32 Years beside the Poor

Translating the Vicious

Circle of Poverty

into the

Virtuous Circle of Prosperity

Counting on Collective Action

Mounting Campaign for Poverty Alleviation

Vision

Vision

BEES has the vision of a just society in which men and women can work together to form institution to attain a higher degree of self-reliance in managing their own affairs and achieve a higher and sustainable standard of living.

Mission Statement

Mission Statement

To bring about changes in the lives of the poor, illiterate, neglected, unskilled and destitute people, especially women of the society, through their empowerment, self-reliance and improvement of life style by its endeavors for sustainable development.

Target area & population

Target area & population

BEES’ institutional set-up is encompassed into 17 Area Offices and 91 Unit Offices in different districts while the Central Office is located in Dhaka. BEES’ development initiatives have been expanded in 3,126 villages of 116 upazilas under 29 districts. The districts covered by BEES programs/projects are Dhaka, Gazipur, Hobiganj, Brahmanbaria, Narsingdi, Kishoreganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Meherpur, Magura, Chuadanga, Bogra, Joypurhat, Naogaon, Natore, Rajshahi, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Pabna, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Netrocona, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Comilla, Feni, Laxmipur and Noakhali. BEES has established a sturdy association among and with more than 20 lac people, mostly disadvantaged, deprived of all kinds of human rights as well as vulnerable to HIV-AIDS/STIs & ill health, who are receiving development services from BEES.

Poverty Alleviation Program

BEES started its journey in 1975 in the name of Rural Development Program (RDP). In course of gradual development initiatives in rural Bangladesh, BEES has initiated to execute its integrated Poverty Alleviation Program (PAP) since 1997 with a new dimension and strategic framework.

BEES believes that poverty is not only due to lack of income or employment it is a complex syndrome manifested in a variety of dimensions. Therefore, the main thrust of BEES’ development effort is to promote income or employment generation through different initiatives like micro enterprise lending assistance, micro finance, poultry & livestock, agriculture & social forestry, etc. BEES works for bringing the disadvantaged people under the same umbrella and forming homogeneous groups to facilitate a sustainable change within the society through social as well as economic emancipation.

Under PAP, BEES has linked up health care services and human resource development. Awareness programmes on human rights, legal support, gender equality, women empowerment, etc. received due priority. BEES delivers its development services to the rural and urban poor people. PAP targets those people who own less than or equal to 0.5 acres of land and depend largely on the selling of manual labor for their survival. The PAP has four different programs and under each of these major programs, there are a number of sub-programs. These are as follows:

A. Rural Development Programs

A.1 Institution Building
A.2 Micro-Finance Program
A.3 Agriculture & Social Forestry Program
A.4 Poultry and Livestock Program
A.5 Education Program

B. Health, MCH-FP and Nutrition Programs

B.1 Community Based Health Program
B.2 National Nutrition Program
B.3 Water & Sanitation
B.4 HIV/AIDS Prevention Program
B.5 Nutrition Surveillance Project (NSP)

C. Special Programs
C.1 Social Assistance Program
C.2 Poverty reduction through adoption of advanced technology (PRAAT)
C.3 Women Rights and Gender Equality Program
C.4 Advocacy (Social, Financial and Legal)
C.5 Relief and Rehabilitation
C.6 Small Rural Infrastructure Development
C.7 Sisimpur Outreach Program
C.8 NGO Network/Partnership Program
C.9 Integrated Pilot Program

D. Support Programs

D.1 Training
D.2 Information & Development Communication
D.3 Research, Evaluation and Monitoring

Rural Development Programs

Rural Development Programs

BEES launched its Rural Development Program since its inception in 1975 with an integrated community development approach. The Rural Development Program (RDP) works with and for the disadvantaged rural population, especially for the women folk. The ultimate goal of RDP is to contribute towards a just and equitable society, in which the poor and disadvantaged group of people are united together on the same platform, attain a high degree of self-reliance for managing their own affairs to achieve sustainable improvements in their livelihoods. In this line, BEES implements its RDP activities among and with the selected groups for promoting an enabling environment with proper institutional arrangements.

