1. Concern Worldwide Bangladesh
Operational Advocacy Strategy for Char Context
“It is not enough to dream.
It is necessary to know how to dream”
---Paulo Freire
M. Anowar Hossain
Khalid Hussain Ershad
Imran Ansari
April 2013

2. ii
Acknowledgements:
This is an opportunity to express our gratitude to people who contributed to the process of developing
the operational advocacy strategy for Char program of Concern Worldwide Bangladesh. At the outset,
we would like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to the program participants who have helped us
tremendously in identifying their problems, making it easier for us to identify advocacy issues.
Secondly, we would like to thank our partner organizations’ staffs for their contributions at every stage
by providing time to time information and feedback, especially for their effective and cordial participation
in group exercises to identify advocacy issues and possible interventions to address those issues. They
also ensured their support by sending us their annual activity plans, types of activities they are
implementing at different levels, etc. as per our requests while drafting the strategy. Thus, we would
really like to thanks these partners because without their support, the strategy development would not
have been possible at all.
Our program staffs also deserve our sincerest appreciation since they have all helped in organizing
workshops and ensuring participation from partners while taking part in these workshops themselves.
Last but not the least, we would like to express our earnest gratitude to our Country Director and
Assistant Country Director - Programs for their guidance, suggestions and comments which really
helped us develop this Char context operational advocacy strategy.

3. iii
Acronyms
ADP Annual Development Plan GBV Gender Based Violence
ANC Antenatal Care GO Government Organization
BADC Bangladesh Agricultural
Development Cooperation
GoB Government of Bangladesh
BARRI Bangladesh Agricultural Rice
Research Institute
HH House Holds
BBS Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics HY High Yielding
BGMEA Bangladesh Garment
Manufacturers and Exporters
Association
LCA Local Char Alliance
BIRRI Bangladesh Rice Research Institute MA Medical Assistant
BKMEA Bangladesh Knitwear
Manufacturers and Exporters
Association.
MO Medical Officer
CARE Cooperation for American Relief
Everywhere.
MOEL Ministry of Employment and Labour
CBOs Community Based Organizations MoDMR Ministry of Disaster Management and
Relief
CCA Char Contextual Analysis MoF Ministry of Finance
CCMG Community Clinic Management
Group
MoP Ministry Planning
CED Chronic Energy Deficiency MoPME Ministry of Primary and Mass Education
CHWs Community Health Workers MoWCA Ministry of Women and Children Affair
CHVs Community Health Volunteer MoSW Ministry of Social Wellfare
CIP Char Integrated Programme MoU Memorandum of Understanding
CLP Char Livelihood Programme MP Member of Parliament
CLTS Community Led Total Sanitation NCA National Char Alliance
CSP Country Strategy Paper NGO Non-Government Organization
CSR Corporate Social Responsibility NoJ Nodi O Jibon
DAE Department of Agriculture Extension PNC Postnatal Care
DFID Department for International
Development
PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
DG Directorate Generals PTA Parents Teacher Association
DMC Disaster Management Committee SAAO Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer
DLS Department of Livestock SFYP Sixth Five Years Plan
SHGs Self Help Groups
DPHE Department of Public Health
extension
SHOUHA
RDO
Strengthening Household Ability to
Respond to Development Opportunities
DRR Disaster Risk Reduction SLIP School Level Implementation Plan
EPI Expanded Programme on
Immunization
SMC School Management committee
FWA Family Welfare Assistant SRGBV School Related Gender Base Violence
FWC Family Wellfare Centre SSNPs Social Safety net Programmes
FWV Family Welfare Visitor STW Shallow Tubewell
FY Fiscal Year UDMC Union Disaster Management Committee
IGA Income Generating Activities UESC Union Education Standing Committee
INGO International Non-Government
organization
UFP Upazilla Family Planning
IP Implementing Partner UHC Upazilla Health Complex

4. iv
UHC Union Health Centre
UHFWC Union Health and Family
Welfare Centre
UHSC Union Health Sub Center
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development
Program
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
UNO Upazilla Nirbahi Officer
UP Union Parisad
URRAP Union Risk Reduction Action
Plan
US Unnayan Shamannay
USAID United States Agency for
International Development
UzADP Upazilla Annual Development
Plan
UzCDC Upazilla Char Development
Committee
UzDMC Upazilla Disaster Management
Committee
UzEC Upazilla Education Committee
UzEO Upazilla Education Officer
UzRC Upazilla Resource Committee
UzRC Upazilla Resource Centre
UzRRAP Upazilla Risk Reduction Action
Plan
UzRT Upazilla Resource Team
VGD Vulnerable Group Development
VGF Vulnerable Group Feeding
WASH Water and Sanitation Hygiene
WDB Water Development Board
WATSAN Water and Sanitation

5. v
Table of content
Content Pages
Executive summary 1-2
1.Bangladesh and Char as background 3
2.Working Areas of Concern Worldwide Bangladesh 4
3.Location of Char Program 4
4.Methodology 5
5.Problems in Char Areas 6-7
Advocacy Under Char Context
6.1- About Advocacy issues of Char context
6.2- Stock taking about what are we doing at different levels? Are we doing
the right things?
6.3- Our Approach to Advocacy
6.4-Strategic Guidance: What should we be doing? Many things we are
already doing and
need to put more attention in some areas
8-26
Role of Unnayan Shamannay, JOBs-Bangladesh, Implementing Partners and
Concern Worldwide Bangladesh
7.1- Unnayan Shamannay
7.1.1-Outline of major deliverables from US years(2013-2015)
7.1.2- Expected Output/Result from Unnayan Shamannay
7.2- JOBS-Bangladesh
7.2.1- Outline of major deliverables from JOBS-Bangladesh
(years:2013- 2015)
7.2.2- Expected Output/Result from JOBS-Bangladesh
7.3 Implementing Partners
7.3.1 Outline of major deliverables from Implementing Partners.
7.3.2 Expected outputs / result from implementing partners
7.4 Role of Concern Worldwide Bangladesh
27-30
8.Roll out of this strategy 31
9.Monitoring of Advocacy 32
10. Bibliography 33
11.Annexure vi-x

6. 1
Executive Summary
Introduction and objectives: Concern Worldwide acknowledges that the root causes of poverty and
vulnerability cannot be addressed by service delivery activities alone. Advocacy can play an important role in
tackling some of these root causes. In addition, Concern has built a wealth of experience at the ground level
over the past four decades and we feel that it is important that we use our position and speak out to have a
solid impact on the causes behind the problems we are attempting to address. Advocacy enables us to have
a bigger impact - for example, if we manage to contribute to a national policy change, it has the potential to
affect the lives of many more people than we could have reached through service delivery alone.
The role of NGOs has also been changing as we have learnt from our work over the years. There is a
movement toward INGOs attempting to facilitate a more sustainable impact with empowered communities
demanding their rights and duty-bearers fulfilling them. This shift has been formalized in the human rights-
based approach to development which many organizations have adopted, including Concern Worldwide.
Advocacy in Concern can never be separated from its programmes. Our approach to advocacy is working at
three levels i.e micro - on the ground, meso - at sub-district and district level and macro - the national
level. We do advocacy in order to establish rights of the extreme poor people in decision-making process
and to create an institutional environment that understands and responds to the rights of these people. The
ways we do advocacy are by ensuring rights holders’ participation through people’s institution building,
enhancing capacity of local partners and forging diversified partnership, strengthening different local
structures and committees under local government structure, persuading government institutions and
influencing in developing pro-poor policies by the government.
The focuses at micro level are - realizing rights, people’s institution building, people’s mobilization and
strengthening LGIs; focuses at meso level are - civil society led alliance building, strengthening LGIs and
improving governance; and the focuses at macro level are - influencing policies, resource mobilization and
investment through research sharing, lobby and innovation.
In order to use advocacy as an approach in a more effective and result-oriented method, this strategy has
been developed as an operational policy which will make it easier for every concerned person to translate
advocacy approach into actions. The strategy has been developed to meet the following objectives:
 To provide strategic guidance to all concerned, including partner organizations and CWW, about the
ways and means through which collectively we can achieve our result using advocacy as an approach.
 To identify advocacy issues regarding the Char context, its perspectives, causes status and supporting
information.
 To have a stock-taking about what we are doing at different levels against Char program advocacy.
 To provide strategic guidance about what we should be doing at different levels (micro-meso-macro).
 To set an approach/model to advocacy.
 To identify the roles, expected results and possible interventions for different organizations including
technical partners, implementing partners and Concern Worldwide Bangladesh itself.
Methodology: The strategy development process followed both primary information collection and review of
public documents and primary documents like organizational and program driving instruments. The
methodology included a series of steps - brainstorming and conceptualizations, primary & secondary
literature review, primary information collection through organizing workshops, drafting of strategies, inflow
facilitation of feedback while drafting, draft-sharing workshop, feedback incorporation and finalization.
Conceptualization through brainstorming was the initial stage of the process, which included judgment about
how to proceed, types of information to be collected and the whole sequence to be followed. Review of
primary documents covered papers like Concern Worldwide Bangladesh Country Strategy Paper 2011-2015,
Char Contextual Analysis, Char Integrated Program, Char Program Result Framework, Baseline and Project
Proposal of different projects, Annual Activity Plan of different partner organizations, etc. while review of
public documents included Sixth Five Years Plan 2011-2015, National Education Policy- 2009, National
Health Policy 2009 & 2011, Implementation Guideline of PEDP-III and many other documents. Secondary

