Working Experience with different donors:
1. Project Title: Formation of Community-Based Organization (CBO)
Donor: World Vision Bangladesh
Project Duration: 2002 to 17.08.2009
Activities:
- Human and skill development training. Awareness training is imparted to the target population through issue-based training, especially on elder education, health education, leadership, accounting, group management, women and child rights, etc.
- They are organized to form small groups and CBOs (Community-Based Organizations) with group leaders
- Legal Registration support from the Directorate of Cooperatives under the Ministry of Cooperatives. Registration Number: 1365, Date: 17.08.2009
Upoma Nari Kallyan Sangstha started survey work in 2002 to develop poor and underprivileged women and children of Khuruskul Union of Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila. It organizes the target population and provides them with human and skill development training. Awareness training is imparted to the target population through issue-based training, especially on elder education, health education, leadership, accounting, group management, women and child rights, etc. Women are organized to form small groups and CBOs (Community-Based Organizations) with group leaders. CBO was renamed as Upoma Nari Kallyan Sangstha. An executive committee is formed with a small group of leaders to properly implement the organizational, administrative, and financial activities of UPOMA. World Vision Bangladesh has provided organizational, administrative, and financial support to organize underprivileged women, provide training, and receive registration from the Cooperative Directorate.
2. Project Title: LEAF Project of Partners in Health and Development (PHD)
To protect the rights of older women and adolescent girls in Cox's Bazar district by providing education, health, sexual and reproductive health facilities, awareness about gender sensitivity, and economic empowerment are made with a view to resettlement in climate sensitivity.
Donor Organization: Plan International
Project Implementation Area: Khuruskul Union, Cox's Bazar Shador, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
Project Duration: July 2023 to 31st August 2024
Project Activities & Beneficiaries:
Sl. no | Project Activities | Type of Beneficiaries |
| 1. |
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Project Objective:
The project `Lifting Healthy, empowered and Protected Girls and Women in Coxs Bazar (Leaf Project) will support a local women's rights organization and Youth Lead Organization (YLO) to strengthen its institutional capacity to carry out advocacy and provide accountability to ensure evidence-based advocacy to improve SRHR, SGBV, and Mental Health Services and policies. The objective is to advance the realization of SRHR of adolescent girls and young women in all their diversity in Coxs Bazar.
To carry out these objectives, the leaf project /PHD will find out about UPOMA, a Local organization that is very active and dedicated to women's rights, Economic empowerment, education, Health and SRHR, Gender sensitization and GBV, Rehabilitation, and climate Resilience in Coxs Bazar Sador, Coxs Bazar.
3. Project Title: Organizational System Strengthening Program at Cox Bazar
Donor: START FUND Network
Project Duration: July 2022 to December 2024
Since 2017, Upoma has been implementing projects on various development issues. There are no guidelines, policies and directions for implementing different types of projects. Start Fund Network has been providing financial & technical supports to the development of Upoma’s five policies (Human Resource Management Policy, Financial Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Procurement Policy and Strategic Plan) and Micro Credit Implementation Guideline for income generating programs. It also provides training for implementers of these guidelines, policies and directions. In addition, Start Fund Network has been implementing the mentioned policies and providing emergency humanitarian assistance as well as organizing trainings and workshops on how to ensure accountability of the beneficiaries and project related staffs for the implementation of various development projects.
Project Activities & Beneficiaries:
Sl. no | Project Activities | Type of Beneficiaries |
| 1. |
a. SFB`S Workshop on Safeguarding & PSEA b. SFB`S Workshop on SFB Alert Cycle Management c. SFB`S Workshop on Accountability and Complaints & Feedback Mechanism d. SFB`S Workshop on Humanitarian Essentials |
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4. Income Generating Program (IGA), Microcredit:
Microfinance programs for income-generating activities, cattle rearing, goat rearing, tailoring projects, and issue-based awareness projects. These development projects are being implemented in the Khuruskul area of Cox's Bazar Sadar. At least 685 beneficiaries are currently involved in 5 projects. Below are the project-wise beneficiaries and types of work: 4 Upoma mobilizes its women members to provide microcredit for income-generating activities. Loan tenure is one year. Loans are provided for grocery, tea shops, vegetable farming, purchase of vans/rickshaws, tailoring, embroidery, and cottage industries. Depending on the type of business, everyone is given a loan from 10,000 to 20,000 taka. The repayment period is one year. Before disbursing the loan, the borrower's ability is checked. A 2 day of short-term business administration training is provided for maintaining business income and expenditure accounts.