Institution Building

Institution Building

BEES believes that the development inputs can be distributed in the best possible manner by organizing the poor. BEES sets forth its twin objectives of group formation to ensure economic growth as well as social mobilization. Groups are formed comprising small farmers and landless poor women. Emphasis is given to women’s participation all along. Once the groups or individuals of the groups exhibit their maturity and competence to undertake a project, they qualify for receiving loan from Revolving Loan Fund (RLF).

Micro-finance Program

BEES believes that provision of savings, favorable access to credit and insurance facilities enable the poor to invest money in productive activities. Thus they can manage their risks better, build their assets gradually, develop their own micro-enterprises, enhance their income earning capacity and ultimately enjoy an improved quality of life. Through this process, the micro-finance program of BEES helps to promote economic growth and development by creating a self-sustaining credit service among the –

· landless poor people with special emphasis on women
· people who own less than half an acre of land
· people who earn their living by selling manual labor, and
· hard core poor, who live below the poverty line.

BEES provides three types of products and services to its group members in the Microfinance Program:
i) Credit
ii) Savings
iii) Credit Plus Services through Seba Package


i. Credit

BEES provides credit to its group members to initiate different income generating activities. Members must have some savings with BEES for being eligible to get loans and loans are given to individuals without any collateral. Credit operations are carried out through a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) in a systematic process. The RLF consists of donors’ fund, members’ savings and BEES’s own fund. The general loan is disbursed for employment and income-generating activities while sectoral program loan is regulated for micro-enterprise development. At present, BEES provides credit to its beneficiaries through such subprograms under Microfinance Program as Rural Micro Credit (RMC), Microfinance and Technical Support, Ultra Poor, Financial Services for the Poorest (FSP), Microfinance for Marginal and Small Farmer, Urban Micro-Credit (UMC), Micro-Enterprise.

ii. Savings

Savings opportunities with BEES provide members with fund for consumption, children’s education, improved nutritional status and other investment. Income from savings generates greater capacity for self-investment, and enhances the ability to face external shocks by the group members. It also provides security for old age and serves as a contingency fund during natural disasters when income level fluctuates.


iii. Seba Package (Credit Plus Sevices)

BEES provides Credit Plus Services entitled SebaPackage to the target groups so that they can move to a higher degree of self-reliance with a sustainable growth. BEES believes that parallel to financial support, people need to widen their periphery of knowledge, skill and fulfill social requirements in a pragmatic manner. Therefore, BEES provides Seba to link credit facility with different essential services to address these issues. The cornerstones of Seba Package are:
· Insurance
· General and Reproductive Health Services
· Agricultural Support Services
· Funeral Cost
· Pre-School
· Incentive for Pregnant Mothers (having maximum two children)
· Training.

Insurance

BEES maintains insurance policy to ensure safe scheme for the borrowers. The insurance policy covers the risk of the death of any borrower/head of the family-member. The key features of Insurance are:

· All the borrowers of BEES are eligible for BEES’ insurance service.
· The members having loans with BEES are equally eligible for BEES’ insurance service.
· BEES’ insurance policy covers the death risk of all borrowers/ head of the family-member.
· BEES’ insurance service provides a capital some of Tk. 5,000 to 20,000 to the nominee of the deceased.
· The premium would be taken on the basis of disbursed loan in the rate of 1% from the beneficiaries at the time of loan disbursement.

General and Reproductive Health Services
Antenatal care, post-natal care, safe delivery, family planning counseling, referral services for STD/RTI and HIV/AIDS, free diagnosis, prescription, counseling and medicine supply to the poorest and referral services.

Agricultural Support Services
Distribution of seed, seedlings and saplings, fertilizers, fencing, supervision and follow-up, etc. The target beneficiaries receive these and other related services through group meetings by BEES making them “Human Capital” in production.

Funeral Coast
On receiving death information from the loanee, Tk.1000/= is provided (grant) covering the cost of funeral to any member of the family.

Incentive for Pregnant Mothers
This is new program to be launched shortly in order to ensure nutritional status as well as proper antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) of the pregnant mothers having maximum of two children during and after pregnancy period.

Pre-school
Pre-schools established in Microcredit intervention areas for grooming children to make them join primary school. 300 Sisimpur (Sesame Street) style Schools have been already established.

Training
Modern agricultural technology transfer, seed production and storing technology, small poultry firming and cattle rearing & fattening, paddy-fish production technology, agro-forest nursery management, PHC, maternal & child health and family planning, adolescents’ health, food & nutrition, group formation and leadership development, group dynamism and other skill development training and monitoring.