7. 2
Literature Review was focused on reviewing the existing knowledge related to the tasks including available
policies in support of the related programs and projects and to identify existing gaps at national and
institutional context.
Primary information was collected through a workshop conducted at the field level ensuring participation of
program team and senior level representatives of partner organizations. A set of tools (see Annexure: 3) was
used to collect information through facilitating group exercise. Prior to the group exercise, a session was
facilitated to have common understanding about advocacy and to ensure effective contribution of participants
in the workshop.
While drafting the strategy, we had facilitated the inflow of feedback and information to fill up the gaps. A
draft strategy-sharing workshop was organized at the field level where partner organizations provided
feedback and got the opportunity to share their agreement or disagreement to the set role, activity and
results and finally came into chock-full consensus.
Structure of the strategy: The strategy started with providing a background of Char program of Concern
Worldwide Bangladesh, working areas of Char program and identifying problems in Char areas. It has
included advocacy issues for Char areas, perspectives and causes of those issues, current situations and
supporting policies or information related to those issues. The strategy includes stock taking as baseline of
what we are doing against each advocacy issue at different levels, ie. at the micro, meso and macro level. It
also provides an approach/model to advocacy as a whole for the Char program to be followed by its
partners’ and Concern itself. Strategic guidance about what we should be doing at different levels against
advocacy issues has been provided in the strategy. It also tried to be specific in mentioning roles, expected
results and possible interventions for different partners’ including technical partners, implementing partners’
and Concern Worldwide Bangladesh itself. Finally, it also provided guidelines about how to roll out this
strategy and the process of monitoring of implementation of this strategy and the ways/status of achieving
results.
Broader Advocacy issues for Char context: The identified advocacy issues are as follows:
 Lack of/poor allocation of national budget that are not proportionate and equitable to extent of
poverty in char contributing to poor livelihoods of extreme poor char dwellers.
 Lack of education services in Char areas.
 Char people are being deprived of realizing their basic rights to quality health services.
 Inequality exists in allocation and distribution of resources from government for island chars
especially for safety nets and agricultural services.
 Lives and assets of Char dwellers frequently damage to natural disasters.
 Lack of income and employment opportunities keep Char dwellers in extreme poverty.
 Lack of investment from foundation donors and from business communities (as form of CSR).
 Char people are being deprived of getting service providers to provide improved water and sanitation
facilities.
Role of partner organizations and Concern Worldwide Bangladesh: The Char program is being
implemented through partnership, including local organizations, to execute specialized i.e. advocacy partner
for capacity building of implementing partner, develop civil society platform at different levels and carry out
national level advocacy, with the agreement and guidance of Concern Worldwide Bangladesh and the
organization for skill transfer to Char dwellers to create employment opportunity. Thus, with a view to ensure
the right implementation of the programme in terms of achieving the advocacy objectives, a collective
strategic effort is essential which has also been broadly outlined in this strategy.
Roll out of this strategy: Concern Worldwide Bangladesh will organize a sharing workshop to ensure that
all implementing partners, US and JOBS Bangladesh have mastered the strategy in terms of understanding
the advocacy issues, what processes they need to follow and expected deliverables and results from each
organization. In addition to this workshop, Concern will organize a six-monthly review and coordination
meeting with all partners under Char context to review the progress against deliverables and results and
identify gaps and difficulties to implement the strategy. Concern will also ensure its support for implementing
the strategy. In addition to achieving the results set for US and JOBS Bangladesh, it is also responsible to
ensure technical support to implementing partners where it is crucial and mentioned in the strategy.

8. 3
1. Bangladesh and Char as background:
“Over the past 40 years since independence, Bangladesh has increased its real per capita income by more
than 130 percent, cut poverty rate by sixty percent, and is well set to achieve most of the millennium
development goals. Some of the underlying specific achievements include, reducing total fertility rate from
7.0 to 2.7; increasing life expectancy from 46.2 years to 66.6 ; increasing the rate of economic growth from
an average rate of 4% in the 1970s to 6% in the 2000s; increasing the savings and investment rates from
below 10 percent each in the 1970s to 24 percent (investment rate) and 30 percent (savings rate) in FY10;
achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education; and more than tripling of the production of rice
(from 10 million tonnes in FY73 to 32 million tonnes in FY10) thereby achieving near self-sufficiency in
normal production years. The economy today is lot more flexible and resilient, as indicated by the ability to
withstand the global financial crisis with minimum adverse effects. Bangladesh also is now much more
capable of handling natural disasters with minimum loss of life. Bangladesh achieved this remarkable
progress with development despite numerous internal and external constraints”.1
Despite having this progress is on track, there are few areas still are struggling with extreme poverty and
treated as extreme poverty pockets (mentioned in PRSP). One of those is ‘Char’. Most of Bangladesh is
made from delta and flood plain deposition, with much of the land relatively stable. On the contrary, Chars
are the highly unstable areas of deposition/accretion and are essentially new sand or silt islands within the
meanders of the large rivers or the river channels; landmasses that are deep, isolated or detached and
surrounded by water either year round or at least a significant portion of the year. As is the nature of rivers,
many constantly change courses, which results in some chars eventually becoming parts of the mainland
and are then referred to as mainland (or attached) chars. An estimated 6 million people, around 5% of the
Bangladeshi population live in the Chars and of the total land area of the country, 5% is Char, which comes
to about a total area of approximately 7,200 square kilometers. These islands attract the very poor who do
not have access to other land and have no other opportunity other than risk living somewhere constantly
vulnerable to flooding and erosion. In addition to the major physical risks associated with the rivers, Char-
dwellers in particular are marginalized from the benefits of mainland Bangladeshi society due to poor
communication networks.2
Char dwellers are with inadequate earning and employment opportunities, being adversely affected by
increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, having lower access to government and private
services due to geographical isolation and poor governance. Women living in char areas are frequently
denied an equal say in family decision-making and resource allocation, rarely accepted in community
decision-making structures, face illegal practices such as dowry, child marriage, gender based violence and
are prevented from many forms of work and restricted in their movement. Inequality in char areas is higher
than mainland areas3 due to the ability of wealthy interest groups to control access to assets, particularly
land. Social safety nets, targeted at the extremes poor, are frequently captured by the non-poor.
While the chars have started to receive increased national attention as a poverty pocket, government and
other key decision-makers do not consider the specific needs of char areas in policymaking. Budgetary
allocations for infrastructure and services are made on a nationally standardized basis without consideration
of the additional requirements imposed by the geographical situation or the elevated levels of need in the
chars. Access to health and education services and agricultural extension are sparse in char areas due to
isolation and lack of accountability of the service providers. The number of schools and health facilities
relative to the population is very low and travel to these facilities is restricted during the monsoon. The
remoteness of chars lead to high staff vacancies and absenteeism due to poor supervision and weak
accountability. The Multi-indicator Cluster Survey 2009 by UNICEF and BBS shows that education and
health indicators in Char upazillas are below the national average.4
1 1
SFYP-final –Part-I, p-1 .
2 CCA:P-10
3
CLP baseline survey, 2005
4
CSP :2011-2015

9. 4
2. Working Areas of Concern Worldwide Bangladesh in Chars :
Concern Worldwide has been in operation in Bangladesh since 1972. It is well recognized as an international
NGO with long-term commitment to the country, and for its focus on empowerment of the extreme poor.
It has selected Char context based on information on poverty mapping by district across Bangladesh and
Concern’s on-the ground analysis and experience. Our context-based programme approach is designed to
ensure that the programmes are able to address the multidimensional nature of poverty and to tackle the
context specific barriers that face the extreme poor in escaping poverty. This approach uses a people
centered approach that places poor people at the centre of processes to identify factors that shape their
unique experience of poverty and to design interventions that offer pathways out of it. In order to realise the
benefits of such an approach, Concern will ensure it implements all the appropriate set of sectoral activities
in a manner that ensures greater convergence, working in the same areas with the same people in a
coordinated fashion. Work in Char context will consist of discrete projects, structured according to
management requirements and funding opportunities, but will be analysed, managed and measured as a
programme.5
Although the Char riverine areas have in recent years since 2005 witnessed an increased allocation of
resources for livelihood improvements of poor Char dwellers notably under the DFID funded Char Livelihood
Project (CLP) and the USAID funded SHOUHARDO project being implemented by CARE as well as Nodi O
Jibon implemented by Concern Worldwide, extreme poverty still persists in the area posing challenges to key
development actors. Henceforth after an extensive consultation and design process, Concern Worldwide
Bangladesh has decided to continue efforts in the island Char9 area, which are surrounded by water most of
the time in a year but with a focus more on key agricultural/agribusiness activities for extreme poor Char
dwellers and increased linkage to markets to facilitate more households graduating out of extreme poverty.
It also aims to cover new island char areas where until now no extensive support mechanisms for poverty
alleviation have been established neither by Concern Worldwide, CLP or CARE SHOUHARDO. In order to
concentrate efforts on new and existing areas without duplication of efforts, Concern Worldwide Bangladesh
will be working focusing in following areas:
3. Location of Char Programme: Char Program by Districts, Upazilas and Unions :
5
CSP:2011-2015
Districts Upazila Union
Rajshashi
Bagha Gorgori, Pakuria, Monigram
Godagari Char Asharidaha
Pabna
Bera Haturia Nakalia,Dhalar Char,Ruppur
Nutun Bharenga,Puran Bharenga
Masumdia
Pabna Sadar Varara, Hemayetpur
Lalmonirhat Lalmonirhat Sadar Kulkaghat,Mogolhat,Rajpur
Hatibanda Duabari,Patikapara,Sindurna
Aditmari Mohiskhocha
Kaliganj Votmari
Chapai
Nawabganj
Chapai Nawabganj Sadar Narayanpur,Alatuli
Shibganj Paka,Durlovpur
4 10 24

10. 5
4. Methodology:
The strategy development process followed both primary information collection and review of public
documents and primary documents like organizational & program driving instruments. The methodology
included a series of steps - brainstorming and conceptualizations, primary & secondary literature review,
primary information collection through organizing workshops, drafting the strategy, facilitate inflow of
feedback while drafting, draft sharing workshop, feedback incorporation and finalization .
Conceptualization through brainstorming was the initial stage of process which included judgment about
how to proceed, types of information to be collected and about the whole sequence to be followed. Review
of primary documents covered documents like Concern worldwide Bangladesh Country Strategy Paper
2011-2015, Char Contextual Analysis, Char Integrated Program, Char Program Result Framework, Baseline
and Project Proposal of different projects, Annual Activity Plan of different partner organizations, etc while
review of public documents included Sixth Five Years Plan 2011-2015, National Education Policy-2009,
National Health Policy 2009 & 2011, Implementation Guideline of PEDP-III and many other
documents.Secondary Literature Review was focused on reviewing the existing knowledge related to the
tasks including available policies in support of the related programs and projects and to identify existing gaps
at national and institutional context.
Primary information was collected through a workshop conducted at the field level ensuring participation of
program team and senior level representatives of partner organizations. A set of tools (see annexure: 3 )
was used to collect information through facilitating group exercise. Prior to the group exercise, a session was
facilitated to have common understanding about advocacy and to ensure effective contribution of participants
in the workshop.
While drafting the strategy, facilitated inflow of feedback and information to fill up the gaps.
A draft strategy sharing workshop was organized at the field where partner organizations provided
feedback, got opportunity to share their agreement or disagreement to the set role, activity and results and
finally came into chock-full consensus.
Finally, feedbacks that we all agreed to incorporate have been incorporated and the strategy is in the phase
of finalization.

