Project title: Strengthening people cantered inclusive disaster risk management in Khulna of Bangladesh (DIDRM)
Project Duration: 1st May 2023 – 30th April 2026
Project Partners: CBM global, Caritas Bangladeshand Disabled Child Foundation (DCF)
Project Area: Sutarkhali Union of Dakop, and Maharajpur Union of Koyra Sub-district of Khulna, and Dhaka.
Based on the multi-hazard risk and potentially affected people particularly persons with disabilities are at the high-risk in disaster prone area. Persons with disabilities are experiencing societal barriers which is potentially life-threatening during disaster. At the same time, these barriers hinder persons with disabilities to actively participate in the development and effective implementation of disaster risk reduction activities and plans. Furthermore, climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction measures to protect life and assets of Persons with Disabilities are often not available and accessible. The cyclone shelters, road communication to cyclone shelter, floods and tidal inundation mitigating embankment in the project area, water collection points in the communities facing seasonal floods are not accessible for persons with disabilities. These additional environmental barriers limit equitable access to cyclone shelter, evacuation during storm surges, and collection of water, thus increasing their exposure and risk during disaster and cyclone and storm surges. Also, early warning systems, preparedness measures, humanitarian response initiatives are not accessible. Persons with disabilities are particularly strongly affected by unemployment due to lack of skill development and employment opportunities. The area is highly vulnerable to climate-induced slow onset and sudden disasters like cyclones, storm surges, salinity, and tidal inundation. Water, agriculture, health, livelihoods are affected by climate-induced disaster, and drinking water is the major concern. Considering such context of persons with disabilities and disaster risk management in Bangladesh, particularly in Koyra and Dakop subdistrict of Khulna, the project aims, “Improving resilience of at-risk community members including persons with disabilities to adapt and manage climate induced disaster risks in Bangladesh.’’Active participation of persons with disabilities is at the heart of this project which will strengthen and broaden the involvement of the marginalized community and ensure disability inclusion. The Caritas Bangladesh and Disabled Child Foundation (DCF) jointly implementing the project.
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Project Name: Community-Based Mental Health Services for Children and Young People in Marginalized Communities
Project Duration: June 2020 to 30 May 2024
Implementation Partners: ADD international Bangladesh, DCF, IWF & NPU
Project Funded by: Comic Relief, UK through ADD International Bangladesh.
Short description of the project: Community-Based Mental Health (MH) Services for Children and Young People in Marginalized Communities project’s goal is to develop a quality and inclusive community-based MH support system to improve the MH and wellbeing of underserved children and young people, particularly girls and young women and those with other disabilities, in Bangladesh. The project will address key gaps in minimum healthcare services for CYMH, improving access to MH support and services and to their social and economic rights with support from their family and communities, with more dignity and reduced stigma and discrimination, leading to a better and healthier live.
it is a consortium project, ADD being as lead. DCF will implement its defined activities in harmony with ADD and other consortium partners will mutually share resources, experience and learning as applicable during project implementation. It is expected that DCF will adhere to disability inclusiveness organizationally and in program implementation.
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Project: Building the capacity of persons with disabilities for dignified employment and livelihood opportunities (SOKKHOMOTA)
Project Duration: January 01, 2024 to December 31, 2025
Project Partners: Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF)
Project Area: Khilgaon, Rampura, Badda, Ward no: 01, 21, 22, 23
Despite the government of Bangladesh’s commitment to ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for persons with disabilities, there is a significant gap in addressing their needs, especially in skill development programs. The private sector, despite its potential role, inadequately includes persons with disabilities in capacity-building initiatives, hindering their access to services, loans, and essential support. Non-governmental organizations and disability-focused groups struggle to address these needs due to limited financial support from donor agencies.
Furthermore, government-led initiatives for capacity-building lack inclusivity, limiting opportunities for persons with disabilities. The urban employment landscape poses challenges, with educated persons with disabilities facing discrimination from employers who prefer non-disabled employees. Employers’ mindset hinders the recruitment of persons with disabilities and the creation of inclusive work environments. The exclusion of educated persons with disabilities from the job market contributes to high unemployment rates, perpetuating economic hardships and impeding the country’s overall progress.
There is a prevalent bias among employers in urban areas, such as Dhaka city, against hiring persons with disabilities, especially those who are educated. Employers feel that hiring persons with disabilities is unproductive, and they believe that every person with a disability requires additional support and help, making them unable to participate fully. Thus, most employers have a mindset that they cannot afford to hire persons with disabilities. In Dhaka city, there are inadequate agencies that conduct contemporary career development training programs suitable for various types of persons with disabilities in different areas, such as soft skills, ICT training, and livelihood training. Additionally, there is a lack of information dissemination regarding the services, quota system, safety net support, loan facilities, etc., available for persons with disabilities in various government and private sector agencies. Persons with disabilities are also facing rights violations, including threats to their right to employment, and the issue of legal support remains unaddressed. These barriers hinder the project’s goal of promoting dignified livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities, as even skilled individuals face challenges in securing employment.
The proposed project aimed to address these challenges by sensitizing government authorities, NGOs, and other stakeholders about the needs and solutions to include persons with disabilities in various programs. It seeks to build the capacities of persons with disabilities, partner organizations for persons with disabilities, provide job placement and internship opportunities, and create a more inclusive environment in both the public and private sectors. However, a critical problem remains the pervasive negative mindset among employers in urban areas, which hinders the employment of educated persons with disabilities.
The project aimed to remove the barriers to promoting dignified livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities through sensitization, and advocacy & empower them to transform their talent/work skills into capabilities to get satisfactory results by making it a reality within the project duration of two years in Dhaka city, Particularly at Khilgaon, Rampura, and Badda.
Project Objectives are:
- To build the capacity of persons with disabilities (70% of the targeted around 100 direct beneficiaries/persons with disabilities) on different livelihood skills in two years.
- To support persons with disabilities (60%) with necessary assistive devices, financial assistance, materials & referral services of government& other service providers for supporting their path towards self-employment or entrepreneurship thereby fostering economic independence and conduct awareness activities reaching out to apprx. 2400 people, with a focus on enhancing understanding and inclusivity towards persons with disabilities in the community.
- To make aware and sensitized the community of persons with disabilities as well as duty bearers on employments/livelihood opportunity ensuring their rights and entitlement.
- To strengthen organizational capacity to be able to work to establish the rights of persons with disabilities.
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Vulnerable Women Benefit (VWB) Program
The Vulnerable Women Benefit (VWB) Program is a project under the Department of Women Affairs, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.
The Vulnerable Women Benefit (VWB) program is one of the government’s key social safety programs, aimed at improving the quality of life for women members from ultra-poor households in rural areas. In the current cycle, 1,000,000 VWB beneficiaries across the country will receive development package services from October 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024. These services include life skills training, income-generating training, and savings and loan opportunities. The program aims to sustainably integrate VWB beneficiaries into mainstream national development. The main goal of the program is to implement activities that positively improve the socio-economic status of VWB beneficiaries. The objectives of the program include providing training on various self-employment trades (IGA), assisting beneficiaries in opening bank accounts and making savings deposits, facilitating management and loan acquisition, and participating in food distribution. Additionally, the program aims to make VWB beneficiaries economically and socially empowered through various supportive services and awareness-raising training. Women from the ultra-poor households under 11 Unions of Bhaluka sub-districts of Mymensingh district are the target beneficiaries of this project.