Agriculture and Social Forestry Program

Agriculture and Social Forestry Program

BEES’ Agriculture and Social Forestry Program has tremendous potential for employment generation, poverty alleviation and environmental regeneration. The social forestry component is well ahead to bring all available land in the rural areas under forestation with the active participation of the rural poor.

The agriculture component facilitates the farmers to overcome stagnancy in the agricultural field through promoting crop diversification, increasing crop intensity as well as crop production. Under this component, BEES transfers technology, supplies quality agricultural inputs, credit facilities and training for better management, which, in turn, increases overall agricultural production.

Agricultural Diversification and Intensification Project (ADIP)

Agricultural Diversification and Intensification Project (ADIP)

BEES was implementing Agricultural Diversification and Intensification Project (ADIP) under the Department of Agricultural Extension, GoB with the financial assistance of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Narsingdi district from 1999. Under this Project the target beneficiaries are encouraged to cultivate in the wastelands adjacent to their houses. This has been reducing malnutrition as well as enhancing their income level. BEES is continuing this project independently from 2005.

Smallholder Agricultural Improvement Project (SAIP)

Smallholder Agricultural Improvement Project (SAIP)

This Project has been under implementation since May 2001 in Jhinaigati, Sribardi and Nakla upazilas of Sherpur district. With the financial support from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) the Project covers the landless, marginal and small farmers including the disadvantaged tribal (adivasi) people.

Poultry and Livestock Program

Poultry and Livestock Program

BEES started its poultry & livestock program since its very inception. Basing on previous experience, in 1997, BEES has started implementing the program with a revised strategy alongwith some new components and assistance. BEES’ Poultry & Livestock Program demonstrates how an integrated package of sector -specific training and input services can enable large numbers of poor, landless women to participate in productive economic activities. The program is being implemented by BEES with the assistance from the Bangladesh Government and with its own resource.

Education Program

Education Program

BEES started its Education Program back in 1984 through providing Functional Education (FE) to its group members. In 1996, BEES started imparting Non-Formal Primary Education (NFPE) establishing NFPE under Bogra district. The piloting of NFPE schools has enabled BEES to establish more than 200 NFPE schools with the financial assistance from World University Service of Canada (WUSC)-CIDA along with BEES’ own fund. Through the NFPE schools, BEES offers an opportunity for education to the children, especially the girls, of poor landless families who, either have never been enrolled in a formal school or have been dropped out. BEES has already accomplished a total of 435 center-programs in different service areas enrolling 13,050 learners with the financial aid of Bangladesh Govt. through DNFE. BEES established 60 centers under the program entitled Post-literacy and Continuing Education for Human Development (PLCEHD-1) at Panchbibi and Khetlal upazila of Joupurhat district with the financial support of BNFE/GOB in 2003.

BEES implemented Basic Education for Hard to Reach Urban Children (BEHTRUC) for the working children establishing 45 HTR schools to provide access to primary education as a basic right, especially who do not have any family support as well. Apart from these, BEES has been working on Worst Forms of Child Labor (WFCL) project for the labor children especially who are working in tannery sector of Dhaka. BEES is also implementing Reaching Out of School Children (ROSC) under Ministry of Primary & Mass Education (MOPME) in Bogra & Brahmanbaria.

In February 2005, BEES initiated Early Childhood Education Program and established 8 preprimary schools in Gaibandha district by its own fund. Very recently 300 preprimary centers named Sisimpur School (Sesame Street School) have been established with the cooperation of Nayantara Communication and the program is getting expanded in other intervention areas year-wise as per the proposed plan.