11. 6
5. Problems in Char Areas :
The Char people have been experiencing difficulties in terms of securing livelihood due to inadequate access
to resources (land and productive assets) and services (safety nets, agriculture, education and health etc.).
Remoteness and vulnerability to disaster are the main reasons for the persistence of extreme poverty in
Char areas. By far the highest poverty rates are found in remote island Chars compared to mainland.
Relative powerlessness of the extreme poor leads to poor access to resources, representation and decision
making process. Women’s position and roles are restricted due to religious and social taboo that hinders the
development of Char dwellers. The government, foundation donors and private sectors pay less attention to
Chars in terms of investment and allocation of resources and services due to remoteness and vulnerability.
In addition, the existing policies for poverty pockets are not fully implemented and there are opportunities to
review and incorporate pro-poor issues.6
In the Char contextual analysis, food security, access to education and health services have been identified
as priority areas in the selected island Chars of Lalmonirhat, Pabna, Rajshahi and Chapai Nawabganj
districts. It also revealed that in the Chars of Rajshahi and Chapai Nawabganj districts the presence of
development actors are minimal with attention of government and private sectors also found to be low due to
remoteness and disrupted communication. Although there are development actors working in the Chars of
Lalmonirhat and Pabna, however there is still significant need of development support for the extreme poor.7
The problems to be addressed by the actions are inadequate food security, quality primary education and
maternal and child health of the extreme poor households in 24 unions of 10 upazilas in 4 districts.8
The extreme poor of the selected Chars of those four districts lead a miserable life with only 44% of
household members having 3 meals per day around the year and rest of 56% of household members having
less than 3 meals with no dietary diversity around the year. Only 10% of households adapt the improved
crop production and marketing in collaboration with DAE and Research Institute. The average annual income
per household is BDT 31,183 derived from the diversified productive and income generating activities and the
total assets’ value per household is only BDT 19,879 and this assets include household possessions,
livestock, standing crops, savings and land9. Therefore, the severe food insecurity is a pervasive problem to
the Char population.10
It is estimated that the gross and net enrolment rate is 85% and 60% respectively, only 10% of SMC and PTA
members are able to carry out their role and responsibilities with only 40% students achieve the set learning
competencies in the selected Chars11. So, it clearly indicates that barriers related to access to education,
attendance, competencies and primary cycle completion exist in the Chars.
In addition, the Char people are being deprived of realising their basic rights to quality health services and
hence make them vulnerable. Only 60% children aged 12-23 months received DPT 3 /PENTA 3; 5% children
aged 0-23 months whose births were attended by skilled health personnel and only 15% women who had
four or more antenatal care visits by skilled health personnel in the selected Char12. This indicates the acute
health problems of the selected Chars in above stated four districts.
The key factors for the extreme poverty in remote island Char are as follows:
The target population has been classified in the Chars as 20%, 59% and 21% households are welfare; day
labour and long term migrant households respectively. They suffer a lot due to lack of or very insufficient
assets and return on assets which drive them to moving inside the vicious cycle of poverty. Most of the Char
dwellers have no land and or livestock assets to produce foods for addressing their requirements/ needs of
foods. So, they are to depend on common natural resources such as government owned land and open
water bodies as well as day labour to meet their foods’ requirements. In many cases the extreme poor do not
have access to the economic, social or political assets to ensure control over these natural resources. In
addition, lack of basic education and skills, poor health, inaccessible to the modern technology prevent them
6
CIP ,p-16
7
ibid
8
ibid
9
NoJ II Baseline survey conducted in 2011
10
ibid
11
Char contextual analysis, Jan 2012
12 Rapid assessment, Concern Worldwide, Sep’11

12. 7
to access into the employment in formal sectors and which also largely contribute to make them incapable to
come out by breaking the vicious cycle of poverty.13
Inadequate earning and employment opportunity due to the difficulty of accessing land for cultivation, low
productivity of soils and limited cropping seasons, the difficulty of access to improved and diversified
varieties and the barriers to market access caused by geographical isolation.14
Access to services is poor and quality low, due to geographical isolation and poor governance. These
include health and education services and agricultural extension, both of which are sparse in Char areas due
to isolation and lack of accountability of the service providers. The remoteness of Chars leads to high staff
vacancies and absenteeism due to poor supervision and weak accountability.15
Women are frequently denied an equal say in family decision-making and resource allocation, rarely
accepted in community decision-making structures, face illegal practices such as dowry, child marriage,
gender based violence and which prevent them to access in works as well as restrict their movement.16
Inequality in Char areas is higher than mainland areas due to the ability of wealthy interest groups to control
access to assets, particularly land. Social safety nets, targeted at the extremes poor, are frequently captured
by the non-poor.17
Government and other key decision-makers do not consider the specific needs of Char areas in
policymaking. Budgetary allocations for infrastructure and services are made on a nationally standardised
basis without consideration of the additional requirements imposed by the geographical situation or the
elevated levels of need in the Chars.18
Natural disaster and adverse effects of climate change, including floods, drought and the constant problem
of river erosion force the extreme poor to constantly shift agricultural activities as well as dwelling and
migrate to urban areas. Due to disaster, the loss of assets and lives compel the Char people to enter the
vicious cycle of the poverty.19
The programme actions will address the above mentioned problems by improving assets and return on
assets, inequalities as well as decrease the risk and vulnerabilities of the extreme poor Char dwellers.20
13
ibid,p-17
14
ibid
15
ibid
16
ibid
17
ibid
18
ibid
19
ibid
20 ibid

13. 8
6. Advocacy Under Char Context :
6.1 About Advocacy Issues of Char Context :
Advocacy
Issue-1
Lack of / poor allocation of national budget that are not proportionate and equitable to extent of poverty in char
contributing to poor livelihoods of extreme poor char dwellers.
Addressing
strategic
objectives:1,2,
3,5
Advocacy
objective
To increase allocation of national budget proportionate and equitable to extent of extreme poverty in the island char areas.
Perspective
& causes
Government and other key decision-makers do not consider the specific needs of char areas in policymaking. Budgetary allocations
for infrastructure and services are made on a nationally standardised basis without consideration of the additional requirements
imposed by the geographical situation or the elevated levels of need in the chars. Access to health and education services and
agricultural extension and services are sparse in char areas due to isolation and lack of accountability of the service providers. The
number of schools and health facilities relative to the population is very low and travel to these facilities is restricted during the
monsoon. The remoteness of chars lead to high staff vacancies and absenteeism due to poor supervision and weak accountability.
The Multi-indicator Cluster Survey 2009 by UNICEF and BBS shows that education and health indicators in Char upazillas are
below the national average.
Separate or more allocation of budget is essential for reducing hardship and vulnerabilities of char dwellers .
Causes:
 Current budget allocation does not meet the needs of extreme poor in char
 High concentration of extreme poverty compared to mainland
 Poor production, income, employment and market opportunity
 No special attention of Government in order to reduce poverty in the pace of other parts of the country
 Inadequate presence of development actors including donors and private sectors
 Meet up minimal rights (basic services) and needs of the extreme poor living in Chars
 Remoteness and vulnerability
Current
status and
supportings
Government declared for the first time in the fiscal year 2009-2010 that separate and special allocation for char development ie for
char dwellers would be kept. But in reality, no specific allocation or services made for char development for last two consecutive
national budgets. It was not possible to know any kind of information on allocation and expenditure due to lack of item specific
allocation. Even there was not mentioned in the national budget documents of fiscal year 2011-12 about separate allocation for the
char people’s developments despite it was mentioned in successive two years of first announcement.
Advocacy
Issue-2
Lack of Education Services in Char areas Strategic
objective-3
Advocacy
Objective
-To increase allocation of resources and investment from government and donors for island chars.
-To ensure that existing opportunities and services are reaching to char areas and well functioning.
-Translate National Education Policy into Actions

14. 9
-To execute contextual / seasonal school calendar
Perspective
& causes
The situation of primary education in char areas is poor, with net enrolment rate at 60%, which is very low in comparison with
national level enrolment (95%) and the primary completion rate at 50%21 is also comparatively lower than the national level. Only
40% students achieve the set learning competencies in char areas 22. So, it clearly indicates that barriers related to access to
education, attendance, competencies and primary cycle completion exist in the chars .
Causes :
-Lack of education budget
-Insufficient number of schools (only under half of the villages contain a school)
-Poor quality of school facilities including poor water and sanitation facilities, irregular teacher attendance, low quality of teaching,
high ratio of teacher to students, distant schools, and lack of child friendly educational atmosphere. The latter includes corporal
punishment, School Related Gender Based Violence (SRGBV) and low female participation, especially from the poorest families.
-Less functional and inactive SMC and PTA. Only 10% of SMC and PTA members are able to carry out their roles and
responsibilities23
-Hiring of proxy teachers, late attendance of the teachers, insufficient visits of government officials, few NGO Education Programmes
and insufficient high schools (children especially boys are interested to continue study, but as the high school is on the mainland few
children, less than20%, can continue to high school, and very few children can get the opportunity to get tertiary education).
Supporting Article 19, 28 and 41 of the constitution ensures child rights to education. In 2010, GoB has passed the National Education Policy
where Government has made the commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all children irrespective to class, race, disability,
gender etc. There is also the provision to address issue of drop out through increasing stipend for poor children, cheering school
environment and special arrangement for backward location. So, translation of this policy into actions is the important advocacy
issue.
Advocacy
Issue-3
Char People are being deprived of realizing their basic rights to quality health services. Strategic
objective- 2
Advocacy
objective
-To improve maternal and child health status of the participants through strengthening health systems.
-To increase allocation of resources and investment from government and donors for island chars for health services
Perspective
and causes
Char dwellers are suffering with lack of health services and prevention programs. In terms of maternal and neo natal health the Char
witnesses a high rate of infant mortality, 66/1,000 life-births under five mortality, 37/1,000 life-births neonatal mortality, 67.7% chronic
energy deficiency (CED) for mothers, and the status of under five years e.g. 53.6% stunted, 45.8% under-weight (both acute and
chronic) and 81.7% either stunted, under-weight, wasted or anaemic24. Only 60% children aged 12-23 months receive DPT 3 /
21
CCA, Jan2012
22
CIP-Irish Aid Program proposal
23
ibid
24
CLP baseline survey 2010

