its outreach. IED takes special interest in youth and engaging them in various activities to build their understanding on relevant social issues and draw strength from their enthusiasm. Working with youth has been a very vital area in programs and activities conducted for spreading consciousness. The component Development Education has been very successful in involving them through various cultural activities and debates in schools. Aside from this IED is implementing one project for the students/youth of Dhaka city with the support of World Bank. The first phase project was implemented with 500 students of selected schools of Dhaka city during June 2004 to May 2005. The second phase is now continuing in 5 schools, 2 colleges and 01 university in Dhaka metropolitan city. The main objective of the project was to broaden the participation of youth in environmental protection and building advocacy capability of youth to enable them for doing advocacy and to initiate environment friendly activities at local level.