Health, MCH-FP & Nutrition Programs

Community-based Health Program (CBHP)

Community Based Health Project (CBHP)
In 1979, BEES initiated its Health and Nutrition program with own support in Bogra district. Later in 1984, BEES reorganized its health and family planning services through group activities with the financial support of CIDA. In 1992, BEES started a multifaceted Community Based Health Project with financial assistance from Bangladesh Population & Health Consortium (BPHC-DFID) and Royal Netherlands Government in six upazilas of Bogra district. The goal of the project was to improve the health status of children, women and men in BEES intervention areas. The purpose of the project was to increase the use of and demand for cost effective ESP on Health & Population delivery solely and jointly by NGO’s and GOB amongst the poorest communities especially women and children complementing GOB’s health policy. BEES reorganized all of its health services namely Reproductive Health & Family planning, child health, communicable disease control, limited curative care including hygiene, safe water and sanitation with BCC activities under this project.
After 2000, the project was concentrated in Adamdighi and Dhunot upazila of Bogra district and continued up to 2004 by BPHC-DFID support. Considering the impact of this project, BEES is still maintaining the project activities by the income earned from its Microfinance program until the availability of greater donor support. During 1999-2003, BEES has implemented another similar type of project entitled Expanded Health and Education Program (EHEP) with the financial assistance from World University Service of Canada (WUSC-CIDA) in Brahmanbaria, Gazipur and Narsingdi district.

National Nutrition Program

National Nutrition Program

BEES has been working towards the improvement of nutritional status of the rural and semi-urban poor people since its inception in 1975. The major activities of its health and nutrition projects are growth monitoring of under two-children, screening of malnourished children, supplementary feeding demonstration, kitchen garden demonstration, BMI of 15-49 years women, poultry & livestock rearing.

In relation to this, BEES has been implementing the Government-facilitated Integrated Nutrition Project (INP) in 6 upazilas under greater Faridpur district of Bangladesh with a view to reducing the nutritional deficiency among women and children since 2004. Presently, the project has been under implementation in 105 upazilas through 10 National NGOs including BEES receiving fund from the World Bank.

This GoB-NGO partnership project aims to achieve a substantial and sustainable improvement in the nutritional status of women and children of Bangladesh and by the year 2010 malnutrition will be ceased as a public health problem. The overall objective of this project is to develop and strengthen the capacity of the communities to assess and analyze the causes of malnutrition and to make better use of family, community and external resources to improve the nutritional status of the vulnerable groups.

Water and Sanitation

Water and Sanitation

Since early nineties, BEES has been incorporating integrated software and hardware WatSan activities with its programs with the assistance of NGO Forum for DWSS. Alongside its normal program BEES has successfully performed rehabilitation activities, which mainly include building shelters, ensuring safe water & environmental sanitation, installation of tubewells, repairing & re-sinking of damaged tubewells, dewatering ponds and construction of sanitary latrines with the financial assistance of the World Relief Canada. During late seventies, BEES installed more than 4,000 tubewells under the program intervention areas in collaboration with the Bangladesh Krishi Bank. BEES provides the beneficiaries with credit while a huge number of tubewells and latrines have been installed through these initiatives.

Furthermore, BEES has performed arsenic test for a good number of hand tubewells with its own efforts. BEES has created awareness among the people through conduction of promotional activities and using communication materials on usage of safe water, personal hygiene practice, disposal of solid waste, and dreadfulness of arsenic & arsenic mitigation options.

HIV/AIDS Prevention Program

HIV/AIDS Prevention Program

With the objective to strengthen capacity and knowledge of CBOs on HIV/AIDS in project intervention area, BEES initiated a program funded by UNICEF. Major strategies were to train project personnel & CBO members to increase knowledge & dissemination of skill on HIV/AIDS.

To run it as an on-going program, BEES has set-up office in the intervention area. BEES provides services to garment workers, slum dwellers and workers of hotel & tea garden. Different stakeholders including GO-NGO representatives, CBO executive members, UP Chairmen, women members, school teachers, local elites, imams, social workers, and local journalists are being sensitized regularly on HIV/AIDS. Alongside, respective project personnel always maintain liaison with other stakeholders related with HIV/AIDS programs, and exchange information for smooth implementation.

Nutrition Surveillance Project (NSP)

Nutrition Surveillance Project (NSP)

Helen Keller International (HKI) has been operating the Nutrition Surveillance Project (NSP) since 1990 in collaboration with the Institute of Public Health Nutrition of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and partner NGOs. It has been an independent source of high quality data on nutrition & health, food security, and household welfare in Bangladesh. The NSP collects information every two months from children aged less than five years, their mothers and households throughout rural Bangladesh, and in urban slums of six major cities.