15. 10
PENTA 3 , 5% children aged 0-23 months whose births were attended by by skilled health personnel and only 15% women who had
four or more antenatal care visits by skilled health personnel in the selected Chars 25. This indicates the acute health problems of the
selected chars where Char program is being implemented.
Causes :
-Lack of resource & investment from government and donors.
-No special attention of government for health purpose of char dwellers.
-Less number of Community Clinic, and these are still non-functional.
-Absence of human resources in Upazila Health Complex, Union Family Welfare Centre, Lack of required medicines and
equipment’s.
-Less coverage for ANC and PNC
-No allowance for Health Assistant to visit to community.
Supporting Article 15 (Ka) ,18 (1) of the constitution ensures rights to health services of all citizens of this country . In 2011, GoB has passed the
National Health Policy where Government has made the commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens’ health rights
irrespective to class, race, disability, gender etc. Government has made the commitment to establish Community Clinic as a part of
ensuring health services to remote areas and in this regards government has initiated a comprehensive program to establish
community clinic. In many areas including Chars, infrastructure has been established and now time to make those functional .
Advocacy
Issue -4
Inequality exists in allocation and distribution of resources from government for island chars specially for safety nets &
agricultural services.
Strategic
objective 1
and 5Advocacy
objective
-To reduce inequality in allocation & distribution of government resources for island chars specially for safety net and agricultural
services.
-To bring change in government safety net policy to ensure allocation based on extreme poverty situation instead of administrative
area.
Perspective
and causes
Char dwellers produce crops following traditional method without any external support from GO or NGO or private sectors. They get
low production due to lack of external support like advice, orientation of improved and HY species of crops, equipments for producing
and protecting the crops from disasters. Generally the government officials are reluctant to visit the Chars due to poor transport /
communication facilities. According to baseline survey of NoJ-II project, only 5% respondents mentioned that they got services from
DAE. In most cases, people don’t know the assigned officer of their area and eventually they do not know who to contact for any
advice related to agriculture production.
Government safety net services are insufficient and the distribution process does not consider the extreme poverty pocket rather
follows the administrative area. According to NoJ –II baseline survey, 7% of the households is covered under VGD and 4% -VGF, 3%
receiving widow allowance and 1.5% elderly allowance among the extreme poor households. It clearly indicates that in island chars,
social safety net services are very low comparative to deserving people.
25
Rapid Assessment , Concern Worldwide Bangladesh , Sept -2011

16. 11
Causes :
-No additional allowance for transportation of government officials visits to char areas.
-Allocation of social safety net is very lower compare to the need.
-Lack of good governance in the distribution process.
Supporting National Agriculture Policy talks about protection of interests of the small, marginal and tenant farmers by ensuring support
services.
Social Safety Net Programs(SSNPs) : The major ongoing Social Safety Net Programs is divided under four broad categories :i)
employment generation program ii)programs to cope with natural disasters and other shocks iii) incentives provided to parents for
their children’s education iv) incentives provided to the families to improve their health status . These four categories are again
divided into two types : a) cash transfer , including conditional cash transfers (Food for Education Program , Primary Education
Stipend Program , Female Secondary School Assistant Program ) and b) Food transfers (Food for Work Program, Vulnerable Group
Development Program , Vulnerable Group Feeding Program , Test Relief and Gratuitous Relief )
The National Food Policy emphasizes the important linkages between availability, access, and nutrition outcomes, in line with the
definition of food security adopted by the World Food Summit of 1996. It also recognizes that a combination of measures is needed
to effectively reduce hunger and malnutrition, e.g. providing immediate access to food to the most vulnerable and promoting
agricultural development and income growth.
The policy represents an unprecedented effort to address food security in a comprehensive manner in Bangladesh and fills the gaps
of previous food and nutrition policy frameworks. The overarching goal of the National Food Policy is to ensure, in coordination with
partner ministries, development partners and NGOs, “dependable and sustained food security for all people of Bangladesh at all
times”.
Advocacy
Issue -5
Lives and Assets of Char dwellers frequently damage to Natural Disasters Strategic
objective 1 & 5
Advocacy
Objective
To reduce risks and vulnerabilities by ensuring effective DRR and emergency response to char areas
Perspective
and causes
Char is an area highly prone to natural disaster due to river erosion, flood and cyclones which subsequently cause loss of assets and
lives. This negatively impacts on lives and livelihoods of Char dwellers. In addition, poor health and education services contributed to
a low level of wellbeing in terms of frequent poor health and low literacy. Climate change, GBV and HIV & AIDS make the lives of Char
dwellers more susceptible to risks and vulnerability.
According to NoJ-II baseline, 98% chars face river erosion, 88% seasonal flooding, cold damage to rice; 69% face drought. Flood and
river erosion are most damaging. 43% of NoJ households had to shift their houses due to flooding and river erosion in last four years.
Supporting GoB has approved the Disaster Management Act on 24th September 2012 of which objective is to ensure reduction of disaster risks
and vulnerabilities in a coordinated way mainstreaming DRR interventions through almost 28 ministries and strengthening capacity
and systems at every level of government structures . There is SoD under which tasks of different departments, DM committees are

17. 12
clearly directed. Ministry of Disaster Management has a Comprehensive Disaster Management Program with UNDP.
Advocacy
Issue-6
Lack of employment opportunities keep char dwellers in extreme poverty Strategic
objectives 1
and 5Advocacy
Objective
To ensure that extreme poor households are employed through promoting private enterprises and employment opportunities in and
outside Char areas
Perspective
and
Causes
Char dwellers are with: lack of job opportunities in the char area or outside cahr areas, very low income due to lack of diversified
working opportunity, lack of skill trainings. Their involvement is mainly in agriculture related activities which are basically seasonal
involvement .According to NOJ-II baseline survey, 55% of HH members (male and female together) aged 14 years and above, are
fully employed; 15% have seasonal or part-time employment and 30% are unemployed.
Supporting Char is under consideration of getting additional attention from government.
Advocacy
Issue-7
Lack of investment from foundation donors and from business communities (as from CSR fund) Strategic
objectives 1 ,
2 , 3 , 5Advocacy
objective
To create attention of donors and mobilize CSR fund for creating opportunities for char dwellers
Perspective
and causes
Char peoples’ sufferings issues are not getting proper attention due to not raising the issues across the country due to lack of
attention of foundation donors. There are scope of mobilizing CSR resources from different corporate organizations, Banks and other
private sectors.
Supporting Bangladesh Bank circular on Banks for CSR fund mobilization / utilization.
Other corporate organizations have also started using CSR funds for addressing peoples’ rights issues.
Advocacy
Issue-8
Char People are being deprived of getting services by service providers to get improved water and sanitation facilities.
Advocacy
Objective
- To increase access to improve water sources, sanitation facilities and knowledge on hygiene practice to the community and
schools students in the char area.
Perspective
and causes
The overall water and sanitation situation in the char areas is extremely poor. Over 80% households depend on neighbours’ water
points and spend an average of 2 hours daily with travelling up to ½ - 1 Kilometer. The shallow tube wells have limited functionality
7-8 months a year from July to January and do not function due to decline of underground water table (layer). The platforms of the
STWs are absent or damaged and 80% STW have no water drainage systems. People are accustomed to preserving water in
earthen pot and aluminum jar without following proper safety measures. During dry season, community people sometime drink and
use river water without purifying it. Women and adolescent girls usually collect water from distant locations and are prone to gender-
based violence, sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation.26
Water and sanitation situation is worse in the educational institutions. Primary schools including Madrashas (religion educational
26
Wash Project Proposal of Char Context

18. 13
institutions) usually get water from STW which are arsenic and iron contaminated. Over 50% STW are out of order and have no
platform. Therefore students, teachers, school managing committees are forced to fetch water from nearby communities, or more
distant locations and lose contact for hours, and girl students often face teasing and harassment that contribute to poor quality
education, decrease enrolment, attendance and learning achievements.
Over 90% community people do not have proper sanitation facilities and often use open space and unhygienic latrines in the Char.
Knowledge and practice of WASH at personal, households and community levels are poor. Outbreak of dysentery, diarrhea and other
water borne disease is common in the Char area.
Causes :
- Lack of support and response by DPHE for water and sanitation facilities in the char areas.
- Less involvement of LGIs in the Sanitation Campaign
- Allocation for ADP grant is very lower for of LGIs for Sanitation
Supporting Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives has approved National Water Supply and Sanitation Policy
1998.
Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives has prepared and approved the National Strategy for water and
Sanitation Hard To Reach Area of Bangladesh-2011,
In National Strategy for water and Sanitation Hard To Reach Area of Bangladesh-2011, char areas are recognized as hard to reach
areas and has given the importance to ensure access to safe water and sanitation.
Considering six indicators and their respective criteria and ranking, from Multi Criteria Analysis, National Strategy for water and
Sanitation Hard To Reach Area of Bangladesh-2011 identified 353 unions under 88 upazillas of 20 districts of Char areas as hard to
reach areas in terms of ensuring access to safe water and sanitation facilities. So in government policy documents, char areas water
& sanitation aspect has got proper attention.
NB: Didn’t put any advocacy issue related to inequality as Equality desk is working to prepare context equality objectives and will identify activities

19. 14
6.2 Stock taking about what are we doing at different levels? Are we doing the right thing?
SL Advocacy issues Micro level Meso level Macro level
1. Lack of / poor
allocation of national
budget that are not
proportionate and
equitable to extent
of poverty in char
contributing to poor
livelihoods of
extreme poor char
dwellers.
-Rising rights awareness at the
community level.
- CBOs and SHGs representatives
participate in joint planning with Union
Parishad through sharing fact findings
and evidence and demand more
allocation of VGF, VGD, old age
allowance …. for char areas .
- Facilitate enrollment of CBOs and SHGs
representatives at different standing
committees of union level, SMC, PTA,
CCMG with a view to ensure their
representations in demanding more
allocation
-Sensitization of Upazila and District
administration for ensuring the separate
allocation of budget for char people.
- Regular fact findings sharing and joint
planning meeting with administration and
relevant GoB departments at Upazila level.
- Engage LCA for sensitizing Upazila duty
bearers through Planning and coordination
meeting at the upazilla and district level
-Developing and activating Upazila Char
Development Committee (UzCDC) for
ensuring more allocation and services that
contributing to poor livelihoods of extreme
poor char dwellers.
-Engaging civil society, NGOs, journalists,
private sectors and other actors in the
process of raising the issue for separate
allocation of budget for char dwellers.
-Conduct policy and budget analysis to
develop research documents and fact findings
-Sensitizing line ministries, departments,
engaging MPs and Parliamentary Standing
Committee through sharing fact finding from
policy and budget analysis, study findings;
-Consultation on different issues through
roundtable discussion by National Char
Alliance (NCA);
-Engaging journalists to raise the char
peoples’ sufferings issues in national print and
electronic media to create more attention of
government.
2. Lack of Education
Services in Char
areas
- Enhance the capacity of the SMCs,
PTAs, Community (parents, education
patronizing persons and community
leaders) by providing training on roles
and responsibilities.
- Facilitate enrolment of SHGs and CBOs
leaders to the committee of SMCs, PTAs
for their active participation to ensure
quality education at the community level.
- Developing volunteer teachers and
enhancing their capacity to provide
additional support to low-performing and
poorest children for education.
- Mobilizing community resources for
- While organizing training for SMC, PTAs,
mobilizing resources from upazila level
education departments in particular from
Upazila Resource Centre and upazila
education department.
There is no specific intervention on
Education issues at National Level.