| Project Name | Number of Beneficiaries | Implementation Area | Project Duration | Source of Fund |
| Disbursement of microcredit | 250 people | Khuruskul, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Cox’s Bazar | Ongoing | Organization's financing |
Livestock Rearing:
Upoma is implementing projects for livestock rearing among its organized members. Loans are provided to women to rear dairy cows at home. The beneficiary does not have to take any significant initiative to rear dairy cows. Because there is an opportunity to build cow housing facilities at low cost with their materials, he has accessto an ample supply of food from his home. First aid facilities for cows are available on the advice of local veterinarians. A beneficiary first buys beef cows; some also purchase dairy cows. There are two ways of earning from cows. First, the income comes from regular milk sales, and second, the cow gives birth once every year. Nationally meeting the nutritional needs of cow's milk, on the other hand, contributes to the national economy. A part of the sale of cow's milk is used to repay the loan, and the rest is used to cover household expenses. After three years, a beneficiary owns four cows. He is becoming self-sufficient by fulfilling the family expenses with the income from the sale of cow's milk and cow dung.
| Project Name | Number of Beneficiaries | Implementation Area | Project Duration | Source of Fund |
| Cow rearing | 50 people | Khuruskul, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Cox’s Bazar | Ongoing | Organization's financing |
Goat Rearing:
Upoma encourages its organized members to raise goats to rehabilitate unemployed poor women. Goats give birth twice a year. After the kids grow up, there is an opportunity to earn a lot of money by selling the male goats, and the female goats can breed twice a year. It does not cost much to raise goats. Because goat food is obtained from naturally produced grass and does not require a large house for the resident, Upoma provides its member's loans to purchase at least two female goats. Thisloan is provided for two yearsso that there is no difficulty in repaying the loan.
| Project Name | Number of Beneficiaries | Implementation Area | Project Duration | Source of Fund |
| Goat rearing | 60 people | Khuruskul, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Cox’s Bazar | Ongoing | Organization's financing |
Tailoring& Sewing Project:
Upoma Women Welfare Organization provides the organized members with three months of training on dress-making. Trainees learn to make Punjabi, Fatwa, Pajama, Salwarkameez, Samiz, Petticoat, and Blouse through training. The training includes sewing, bobbin cases, threading, ironing, etc. Utilizing the skills acquired in the training, some rent shops or do tailoring in their own homes. Similar loans are provided for purchasing sewing machines, dress-making fabrics, yarns, and accessories. Unemployed women sitting at home are getting employment through this work and becoming self-reliant.
| Project Name | Number of Beneficiaries | Implementation Area | Project Duration | Source of Fund |
| Tailoring Science Project | 60 people | Khuruskul, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Cox’s Bazar | Ongoing | Organization's financing |
Issue Based Awareness Program:
Upoma Nari Kallyan Shangstha(UNKS) works on various local and national issues. Members organized under the banner of Upama participate in implementing these issues. These tasks are implemented in different ways,such as meetings,seminars, workshops, trainings, yard meetings, rallies, etc.
Local Issue:
Awareness-building activities are maintained to prevent early child marriage. It also works to prevent violence against women and ensure fair value for women's work. Moreover, it is working on raising awareness to avoid eve-teasing and providing orientation to school girls on what to do during teenage periods.
National Issues:
Implementation of the child immunization program, afforestation programs, taking initiatives to destroy water bodies and sources of mosquitoes to kill mosquitoes, and taking agendas along with national programs for ensuring women's rights are essential programs. It also works on the frequency of children going to school.
Day Observance:
Upoma celebrates various national and international days with its organized members, such as International Women's Day, Labor Day (May Day), Environment Day, International Literature Day, Independence Day, Victory Day, International Mother Language Day, and National Children's Day.