BEES, one of the partner NGO of HKI, has been working for NSP for the last 3 years. At present, BEES is working with National Nutrition Program (NNP) and on the other hand it is also assisting HKI in research & development, regarding data collection for the NSP project. BEES is implementing this project at Dhupchachia upazila, Bogra district and Sreepur upazila, Gazipur district.

Social Assistance Program

The government of Bangladesh has taken a project titled ‘Social Investment Program Project (SIPP)’ with assistance from the IDA. This Project is being implemented by Social Development Foundation (SDF). Being a partner of SDF, BEES has been implementing the Social Assistance Program (SAP) as a sub-component of SIPP. Under the Project the service is being delivered by private sector & NGOs with effective community participation.

Social Assistance Program, Phase II
BEES as a participating organization has been implementing the Social Assistance Program (SAP) , phase-II for the hard core poor and vulnerable group members in 190 drought and disaster-prone villages of Gaibandha Sadar, Sundarganj and Sadullapur upazilas under Gaibandha district since January 2005. The main goal of the Project is to create enabling environment for disadvantaged community and increase their participation in decision making and thereby decreasing social exclusion and improving local governance. The project has 6 major service packages: a) Social mobilization, human and leadership training; b) Advocacy program on health, hygiene, clean water, sanitation, education, rights and good governance; c) Advocacy program on dowry and dowry related issues; d) Occupational skills development training and employment assistance; e) Legal aid services; and f) Assistance to tribal population.

Social Assistance Program, Phase III
BEES has started implementing phase- III of Social Assistance Program since November 2006 at 78 villages of Gaibandha Sadar Upazila. Under this program BEES is working for delivering the following services: a) Awareness building, Social Mobilization, Formation of Small Groups (Jibikayan Group) of hard core poor and Reconstituting of Village Development Committee (VDC) into Gram Samity; b) Building capacity within the community, small groups and Gram Samity; c) Promotion of livelihood activities. BEES is carrying out all the program activities in close coordination of the members of Jibikayan Groups and Gram Samaty.

Poverty Reduction through Adoption of Advanced Technology (PRAAT)

Poverty Reduction through Adoption of Advanced Technology (PRAAT)

BEES has started executing Poverty Reduction through Adoption of Advanced Technology (PRAAT) project under Agricultural Technology Transfer (ATT) project supported by Winrock International (WI) in collaboration with Bangladesh Agricultural Research Coulcil (BARC) since October 2006 at Monohordi upazilla of Narsingdi district and Sadar upazila of Brahmanbaria district for implementing tissue cultured banana production and semi-scavenging poultry rearing respectively. The key objectives of the project are to a) transfer profitable, sustainable, adaptive technologies among 60 banana growers and 90 poultry rears; b) establish 30 tissue cultured banana production plots and 30 semi- scavenging poultry rearing farms c) promote/establish contract production among resource poor farmers (RPFs), local traders and other stakeholders through banana production and poultry rearing; d) increase production and income level of RPFs through tissue culture banana production and semi-scavenging poultry rearing ; e) increase capacity building among RPFs, local traders and all other stakeholders; f) strengthen research-extension activities in the sub-project area and ensure marketing channel. The activities are being operated for the marginal farmers on the basis of pilot initiatives.

Women Rights and Gender Equality Program

Women Rights and Gender Equality Program

BEES has been implementing gender awareness program comprehensively over the years in building such development programs & projects as awareness raising activities on violence against women, prevention of women and girl abuse, prevention of early marriage & dowry, women empowerment, etc with aim to develop gender sensitivity and promote women’s rights for gender equality . This Program is going to launch an integrated development project on pilot basis immediately highlighting Women Rights and Gender Equality issues in one particular area under the Mymensingh district. Through this program, BEES will be organizing series of advocacy programs for injecting the thought of having good understanding about role & importance, bringing about positive attitude and respect between husband and wife in order to establish happy and rich family.

Advocacy Program (social, financial and legal)

Advocacy Program (social, financial and legal)

BEES has been continuing its advocacy through meetings, collaboration, coordination and alliance building with relevant stakeholders. It includes policy-makers to opinion leaders at community level and even the private sector to sensitize people at all tiers. The advocacy program of BEES includes issues like human rights, violence against women, child abuse, child labor & child rights, legal aid services to women, social assistance for tribal population, gender-based violence, reproductive rights, gender equity, etc. Different advocacy material packages are developed and distributed to support the main programs.