20. 15
ensuring sustainable quality education.
3. Char People are
being deprived of
realizing their basic
rights to quality
health services.
-Activating Community Clinic
Management Group through training by
managing resources from Upazila Health
and Family Planning Department.
-Meeting with Union Health Standing
Committee to ensure effectiveness of
CCMG and providing support to
community clinic and EPI program.
Meeting with UHC, UFP to ensure primary
health care and ANC, PNC services for
children and mother –only BOSS.
Meeting with pharmaceutical companies for
health support to char areas.
4. Inequality exists in
allocation and
distribution of
resources from
government for
island chars
especially for safety
nets & agricultural
services.
-Sensitized the community and make
aware on rights and entitlement issue.
-Mobilize the CBOs and SHGs for
participating at union level and Upazilla
level planning for separate allocation of
resources and delivery of agricultural
services to char area.
-Mobilize and sensitize the UP for
ensuring the separate social safety net
services at the char area.
Demonstrating plot of high value and
high yielding crops at the field level with
the technical support from Block
Supervisor of DAE office to inspire others
to produce those crops.
-Sensitized the Upazilla level different
departments Officials i.e Social welfare,
Women affairs, education departments and
with the UNO for the separate allocation for
safety net in the char area.
-Facilitate LCA members to participate in
the Joint planning meeting with Upazilla
administration to share the community
needs on the safety net and agricultural
support.
-Meeting with Upazilla DAE to provide
technical support to the respective
producer groups ,
-Organize GOB officials’ visits to char areas
to make them understood about the needs
and gaps on safety nets and agricultural
services.
-Sensitize the media personnel’s to report
on basic demands and present scenario of
safety net services and agriculture
services.
Lobbying with Agriculture research based
on organizations like BARRI, Wheat
Research Institute to get technical support
and other agricultural inputs.
-Sharing/Consultation meeting with different
ministries (Ministry of Planning, Ministry of
Disaster Management & Relief, MoWCA,
MSW), parliamentary standing committees.
-Lobbying with DLS and DAE to be engaged
under MOU for ensuring the better support to
the char area from respective departments.
-Articles publishing in national dailies.
5. Lives and Assets of
Char dwellers
-Make the target community aware about
their roles during Pre and post disaster
- Sensitize the Upazilla level Disaster
management committee to activate UzDMC
Meeting with MDMR to declare River Erosion
as disaster.

21. 16
frequently damage
to Natural Disasters.
situation..
-Promoting Women SHGs for savings
and incorporate IGA for creating
resilience at house hold level through
promoting economic solvency
-Sensitize the community to work on
Community based disaster risk reduction
approach by setting up early warning
system at the field.
-Facilitate enrollment of the CBO
members at Union Disaster Management
Committee for incorporate disaster risk
reduction in the union level development
plan.
-Joint Planning with UDMC to develop the
contingency plan for reducing risks &
vulnerability during floods.
and incorporate DRR issues for char areas
- Incorporate DRR resilient crops variety in
the char areas by taking technical
guidance from the Upazilla DAE officials.
- Orienting print and electronic media
personnel to cover the news of disasters in
chars.
Articles publishing in national dailies.
6. Lack of income &
employment
opportunities keep
char dwellers in
extreme poverty
- Sensitize the community for equal right
wages and having trainings provided by
department of youth at the field level.
-Advocacy with UP to get approval for
Assemble market to ensure selling of
crops produced by char dwellers
- Ensuring support from DAE and DLS for
farm and off firm set up for the char
dwellers
- Meeting & sharing with Department of
Youth for arranging Vocational Training
on farm and off farm set up for char
dwellers.
- Establishing linkage with local and
outside buyers so that char dwellers can
sell their product. Also arranging free
training by local business communities.
- Advocacy with the department of youth
for providing more IGA trainings and micro
loan support for small entrepreneurship. .
- Meeting with PRAN-RFL to create opportunity
for char dwellers to be employed in their
organization
- Meeting with MoEL for overseas employment
7 Lack of investment
from foundation
donors and from
business
communities (as
- -Meeting with different Banks and business
institutions to mobilize resources for Char
dwellers as a part of their CSR.

22. 17
form of CSR )
8 Char People are
being deprived of
getting service
providers to get
improved water and
sanitation facilities.
-Rising awareness at the community
level on safe use of water and sanitation
through day observance and group level
lessons.
-Meeting with UP and formation of Wash
committee
-Strengthening Union Parisad WATSAN
standing committee through orientation
to mobilize resource and support on
WaSH.
-Sensitization of Upazila Education office
and DPHE for ensuring support and
resources for ensuring safe water and
sanitation at the school level.
- Engage DPHE for the technical support to
WASH committees through caretaker.
-Still Now. No action is till done yet.

23. 18
6.3 Our Approach to Advocacy
Concern practitioners do acknowledge that the root causes of poverty and vulnerability cannot be addressed
by service delivery activities alone. Advocacy can play an important role in tackling some of these root
causes. In addition, Concern has built up a wealth of experience at the ground level over the past four
decades and there is a feeling that we should use our position to speak out to have more of an impact on
the causes of the problems we are attempting to address. Advocacy enables us to have this larger impact—
for example if we manage to contribute to a national policy change, this could affect the lives of many more
people than we could reach with service delivery alone.
The role of NGOs has also been changing as we have learnt lessons from our work over the years. There is
a movement toward INGOs attempting to facilitate more sustainable impact with empowered communities
demanding their rights and duty-bearers fulfilling them. This shift has been formalized in the human rights-
based approach to development which many organizations have adopted, including Concern Worldwide.
Advocacy in Concern should never be separated from programmes. Our approach to advocacy is working at
three levels i.e micro- on the ground, meso-at sub-district and district level and macro- the national
level. With a view to establish rights of the extreme poor people in decision making process and to create an
institutional environment that understands and responds to the rights of extreme poor people, we do
advocacy. The ways we do advocacy are-by ensuring rights holders participation through people’s institution
building ,enhancing capacity of local partners and forging diversified partnership, strengthening different
local structures and committees under local government structure, influencing in government institutions and
influencing in developing pro-poor policies by the government.
Our Approach/Model to Advocacy: What should it be is outlined below:
What Process are we following and with whom are we working?
Focus at Micro level (On ground : Community level and union level)
-Awareness on rights, entitlement, service provisions, roles and responsibilities of different structures and
committees, equality, women empowerment, DRR and HIV,AIDS.
- Peoples’ group and institution building (CBO,SHGs and Producer group)
- Facilitating formation and ensuring effectiveness of government structures at community level: SMC, PTA,
CCMG, CHWs, CHVs……..
-Peoples’ mobilization to ensure rights and entitlements.
-Strengthening local government structures, committees and institutions :
(UHSC,UESC,UDMC,HFPSE,SAAO,UHFWC,VFA,WATSAN SC,……)
-Ensuring accountability and transparency of local government structures
-Linking them (establishing information pathway from community/union level to LCA).
-Creating access to market & employment opportunity.
-Facilitating Enterprise development.
-Facilitating empowerment process through rights awareness & promoting CBOs and SHGs representations
in different committees.
-Engaging with religious leaders, local elected bodies, volunteers.
-Working with education, health, agriculture, livestock, safety net service provider at community level.
-Sharing fact findings and evidence and facilitate joint planning with union structures.
-Facilitate community resources mobilization and bringing support and resources from upazilla different
departments
-Facilitate establishing relation between different committees like between SMC and UESC.
Focus at Meso Level (Sub district and district Level)
-Facilitate information pathway from community/union level to LCA .
-Civil Society led Alliance building (LCA bringing different actors under single umbrella).

24. 19
-Strengthening LCA for demanding and negotiating services and resources.
-Facilitate forming of UCDC (as a part of being integrl part of development planning with government) and
ensuring LCA members are in committee.
-Engaging civil society, NGOs, journalists and other actors in the process of raising different advocacy issues
at upazilla level.
- Engaging corporate ,private sectors, research & specialized organizations. (BARRI,BIRRI,BADC……)
- Conducting research and sharing findings, documenting best practices and ensure dissimination.
-Sensitization through sharing findings, district and upazilla agriculture and livestock department, district
health committee, district NGO coordination committee, upazilla health committee, upazilla education office,
upazilla development committee and mobilizing resources, training and services to char areas.
-Facilitate formation of UzRC and UzRT under education departments and mobilize resources.
-Working with potential candidates for the next election.
-Facilitate CSR mobilization to char areas.
Focus at Macro level ( National Level)
- Forming influential people lead NCA and strenthening NCA.
-Establishing information pathway from LCA to NCA , NCA to LCA.
- Involving development organizations and other actors for bringing changes in policy.
-Conducting and sharing reasearch and fact findings with policy makers, different ministries, departments,
parliamentary standing committees.
-Engaing corporate, private sectors, different organizations like BGMEA,BKMEA, commercial banks and
financial institutions.
-Engaging with specialized partner organization.
-Organizing Char Convention (not as event, as process of raising echo, making the issue matured, bringing
all actors under single umbrella)
-Engaging with specialized organization for creating employment opportunity.
-Engaging with political parties to adress advocacy issues in their election manifesto.
-Publishing Char Peoples’ Demand Charters in media.
-Engaging civil society and journalist for continuous raising the issues.
-Influencing in developing pro-poor policies by the government.
-Influencing donor organizations.
-Publishing booklet &news letters, writing articles.
-Realize rights
-Peoples’ institution
building
-Peoples’ mobilization and
strengthening LGIs
- Civil society led alliance
building
-Strengthening LGIs
-Improving governance
-Influencing
policies,resource
mobilization and
investment through
research sharing, lobby
and innovation.

