RBU_JR_LIS_V23_2021-FULL_TEXT-E-Copy

Rahman & Biswas: Role of professional associations …
services to the door step of citizens in rural areas of
Bangladesh. It ensures services providers and users to save
time, cost and has made operations hassle free
(www.a2i.gov.bd).
poverty, educating the underserved and underprivileged on
information-based services etc. At present, the
organization is running 500 CICs in rural areas, spreading
over 450 Upazillas. The CICs also provides health,
agriculture, chatting, video conferencing, commercial
mobile call, e-governance services; GP value added
services such as Flexi Load, ring tones downloading etc
(www.grameenphone.com/about/corporateinformation/corporate-responsibility/communityinformation-center).
Table-2: Community Information Centres in Bangladesh
Table-2 depicts the Ganokendra is a non-formal,
intergenerational and integrated educational programme
for out of school children, youths and adults living in rural
and urban slum community of Bangladesh. The
Ganokendra provides participants with skill training
opportunities in the fields of literacy, livelihood skills
training and support to establish income generation
activities, health awareness campaigns, environmental
conservation and civic education. Ganokendra is organized
and managed by the groups of users in collaboration with
the local community and back-up support from DAM.
Currently it has set up 1169 Ganokendras, scattering over
ten districts of Bangladesh
(www.ahsaniamission.org.bd/ganokendra-dam)
Practical Action Bangladesh has set up a knowledge centre
from 1966 with a view to providing about energy,
agriculture, food crop processing, live stock etc to reduce
poverty and improve the quality of life of people living in
remote rural and urban areas. The knowledge centre also
work includes improvements to farming practices that help
the poorest farmers thrive in the most challenging
conditions and collaboration at local and national levels to
transform the lives of people in city slums and refugee
camps
(www.practicalaction.org/knowledgecentre/resources).
The BRAC, an NGO has established Multipurpose
Community Learning Centre (MCLCs), locally named as
Ganokendra. The MCLCs are creating an opportunity to
develop a habit of reading from very early age which
facilitates higher consciousness, humanity and self
awareness among the rural people. These CLCs are
providing access to information and to increase the literacy
and learning skill of rural disadvantaged people
(www.brac.net/program/education).
The Grameenphone is providing Community Information
Centre (CIC) to access for the rural people, alleviating
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Under the Mobile Library, books reach the doorsteps of all
kinds of readers as the libraries on wheels travel in rural
and urban areas. The aims of the programme are increase
book lending facilities in different locations of the country.
This programme started in 1999, at present a total of 1900
mobile library units is covering 250 Upazillas of the 58
districts of Bangladesh (www.bskbd.org/mobile-library).
The Amader Gram project established a village
communication, information and learning centre in April
2001 at Bagerhat of Bangladesh. The Knowledge Centre
was designed to develop participatory monitoring and
learning system at the village level. The Knowledge
Centre is disseminating information on health, sanitation,
education and livelihood opportunities for rural people
(www.amadergram.org/knowledge.php).
The Development Research Network (dnet) established
four “Pallitathya Kendra” in 2005 of four remote villages
of Bangladesh, located in Nilphamari, Netrokona,
Noakhali and Bagerhat on a pilot basis to capture the
process of learning and replication. The Pallitathya Kendra
provides livelihood information service for rural people
such as agriculture, health, legal and human rights,
education, appropriate technology, awareness, disaster
management and rural employment etc. The Pallitathya
Kendra also provides necessary ancillary service such as
soil test, water test, photography, height and weight
measurement, composing, printing, CV writing,
commercial mobile phone, blood pressure measurement,
use of internet to the poor rural community
(www.dnet.org.bd/page/programs).
Youth Community Multimedia Centre (YCMC) is located
in Sitakund Upazilla of Chittagong district. Young power
in social action (YPSA) launched the centre in 2005. The
YCMC aims to reduce poverty through ensuring digital
opportunities for the rural economically poor, especially
disadvantaged youths and adolescents. Youth Community
Multimedia Centre uses the local network for content
dissemination, reaching about households in Sitakund. The
YCMC provides participants with skill training
opportunities in the fields of health, economic
empowerment, human rights and governance,
environment, climate change, disaster management,
education etc (www.ypsa.org/youth-communitymultimedia-center-ycmc).