Social Mobilization Program with Vulnerable Groups

Social Mobilization Program with Vulnerable Groups

BEES’ social mobilization activities promote solving problems by participation of civil society, mobilization of local resources and using indigenous knowledge through mass campaign. Efforts in this regard are advocacy and counseling at different levels. The activities include collection of vulnerable household data on health practices, immunization status, enrollment and completion of primary school children, incidence of child labor, etc in the intervention areas. In addition, BEES has been organizing the community members into groups, imparting human development and leadership training, orientation of elected representatives and other stakeholders on the needs of the poor and vulnerable group and to motivate them to become change agents through sharing of ideas, information, training, workshop, group discussion, etc.

Legal Aid Services

Legal Aid Services

BEES offers support services to establish women’s legal rights for eliminating all types of discrimination against women. The objective is to establish economic empowerment of the women to earn self-respect as well as acceptance by others and for social empowerment through awareness raising on women legal rights. Legal assistance is provided through BEES’ own program support and also in collaboration with other legal organizations.

Good Governance

Good Governance

To ensure good governance BEES weaves general and financial management with three interrelated components – internal democracy and accountability, effective leadership, and teamwork aiming to accomplish its entire activities in a transparent manner. BEES rightly mobilizes its human and financial resources. Effective leadership in BEES management fosters internal democracy and teamwork while these nurture and expand leadership up to the grassroots level. It has a committee of high officials which follows a bottom-up approach for developing realistic program plans.

Promotional Activities & Inter-agency Collaboration

Promotional Activities & Inter-agency Collaboration

BEES implements the promotional activities at the community level with the aid of IEC/BCC materials. A notable number of promotional activities are facilitated covering the target beneficiaries and community people. Alongside, the inter-agency collaborative activities are facilitated to promote, consolidate and sustain BEES’ integrated Poverty Alleviation Program by empowering the disadvantaged and poor especially the women in terms of universal literacy, health care, behavioral change and income generation.

Relief & Rehabilitation (R&R)

Relief & Rehabilitation (R&R)

Since 1979, BEES has been undertaking and successfully completing relief and rehabilitation activities during natural disasters with financial assistance from CIDA, CRWRC, US-AID, Canadian Wheat Bank, World Relief Canada and other donor agencies as well as using its own fund.

With its long and vast experience in successful performance in relief and rehabilitation (R&R) activities in different parts of the country BEES has carried out as much as possible relief operation and rehabilitation support in the affected areas. In order to help the victims of the affected areas in a comprehensive way, BEES sets-up medical team comprising of professional doctors, pharmacist, paramedic and trained field staff. It provides first aid and surgical treatment to the injured persons. Medicines & cooked food are also distributed among the affected people. Alongside, rehabilitation activities are also done to support the affected people come back to their normal life.

Small Rural Infrastructure Development

Small Rural Infrastructure Development

BEES started implementation of its Housing Project for rural poor with the financial support of Bangladesh Bank aiming to promote low-cost housing ensuring a direct impact on welfare of the extreme poor. Since 1979, BEES has undertaken and successfully completed several rehabilitation projects in different disaster affected areas. Under this component houses, tubewells, latrines roads, etc have been made and handed over among the disaster-affected families. This component has so far helped building of more than 455 tin-shed houses along with hygienic latrines and a huge number of tubewells for the cyclone affected people while it has repaired about 15 kms rural kancha (made of mud) roads under the food for work program in the flood affected areas.

Sisimpur Outreach Program

Sisimpur Outreach Program

BEES integrated the Sisimpur Outreach Program supported by Nayantara Communication to enhance intellectuality and self-confidence of pre-school aged children (3+ to <6 years) under formal education along with its other development activities. This program is helping to promote the early childhood development and introduce idea of reading associates so that the children can increase their skills by learning from each other. Children are learning their lessons in an enjoyable environment under this program. Books and supplementary teaching materials are being provided among the teachers and students. Necessary trainings have been made available to the facilitators and field level implementers to use these materials efficiently to support the children’s learning. School management committees have been formed under the program. Family and community support are being mobilized through these committees for quality learning as well. BEES initially selected Gaibandha, Bogra, Faridpur, Madaripur and Gopalgonj districts to render the program.