25. 20
6.4 Strategic guidance: what should we be doing? Many things we are already doing and need to put more attention in some new areas.
Advocacy
issue
Advocacy
objectives
Micro Meso Macro
Lack of /
poor
allocation of
national
budget that
are not
proportionate
and
equitable to
extent of
poverty in
char
contributing
to poor
livelihoods of
extreme poor
char
dwellers.
To increase
allocation of
national budget
(primary
education ,
health ,
livestock ,
agriculture ,
social
protection )
proportionate
and equitable
to extent of
extreme
poverty in the
island char
areas
-Empowering char dwellers through
Peoples’ Institutions building (CBO)
-Awareness on rights and
entitlement; roles and
responsibilities of different local
level government structures.
-Mobilize people to raise their
demand to UP , upazila and to
upazila char alliance
- Facilitate enrolment of CBOs and
SHGs representatives to different
standing committees of UP , take
part in joint planning with UP and
demanding more allocation for char
areas .
-Establish the information pathway
from CBOs to LCA. 27
-Facilitate LCA to develop and
activate UzCDC to be headed by UNO.
28
-Ensure that LCA members are in the
UzCDC
-Develop ToR for LCA and UCDC and
Sharing the ToR for UzCDC with UNO
and other members.
-Provide training / orientation to LCA
so that they can better raise all the
issues (DRR in UzRRAP, Education,
Health, Agricultural support, Safety
net …) categorically while meeting
with UzCDC.
-Sensitization of upazila and district
administration for ensuring the
separate allocation of budget for char
people and regular sharing of facts
and field findings.
- Engage LCA for sensitizing upazila
duty bearers through Planning and
coordination meeting at the upazilla.
- Work with potential candidate for
next election and ensure commitment
to ensure agendas to be putted in
their election manifesto.
-Engage civil society, NGOs,
-Establish information pathway from LCA to NCA
and need to ensure that NCA is dealing with
those issues raised by LCA. (for all issues) .
-Strengthen and make more effective NCA
engaging more actors
-Meeting between NCA and line ministries in
particular MoF, MoP, MoPME, MoDMR …..to
sensitize them through providing research
documents and fact findings .
-Work with major two political parties to ensure
commitment in written in their election manifesto
for separate allocation for char dwellers.
-Work with MPs , parliamentary standing
committee
-Facilitate to ensure that different
comprehensive studies are conducted by
different organizations to at a glance look at the
sufferings of char dwellers.
-Organize National Char Convention bringing
all the actors under single umbrella to create
attention of all actors
-Publish Char Peoples’ Demand like Peoples’
Demand Charter in National Daily while political
parties will be developing their election
manifesto
-Work with MPs after next election.
-Engage print and electronic media to cover
char issue.
27
This information pathway is for all advocacy issues . From community and union level , the unresolved issues and support needed will be informed to LCA
28
While UCDC meeting will be held , all issues like education , health , safety net will be discussed and raised problems . So, this is for all issues

26. 21
journalists, private sectors and other
actors in the process of raising the
issue for separate allocation of budget
for char dwellers.
-One quarterly formal meeting
between CBO representatives,
implementing partner and LCA to
discuss about pros and cons about
problems, services status.
Lack of
Education
Services in
Char areas
-To increase
allocation of
resources and
investment
from
government
and donors for
island chars.
- To ensure
that existing
opportunities
and services
are reaching to
char areas and
well-
functioning.
- Translate
National
Education
Policy into
Actions
-To execute
contextual /
seasonal
school
calendar
-Make functioning & strengthening
the UESC, SMC, PTA to mobilize
community resources for School
improvement, ensuring volunteer
teachers, ensuring teachers’
accountability, right implementation
of SLIP, increase retention rate,
completion rate, reduce drop out.
-Establish relationship between
SMC and UESC to ensure that
problems related to School
Management are shared with UESC
and get fund from union.
- Awareness on rights and
entitlement; roles and
responsibilities of different local
level government structures.
-Ensure Training on roles &
responsibilities of SMC, PTA by
raising demand to UzRC and
ensuring resources from UzRC.
-Raise the issue of following
contextual school calendar, for
more budget allocation for
implementing SLIP.
-Work for extremely poor women’s
involvement in representative’s
-Advocacy for well-functioning UzRC
and forming the UzRT (these were
important component of PEDP-II , in
few areas it is performing well ) to
ensure training to SMC , PTA , UzESC ,
Teachers and for strong monitoring
(supervising , inspection ..) from
Upazila on teachers’ attendance …..,
-Working with UzEC to ensure that
UEO is making recommendations for
establishing new schools (as it is his
responsibility )
-Ensure that LCA is discussing
education issues while meeting with
UzCDC and in addition meeting with
UzEC to update problems on a regular
basis and ensure visits of education
officials.
-Facilitate dissemination of any kind
of information from UzRC to UzESC.
-Sharing children’s’ success in local
media.
-Raise the issue of increasing
Education related SSNPs coverage for
char areas.
-Meeting with Ministry of Primary and Mass
Education , discuss education related problems
of char areas , demand more allocation( in
terms of human , infrastructure , materials and
financial ) and talk about translate the national
education policy into actions ie ensure
education facility for all is the commitment for
government as well as in constitution.
-Advocacy with relevant ministry to increase the
coverage of conditional cash transfer ie Food-
for Education Programme , Primary Education
Stipend Program , Female Secondary School
Assistance Program proportionately and
equitably for char areas .
-Issue raised through print and electronic
media.
-Discussing, mentioning, raising education
issues while doing other activities mentioned for
advocacy objective -1 like while talking with
political parties, talk about education issue as
well.
-Conducted study on present situation and
shared in Char Convention.

27. 22
structure (SHG, SMC, PTA, CCMG,
CBOs, and standing committees).
-Unresolved issue raise to LCA.
-Raise the issues to ensure that
education related SSNPs benefits
are reaching to extreme poor
households (Under SSNPs lot of
schemes :incentives provided to
parents for their children’s
education, Food for Education
Program , Primary Education
Stipend Program , Female
Secondary School Assistant
Program)
Char People
are being
deprived of
realizing
their basic
rights to
quality health
services.
- To improve
maternal and
child health
status of the
participants
through
strengthening
health
systems.
-To increase
allocation of
resources and
investment
from
government
and donors for
island chars for
health services
-Awareness on the importance
receiving Tetanus Toxid Injection,
birth attended by skilled health
personnel , receiving PENTA-3
Vaccination ,ANC , PNC from where
and how the can get services …
and rights and entitlement by court
yard meeting , in CBO meeting.
-Mobilize community to demand
more functional government local
structures like Community Clinic ,
Family Welfare Centre , Union sub
centre and different committees like
CCMGs, UHSC, CHWs , CHVs ,
village doctors and skilled birth
attendant .
- Awareness raising activities for
community people to arrange
necessary support to send pregnant
women to UHC based on the
referral from FWV.
-Awareness raising activities for
FWV to properly do the referral
-Facilitate sharing of problems and
best practices among all the
stakeholders and influencing decision
making based on these practices.
-LCA will be addressing the issues
raised by CBO and from community
level.
-Piloting of Telemedicine approach for
better improvement of health
support& services in one upazila with
Grameen Phone
-meeting with Ministry of Health for allocation
more resources( in terms of human ,
infrastructure , equipments , medicine and
financial)
-Sharing of findings, problems, causes ….
based on the monitoring report with relevant
ministries, INGOs and donors.
-Facilitate study on health situation is conducted
by organization working on health focus and
sharing in Char Convention.
-National level initiatives for ensuring piloting of
telemedicine approach with Grameen Phone .

28. 23
activities.
-Ensure that MO, MA, FWV, FWA,
HA. are getting training from upper
level of government health structure
ie from UzHC, UFPO.
-Ensure that under SSNPs health
related programs , incentives are
reaching to extreme poor
households
-Facilitate sharing of best practice.
Inequality
exists in
allocation
and
distribution
of resources
from
government
for island
chars
especially for
safety nets &
agricultural
services.
-To reduce
inequality in
allocation &
distribution of
government
resources for
island chars
specially for
safety net and
agricultural
services.
-To ensure that
government
has developed
comprehensive
social safety
net policy( to
ensure
allocation
based on
extreme
poverty
situation
instead of
administrative
area , effective
-Awareness on rights and
entitlements to different safety net
programs for different groups.
-Mobilize the CBOs and SHGs for
participating at union level and
Upazilla level planning for separate
allocation of resources and delivery
of agricultural services to char area.
-Mobilize and sensitize the UP for
ensuring the separate social safety
net services at the char area.
-Demonstrating plot of high value
and high yielding crops at the field
level with the technical support from
SAAO of DAE office to inspire
others to produce those crops.
-Sensitized the Upazilla level different
departments Officials i.e social
welfare, women affairs, education
departments and with the UNO for the
separate allocation for safety net in
the char area.
-Facilitate LCA members to participate
in the Joint planning meeting with
upazilla administration to share the
community needs on the safety net
and agricultural support.
-Meeting with upazilla DAE & DLS to
provide technical support to the
respective producer groups ,
-Organize GOB official’s visits to char
areas to make them understood about
the needs and gaps on safety nets
and agricultural services.
-Sensitize the media personnel’s to
report on basic demands and present
scenario of safety net services and
agriculture services.
Lobbying with Agriculture research
based on organizations like BARRI,
BADC, WRI to get technical support
and other agricultural inputs.
-Sharing/Consultation meeting with different
ministries ( MoP, MoDR, MoWCA, MSW ,MoE,
LGED ) , parliamentary standing committees
explaining the need for separate allocation of
safety nets for char dwellers.
-Lobbying with DLS and DAE to be engaged
under MOU for ensuring the better support to
the char area from respective departments.
-Articles publishing in national dailies.
-Advocacy planning ministry for developing an
integrated social safety net policy

