International conference on “<strong>Framework</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Economic</strong> <strong>Growth</strong>, <strong>Pakistan</strong>”with financial education, training and microcredit.We also supporting multipurposecommunity library <strong>for</strong> continuing educationof 250,000 out of school youth.Adolescent Development Program (ADP) isone of the important programs inBangladesh focusing to improve the qualityof life of vulnerable adolescents and youth(14 to 21 years), especially girls withcoverage of 260,000 girls in 8,660 clubsorganized. We are providing life-skills basededucation and livelihood training,community participation through <strong>for</strong>ums,rallies, adolescent fairs, organize culturalcompetition, cricket tournament, safeswimminginitiative etc. to identify andgroom talent. Another program being run byBRAC is “Social and FinancialEmpowerment of Adolescents and Youth”(SoFEA) to empower adolescents and youth(15-24 year) socially and economically sothat they can lead their lives with confidenceand dignity. Programme includes buildingcapacity through life-skills based education,livelihood training, financial education,microfinance, and community participation<strong>for</strong> long-term sustainability of the clubs.Another important program is “CommunityEmpowerment Program” which <strong>for</strong>ms socialcapital of marginalized people and assists instrengthening local governance throughcapacity enhancement of women unioncouncil members and builds up mechanism<strong>for</strong> transparency and accountability at grassroot level. BRAC supports a network of12,000 people with 750,000 membershipsall over Bangladesh.Approach of the Community EmpowermentProgramme is as follows:- Making the marginalized people awareof their rights,- Empowering them to claim theirentitlements, and resist exploitation byfacilitating functioning of communitybased organizations,- Making the local government moreresponsive to the needs of themarginalized people,- Developing direct linkages between thepeople and different tiers of local govt.We are engaging communities to redressinsecurity and violence to ensureparticipation of all level of people in thecommunity (men, women, youth, adolescentboys and girls, local elites, localgovernment, police) activities. We havegiven consideration to ensure women’s andadolescent girls’ participation in planning,implementation and monitoring of projects.The community safety and security concernsare identified and prioritized <strong>for</strong> actions bythe community themselves by followingparticipatory approaches. The communitythemselves develop action plans to addressthe concerning issues identified. Communitymobilization <strong>for</strong> effective utilization ofsanitary latrines involves <strong>for</strong>mal andin<strong>for</strong>mal community and religious leaders,seeks participation of educationalinstitutions and engages media and otherlocal civil society groups.BRAC is also working <strong>for</strong> the extreme poorunder the program entitled “Challenging theFrontiers of Poverty Reduction andTargeting the Ultra Poor” (CFPR-TUP)”. Itis a unique case of community participationand contribution in combating extremepoverty in rural Bangladesh which hasespecially targeted ultra poor householdswho are provided:a) Grants of small assets,b) Intensive training on management ofassets, andc) Free medical care, <strong>for</strong> a period of twoyears to graduate them out of extremepoverty.It costs US $ 320 per households to providethis facility. A total of 400,000 householdsalready graduated through the programme.76
International conference on “<strong>Framework</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Economic</strong> <strong>Growth</strong>, <strong>Pakistan</strong>”The Program ensures intensive communityinvolvement in two major programactivities:i) Targeting program participants,ii) Mobilizing community supportthrough <strong>for</strong>mation of VillagePoverty Reduction Committees.The program participants are selectedthrough Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)method. The two major steps in PRA are:i) Social Mapping,ii) Wealth Ranking.Villagers draw the map of their village andfollow a wealth ranking exercise to identifyhouseholds as non-poor, poor, very poor andultra poor. Through various activities,BRAC encourages the village elites to work<strong>for</strong> the development of their own village.Lessons learnt from above programmesinclude the following:- For inclusive growth communityengagement is essential.- Community proactively identifiesproblems, suggests solutions andparticipates in implementation.- Multi-stakeholder participation (people,local government officials, religiousleaders) ensures greater ownership andaccountability.- Youth and adolescents can be invaluableassets to improve community safety, and<strong>for</strong> voluntary social work, if guidedproperly.- Equal participation of women and men isnecessary to ensure positive outcomeand sustainability.***77