NGO Network/Partnership Program

NGO Network/Partnership Program

BEES initiated NGO network program in September 2004. Under this program, BEES organized opinion exchange meetings & colloquium, need-based training, orientation and workshop with a total of 130 NGOs representatives in Gazipur, Kishoregonj, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalgonj, Bogra and Gaibandha district. BEES has been conducting Social Assistance Program (SAP), a World Bank (WB) supported project in Gaibandha district since January 2005 with the association of two local NGOs namely Community Development Program (CDP) and UDDYOG. BEES has recently started local NGO network program mostly for two reasons (a) they are locally established and well-known to the people, understand their problems and can provide consecutive support when donor/government support is pulled out (b) cost of service delivery is much less than large & national NGOs.

Training

Training

To enhance the capacity of the staff as well as the target groups, BEES has incorporated training as an integral part of all its on-going programs. BEES aims to improve the management capacities of the development practitioners particularly both within and outside the organization. The efforts are kept consistent with the BEES poverty alleviation and empowerment goals. BEES normally provides Human resources development training, and Professional training.

BEES has been designing and organizing different training courses within its own capacity by giving due importance to the needs of staff as well as its group members. BEES maintains the process of sharing and mutual learning through participatory approach and methods in conducting training courses based on the participants.

Information and Development Communication

Information and Development Communication

BEES communicates with its target people through effective, need-based and proper information, messages, means and materials. BEES utilizes its optimum efforts to transfer the ideas, skills, information to the target beneficiaries and to change their knowledge, attitudes and practices. BEES develops print and audio-visual materials which are generally used in different awareness building and motivational activities as well as training courses.

Under the Information and Development Communication services, BEES always maintains close contact with different govt. and non-govt. agencies and other stakeholders to collect and collate latest and correct information and disseminate those in different levels of program implementers as well as to the target beneficiaries.

Research, Evaluation and Monitoring

Research, Evaluation and Monitoring

The Research, Evaluation and Monitoring (REM) services, established in 1997, provide research support to BEES program. Under REM services, BEES conducts multidisciplinary studies on various development issues of national and global importance. These include poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, agriculture, nutrition, health, population, education, environment, gender and related fields.

With a view to maintaining continuous self-assessment for different programs of BEES, the REM services mirror the actual scenario of the organization’s development initiatives. These measure the progress of the activities against target and inform the management how effectively the services are being delivered at field. The management thus become able to take necessary steps accordingly with immediate measures while the findings are also shared with various donors, policy-makers and researchers at home and abroad.

Human Resource

Human Resource

To ensure good governance BEES weaves general and financial management with a perfect blend for the development and sustenance of the organization. BEES rightly mobilizes its human and financial resources. To have a stable work-force, it always emphasizes on recruiting right people and define clear roles for them. Alongside, BEES actively seeks way to upgrade the professional skills of its staff members for upgrading knowledge to introduce new ideas, concept, etc. for better performance.

Decentralization and delegation are two marked features of BEES human resource mobilization. To make this true, the organization takes extensive efforts to establish more root-level field offices (Unit Offices) at the door step of the community for producing the intended results more efficiently. Frequent field visits are done by the central level staff for monitoring, supervising and managing the programs. Under the dynamic leadership of BEES management, a total of 2,235 staff members are now assigned to Central Office, Area and Unit Offices while 597 are working as regular employees and rest 1,638 are working as short-term staff. About 90% of the total staff is field-based. BEES proves to be a gender sensitive organization having about 78% of female staff.

Financial Resource

To achieve its organizational sustainability, BEES has now being able to reduce its financial dependency on donors to a great extent. Service charges earned from revolving loan funds are contributing to BEES to become self-reliant. Moreover, reducing overhead cost and making the programs more cost-effective through decentralization and delegation of works among the staff have been contributing significantly to gain its organizational viability and self-reliance gradually.

Edited by

Anirudha Alam
Deputy Director(Information & Development Communication) & Trainer
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)
183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHSMohakhali, Dhaka 1206 Bangladesh.
Website: http://www.bees-bd.org/, http://www.newsletter.com.bd/anirudha
Phone: +8801718342876, +88029889732, 88029889733 (office), +88028050514 (res.)
E-mail: anirudha.alam@gmail.com, info@bees-bd.org, bees@worldnetbd.net