29. 24
implementation
, monitoring
and evaluation)
Lives and
Assets of
Char
dwellers
frequently
damage to
Natural
Disasters.
To reduce risks
and
vulnerabilities
by ensuring
effective DRR
and emergency
response to
char areas
-Make the target community aware
about their roles during pre and
post disaster situation.
-Conduct CRA and incorporate
initiatives in union ADP and URRAP
to reduce CR.
-Awareness raising on HIV & AIDS
issues including dispelling the
misconception on the HIV
transmission.
-Promoting Women SHGs for
savings and incorporate IGA for
creating resilience at house hold
level through promoting economic
solvency and as a part of
contingency plan to DRR.
-Sensitize the community to work
on Community based disaster risk
reduction approach by setting up
early warning system at the field.
-Facilitate enrollment of the CBO
members at UDMC for incorporate
disaster risk reduction in the union
level development plan.
-Joint Planning with UDMC to
develop the URRAP for reducing
risks & vulnerability during disaster
and activate UDMC. (In URRAP
include the storage of collective
resources for emergency
response).
-Ensure getting safety net related to
- Activate the UzDMC and
incorporate addressing DRR issues in
Upazila ADP
-Develop UzRRAP engaging LCA
members and facilitate
that Char Unions RRAP issues are
integrated in UzRRAP.
- Incorporate disaster in particular
flood resilient crops variety in the char
areas by taking technical guidance
from the Upazilla DAE officials and
BADC.
- Advocacy for getting DRR related
safety net coverage more for char
dwellers.
-Advocacy with WDB to start and
finish their activities on time to protect
char dwellers from river bank erosion.
-Conduct the DRR audit to identify the
overall situation of DRR preparation
and preparation for emergency
response.
-Civil society campaign might facilitate
by LCA to collect rich peoples’
support , CSR support to tackle
emergency situation
-Advocacy (by NCA) with MoDMR for more
resources allocation in order to right
implementation of RRAP at different levels.
-Establish linkages between CDMP , other
actors and NCA

30. 25
cope disaster and shocks support
as much as possible for those who
are under extreme risk.
Lack of
income &
employment
opportunities
keep char
dwellers in
extreme
poverty
To ensure that
extreme poor
households are
employed
through
promoting
private
enterprises and
employment
opportunities in
and outside
Char areas
-SHGs, CBOs to exert influence
meeting with community, landlords
and UP for negotiating leasing out,
rent, share cropping, contract
growing and accessing to common
property resources.
-Facilitate group savings to take
further collective initiative to set up
small scale business opportunities.
-Sensitize the community for equal
right wages and having trainings
provided by department of youth at
the field level.
-Advocacy with UP to get approval
for Assemble market to ensure
selling of crops produced by char
dwellers
- Ensuring support from DAE and
DLS for on farm and off firm set up
for the char dwellers
-Provide technical support to
demonstrate plot as a part of
promoting high-yielding varieties to
the char island
- Identify and establish linkage with
local wholesale buyers & outside
buyers and develop institutional
market relationships with producer
groups.
-Arrange free training by local &
outside business communities.
- Advocacy with the department of
youth for providing more IGA trainings
and micro loan support for small
entrepreneurship.
-Collaborate with DAE, BADC, BARRI
for trial and extension of high –
yielding, fast maturing, immersion
tolerant, drought and flood tolerant
crop varieties.
- Meeting & sharing with Department
of Youth for arranging Vocational
Training on farm and off farm set up
for char dwellers.
-Generate success story, document it
and ensure dissemination to all
donors, private organizations,
corporate and government different
departments.
-Conduct comprehensive market analysis and
subsector studies to identify overall market
situation, scope and create opportunities.
- Meeting with MoEL for overseas employment.
-Sharing research and trial findings at national
level.
-Establish linkage with commercial banks and
financial institutions to provide credit to CBOs
and SHGs.
-Establish linkage with BGMEA and BKMEA to
recruit female form char areas.
-Meeting with private sectors enterprises like
PRAN-RFL,… to create opportunity for char
dwellers to be employed in their organization
Lack of
investment
from
foundation
donors and
from
business
communities
To create
attention of
donors and
mobilize CSR
fund for
creating
opportunities
for char
-Conduct research on resourcing requirements
to reduce poverty and increase levels of
services to national average (form a team
including 1 representative from each group -
government high official media people Shaikh
Seraj, university teacher , donor , business
sector –BGMEA, CWW, US, Jobs, NCA, LCA )
-Sharing the study finding in the Char

31. 26
(as form of
CSR )
dwellers Convention
-Publish the books and ensure dissemination to
all sectors
-Engaging foundation donors and corporate
sectors in order to mobilize resources
-Media engagement (organizing fellowship for
media people ) to highlight poverty scenario in
the char areas
-Meeting with different Banks and business
institutions to mobilize resources for Char
dwellers as a part of their CSR.
Char People
are being
deprived of
getting
services by
service
providers to
get improved
water and
sanitation
facilities.
- To increase
access to
improve water
sources,
sanitation
facilities and
knowledge on
hygiene
practice to the
community and
schools
students in the
char area.
-Rights, entitlement and hygiene
practices awareness to community,
students.
-Strengthen capacities of
community-led institutions to
mobilize the local resources from
union.
-Sensitize SMC and PTA on health
and hygiene things related to
WATSAN for better arrangement of
WATSAN facilities
- Work with LGIs to support people
in sustaining behavioral change and
hygiene promotion.
-Ensure that community and SMC
are taking responsibilities to
maintain the installed tube well and
latrines.
-Formation of Wash committee to
facilitate CLTS.
-Sensitization of UzEO and DPHE for
ensuring support and resources for
ensuring safe water and sanitation at
the school level.
- Engage DPHE for the technical
support to WASH committees through
caretaker.
- Advocacy with the LGI to ensure
water supply at the community level
and Water and sanitation
infrastructure at the school level.
-Lobby with DPHE, LGI to ensure the
maintenance of tube well and latrines
beyond the project period.
-Sharing findings for
sensitizing education ministry, health ministry
and DPHE for ensuring the resources for char
areas .

32. 27
7. Role of Unnayan Shamannay, JOBS-Bangladesh, implementing Partners and Concern
Worldwide Bangladesh:
As Char program is being implemented through partnership including local organizations to implement,
specialized i.e advocacy partner for capacity building of implementing partner and developing civil society
platform at different levels and to do national level advocacy with the agreement and guidance of Concern
Worldwide Bangladesh and the organization to skill transfer to char dwellers and creating employment
opportunity, so with a view to ensure the right implementation of program in terms of achieving the
advocacy objectives, collective strategic effort is essential which are broadly outlined below :
7.1 Unnayan Shamannay:
7.1.1 Outline of major deliverables from Unnayan Shamannay in 3 years (2013-
2015 year basis detailed activity plan would be developed based on mutual
agreement which a matter of further discussion)
Process
(Strengthening)
-Finalize TOR for UzCDC, LCA and NCA and share with Concern
Worldwide team.
-Strengthen 10 LCA and formed 10 UzCDC in 2 years and make these
alliance and structure effective.
-Establish information pathway from community to LCA to NCA.
-NCA has been developed as broader forum including all actors like civil
society, journalist, NGOs….)
-Facilitate formation of URC & URT under education department.
-CSR mobilization by establishing linkage with commercial banks and
financial institutions and arrange credit opportunity for CBOs.
-Publish a book highlighting char peoples’ sufferings and remedies to
overcome and ensure dissemination to donors, GoB and INGOs.
-Facilitate conducting different studies to be conducted by different
organizations.
-Formation of pro-char journalists group .
Capacity Building -Capacity building and support to implementing partner in doing
advocacy.
-Organize training to partner staffs to make them understand about roles
and responsibilities of local government different structures, committees
and service providers.
-Provide training/ orientation to LCA so that they can better raise all the
issues (DRR in UzRRAP & ADP, Education, Health, Agricultural Support,
Safety net)
Analysis, Content
Development,
Research, Publication
and Sharing
-Prepare the content that could be incorporated into the election
manifesto and ensure these are well taken by political parties.
-Develop content/messages in 2/3 pages for awareness on rights and
entitlement.
-Publishing newsletter regularly, facilitate/ collecting best practices from
field level and ensure dissemination to government departments, donors
and INGOs.
-Develop a short inventory of safety net types, coverage, eligibility
criteria------ in details-2013.
-Identify information gaps/gaps in research specifically and conduct
specific research which is objectively essential to do advocacy.
-Prepare a 3-4 pages document identifying relevant ministries,
departments linked to achieving our advocacy objectives and identifying
corporate bodies, commercial banks and financial institutions for CSR
mobilization.
-Publishing Char Peoples’ Demand Charter while political parties will be
developing their election manifesto.
-Conducted research on resource requirements to reduce poverty and
increase level of services to national average.
Raising Echo &
bringing all actors
-Organize National Char Convention in 2014

33. 28
under single
umbrella.
Lobby/meeting -MoU signing with DAE, DLS and other departments if possible.
-Facilitate meetings between NCA and different ministries.
-Meeting with different Ministries including MoF, MoP,MoHFP ,MoSW,
MoDMR for increasing resource allocation ( in terms of human
resources, infrastructure and services)
-Lobby for having comprehensive safety net policy
7.1.2 Expected output/ Result from Unnayan Shamannay
By /In years Output/Result
2013-2015 -More active LCA & 10 UCDC formed ( Provided orientation and facilitate
formation-2013 & 2014)
-Information Path way from Community-LCA-NCA established-2013
-NCA has been a boarder & influential active forum-2013
-10 upazilla URC & URT formed & actively providing support to ensure quality
education by 2014
-A comprehensive book on Char people sufferings- published by 2014
Research on resources requirements to reduce poverty and increase level of
services to national average conducted and shared.
-Facilitated conducting different studies to be conducted by different
organizations- by mid-2014
-Capacity building support to implementing partners ensured. (Organized trainings
for them, providing analysis, information & briefing paper by in 2013,2014
-Content developed & incorporated in election manifesto,2013.
-Content/ messages on rights and entitlement developed and sent to
implementation partner.
-Published newsletters regularly and ensured dissemination to GOB and Donors,
INGOs. (2013-2015)
-Developed inventory on safety net and shared with implementing partners 2013
-Identified research gaps and conducted specific research needed (2013-2014)
-Char Peoples’ Demand Charter Developed and Published (2013)
-Organized National Char Convention-2014 (process to be started in 2013)
-MoU signed with different at least with DAE & DLS by 2014.
-Ensured different meeting has been conducted between NCA and different
ministries to ensure more allocation of resources to char areas. (by 2015)
-Comprehensive safety net policy developed by 2015.
-Separate allocation of budget for char dweller by 2015.
-Established formal strategic linkage/relations with commercial bank &/or
corporate bodies of which ultimate result would be mobilized CSR to Char areas.
(In terms of providing scholarship to students or in any other mode)
7.2 JOBS-Bangladesh:
7.2.1 Outline of majors deliverables from/by JOBS-Bangladesh in 3 years (only
considering the advocacy aspect) year basis detailed activity plan would be developed
based on mutual agreement.
-Demonstrate plot of high value and high yielding crops at field level and ensuring
technical support from SAAO of DAE office to inspire others to produce those crops.
-Mobilize the resources from DAE to provide technical support to producer groups.
-Jointly with US, signing MoU with DAE & DLS to ensure the technical inputs.
-Lobbying with agricultural research based organizations like BARRI, BADC, WRI to get
technical support and other agriculture inputs.
-Ensuring technical support to the process of getting, designing and functioning
assemble market.
-Ensuring support from DAE and DLS on farm and off farm set up for the char dwellers.
-Facilitating overseas employment for char dwellers through advocacy with MoEL.
-Establishing linkage with BGMEA and BKMEA to recruit char dwellers.

34. 29
-Establish formal strategic relationships with private sector enterprises for accessing
CSR fund and institutional job placement and employment opportunity through technical
and vocational skill development.
-Conduct research on employment status of char dwellers in comparison to other areas
and shared in National Char Convention.
-Developed a detailed inventory of local and outside whole sale buyers and producer
group and published and disseminated to producer group and buyer.
-Established institutional market mechanism/marketing relationship for producer group,
identifying local whole sale buyers and outside buyers.
-Conduct an assessment of plausibility for establishing of information centre in
collaboration with US, IP.
-Ensure contribution of Jobs in capacity building of UP-Standing Committees.
-Lobby with LGIs to allocate land for assemble market with IP.
7.2.2 Expected output/ Result from JOBS-Bangladesh
By /In years Output/Result
2013-2015
-
Institutional market mechanism between producer groups and local and outside whole
sale buyers established. by 2014 (Process to be started in 2013)
-A detailed inventory of producer groups, whole sale buyers –local & outside, developed,
published and disseminated to producer groups and buyers by 2013.
-Research on employment status of char dwellers conducted and shared in National Char
Convention.(2013-mid 2014)
-Established formal strategic partnership with private sectors.
-Established linkage with BGMEA and BKMEA.
-Identified scope of creating opportunities of overseas employment.
- Ensured technical support from DAE and DLS for on farm and off farm set up & mobilized
resources to producer group.
-Provided technical inputs while developing MOU with DAE, DLS by US.
-Ensured technical support for designing and functioning assemble market.
-Support to capacity building of SCs of UP is provided.
-Lands are allocated for assemble markets.
7.3 Implementing Partners:
7.3.1 Outline of major deliverables from Implementing Partners in 3 years (2013-2015 year
basis detailed activity plan would be developed based on mutual agreement which a matter
of further discussion.
-Awareness on rights, entitlement, service provisions, roles and responsibilities of different
structures and committees, equality, women empowerment, DRR and HIV,AIDS, importance of
vaccination , ANC, PNC.
- Peoples’ groups and institutions building (CBO, SHGs and producer groups) and
- facilitate mobilization to ensure rights and entitlements (viz: our program participants are
getting safety net support ) from UP and upazila
-to demand more functional government structures like Community Clinic , FWC, union sub
centre and different committees CCMGs , CHWs, CHVs,SBA and to get more allocation.
-to ensure that CBOs are taking part in joint planning with UP.
-Facilitate CBOs and SHGs to exert influence, meeting with community , landlords and UP for
negotiating leasing out , rent , share cropping , contract growing and accessing to common property
resources and assemble market .
-Facilitate enrolment of CBOs and SHGs representatives in different committees like SMC , PTA ,
different standing committees of UP.
- Facilitate formation and ensuring effectiveness of government structures at community level: SMC,
PTA, CCMG, CHWs, CHVs..

35. 30
-Strengthening local government structures, committees and institutions:
UHSC,UESC,UDMC,HFPSE, SAAO,UHFWC,WATSAN SC,UDMC… and ensuring accountability
and transparency of local government structures.
-Facilitate information pathway from community/union level to LCA and sharing best practices
among all actors.
-Facilitate LCA-bringing all actors under single umbrella and ensure that LCA is raising issues
raised by CBOs and SHGs , LCA is taking part in joint planning with Upazila , formed UzCDC getting
support from Unnayan Shamannay and activate UzCDC.
-Organize sixth monthly meeting among CBOs representatives ,IP and LCA to discuss problems
and solutions, and visit of government officials to char areas .
-Establish relationship between UESC and SMC .
-Lobby to ensure that Schools are following contextual School calendar (if essential , raise the issue
to Upazila education departments )
-Activating UzRC and UzRT for ensuring support to provide training to SMC , PTA on roles and
responsibilities and to teachers on quality teaching methods.
-Lobby with UzEC in particular with UzEO to ensure recommendation for establishing new school .
-Ensure that union and upazila have the URRAP and UzRRAP and incorporating DRR in union ADP
and UzADP.
-Lobby with department of youth at upazila level for ensuring more IGA trainings and micro loan
support for small enterprises .
- Sharing findings, documenting best practices and ensure dissimination.
-Sensitization through sharing findings, district and upazilla agriculture and livestock department,
district health committee, District NGO coordination committee, Upazilla health committee, upazilla
education office, upazilla development committee and mobilizing resources, training and services to
char areas.
-Working with potential candidates for next election to incorporate char dwellers rights issues in
respective political parties’ election manifesto.
7.3.2 Expected outputs / result from implementing partners:
-Activity (set at micro and meso level ) based output or result (see 7.3.1).
7.4 Concern Worldwide Bangladesh’s role :
 Ensure that all implementing partners , US ,and Jobs –Bangladesh’s staffs are well
understood the strategy in terms of understanding the advocacy issues, what process they
need to follow , expected deliverables and results.
 Organize sixth-monthly review and coordination meeting among all partners.
 Ensure support and engagement in doing National Level Advocacy.
 Capacity Building support .
 Support to organize National Level Char Convention with a view to raising echo , craeating
deamnds and bringing all actors under single umbrella .
 Ensure representation of Concern’s staffs in partners’ event on the ground .
 Overall Coordination of implementing the strategy .
 Piloting of Telemedicine approach for better improvement of health support & services in
one upazila with Grameen Phone. (Initiatives is to be taken at National Level). Based on
the experience, further to take decision to expand or not.

36. 31
8. Roll out of this strategy:
Concern Worldwide Bangladesh will organize a sharing workshop to ensure that all implementing
partners , US and JOBS Bangladesh are well understood the strategy in terms of understanding the
advocacy issues, what process they need to follow , expected deliverables and results from each
organization . In addition to this workshop, Concern will organize six-monthly review and coordination
meeting with all partners under char context to review the progress against deliverables and results and
to identify gaps and difficulties to follow & implement the strategy. Concern Worldwide Bangladesh will
also ensure the support to implement the strategy. In addition to achieving the results set for US and
JOBS Bangladesh, they are also responsible to ensure technical support to Implementing Partners
where it is crucial and mentioned in the strategy.
Photos : Draft advocacy strategy sharing workshop at ARTI, Poba, Rajshahi.

37. 32
9. Monitoring of Advocacy
Process Monitoring
Result Monitoring
Process Monitoring: Sixth monthly reporting
Meeting with line
ministry
Agenda
discussed
Is there any
decision/
update /progress
from last meeting
What would
be follow up
actions
Result of 6
months
1
2
3
Result Monitoring: According to the result set against US and JOBS Bangladesh, IP (against activities set
for micro and meso level ) and for Concern Worldwide Bangladesh : monitoring against the set role .

38. 33
10. Bibliography:
1. Sixth Five Years Plan (SFYP)-FY2011-FY2015, MoP, Government of the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh.
2. National Education Policy-2009, MoE, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
3. National Health Policy- 2009 &2011, MoH, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
4. Country Strategic Paper (CSP) 2011-2015, Concern Worldwide Bangladesh.
5. Irish Aid Programme (IAFP) Proposal, Char Integrated Programme,(CIP) January 2012 - December
2015
6. Char Contextual Analysis (CCA), Char Programme Concern Worldwide Bangladesh.
7. Programme Result Frame Work: Bangladesh Char Integrated Programme, Concern Worldwide
Bangladesh.
8. Concern Worldwide Bangladesh Nodi O Jibon Project End Base Line Survey 2011.
9. Concern Worldwide, Bangladesh May 2011-How concern understands Extreme Poverty
10. Concern Worldwide, Bangladesh Nodi O Jibon Phase II-Moving out of extreme poverty in remote
Island Char areas July 2011 – June 2016
11. Concept note on Char Education and Health Project, Revised on 2nd July, 2012, Concern
Worldwide, Bangladesh
12. Project Proposal WASH for the extreme poor of remote rural areas (Char and Haor) in Bangladesh
January 2012 – December 2014, Concern Worldwide, Bangladesh
13. Final Evaluation of the Nodi O Jibon Project, May 2011 Concern Worldwide, Bangladesh.
14. National policy for Safe Water Supply & Sanitation 1998, Ministry of Local Government, Rural
Development and Cooperatives
15. National Strategy for Water and Sanitation Hard to Reach Areas of Bangladesh, December 2011,
Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.
16. Logical Frame Work, Char Education Health Project, Concern Worldwide, Bangladesh
17. Implementation Guide line for Third Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP3), Ministry
of Primary and Mass Education.
18. Social Safety Nets in Bangladesh, October 2007, Shaikh S. Ahmed
19. Social Safety Net Programmes in Bangladesh: A Review,BARKAT-E-KHUDA, Bangladesh
Development Studies ,Vol. XXXIV, June 2011, No. 2
20. Report WASH for School Program 2010, Concern Worldwide Bangladesh.
21. Draft Report on Baseline Survey of Char Integrated Programme March2013, The Nielsen Company
Bangladesh Limited
22. Field Findings Report on Health and Education in HAOR, M. Anowar Hossain 2010 , Concern
Worldwide Bangladesh.
23. Progress Review Report of the Advocacy Partner of Amader School Project-2009, Concern
Worldwide Bangladesh by M. Anowar Hossain, Golam Sarowar Talukdar, Shahidul Islam.
24. PRO POOR STRATEGY for Water and Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh, February 2005, Local
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