CARE Bangladesh (2007-11) strategic plan is operationalizing a program approach. A program is a coherent set of initiatives by CARE and our allies with a long term commitment to specific marginalized and vulnerable groups to achieve lasting impact at broad scale on underlying causes of poverty and social injustice.

CARE Bangladesh Project Information, 2010

Adolescent’s and Women’s Reproductive and Sexual Health Initiative (ARSHI)

(June 21, 2006 to 30 June, 2010)

The EC funded project aims to decrease maternal mortality and morbidity of adolescent girls and women in Sunamganj, of Northwest Bangladesh. ARSHI works to ensure safe motherhood and youth friendly services to empower women and youth with information and skills to support healthy practices, and to mobilize the community and the state to create an enabling environment in support of the sexual and reproductive rights of women.

Akhonee Shomai

(July 01, 2009 to December 31, 2011)

The overarching goal of the project is to improve the status of underweight children under age two and address related maternal nutrition practices to achieve MDG 1. This CARE US funded project is located in Kishoreganj.

Building Pro-Poor, Inclusive and Gender Sensitive Local Governance Project-(EC-NSA)

(January 01, 2009 to December 31, 2012)

The EC funded project based in North Bengal aims to improve the capacity of 35 selected Unions Parishads to provide leadership for pro-poor development and facilitate better access to services and resources for the poorest and most marginalised citizens, and empowering the poorest citizens (including indigenous people and women) to participate in and benefit from development processes.

Competitive Literacy Initiative (CoLI)

(March 01, 2007 to June 2010)

The objective of the GAP funded project is to provide functional literacy to the garment workers of a selected GAP factory in Bangladesh in order to raise their productivity and self-esteem and improve their capacity to read and write.

Cost of Violence Against Women (COVAW)

(September 30, 2008 to September, 29 2011)

The USAID funded initiative aims to increase understanding and analysis among communities, NGOs and government of the link between VAW and gender norms, practices and behaviors regarding marriage; determine the social and economic cost of VAW to individuals, families, communities, and the state; using these evidences on the social and economic cost of VAW to influence national level policy-makers to build a more enabling environment to prevent VAW. This project is located in Dinajpur, Tangail and Sunamganj.

Emergency Recovery Project of Cyclone Aila

(1 September 2009 - 30 August 2010)

The OFDA funded project is providing shelter, sanitation and cash for work to 2000 AILA affected people in a remote island called Nijhum Dwip.

Empowerment of LAs and NSAs in Responding to Economic Development Opportunities and Climate Change and Disaster Vulnerabilities

(February 2010 – January 2013)

The EC funded project will focus on promotion of processes for participatory poverty planning, community mobilization and capacity building to provide a foundation for local economic development, value chain based market promotion and disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and empowerment of the poorest and marginalized (esp. women) to participate in economic activities.

Enhancing Mobile Access to HIV/AIDs Services, Information and Support (EMPHASIS)

(August 03, 2009 to August 02, 2014)

The goal of the project funded by the Lottery Fund is to reduce the vulnerability of populations mobile across borders of Bangladesh, India and Nepal to HIV&AIDS and to mitigate the impact on affected communities, with a specific focus on women. This project also aims to create replicable models of good practice in prevention, care and support for mobile populations.

Food Security for the Ultra Poor in the Haor Region (FSUP-H)

(January 01, 2009 to December 31, 2013)

The specific objective of the EC funded project is to sustainably improve food access and utilisation and reduce vulnerability for women and their dependents in ultra poor households in Sunamganj, Netrakona and Kishoreganj Districts, in the haor region of Northeast Bangladesh.

Innovation through Sport: Developing Leaders, Empowering Youth

(January 2009 to January 2012)

The overall goal of the CARE US funded intervention in Sunamganj is to use sport based activities to enhance leadership skills and empower youth (especially girls) and youth groups.

Patsy Collins Trust Fund Initiative (PCTFI)

(July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2012)

The initiatives are targeting most marginalized girls who have traditionally been excluded from participation in formal or non-formal education. The project will be focusing on strengthening School Management Committee’s (SMC) capacity to address both school and non school based factors/barrier i.e. socio-cultural and economic barriers of girls’ education in remote rural haor region of Bangladesh.

Promoting Rights of the Disadvantaged by Preventing Violence Against Women (PROTIRODH)

(January 2007 to April 2010)

The EC funded projects aims to reduce violence against women (VAW) and reinforce the fulfillment of women’s rights in rural Dinajpur, and among sex workers in Dhaka, Khulna, and Tangail . The specific objective of the action is to improve response to incidences of VAW and to promote a more enabling environment for the fulfillment of women’s (including sex workers) dignity and right to freedom from gender-based violence.

Providing women with Functional Education and Marketable Skills

(May 01, 2008 to April 30, 2011)

The goal is to develop the capacity of 1,000 working children by providing them with marketable competencies and skills

Provision of Essential Harm Reduction Services for Injecting Drug Users (GFATM)

(January 01, 2008 to April, 2012)

The goal of the project funded by the Global Fund is to limit the spread and impact of HIV in Bangladesh. The project is working across 11 districts in 4 divisions (Dhaka, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet) and covering 9000 IDUs through essential harm reduction services, including needle/syringe exchange, condom distribution, abscess treatment, STI services, detox and vocational training and facilitating self-help groups..

Research Partnership with Said Business School at Oxford University, England

(April 2009 to March 2011)

The objectives of this partnership are to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on key areas of CARE B’s economic development work, private sector engagement and supply chain compliance interventions.

Rural Sales Program

(2004- ongoing)

The goal of RSP is to enhance the income generating capacity of rural women by creating opportunities for generating income. The selected women act as sales representatives in selling a range of products such as footwear, consumer goods and food products to rural buyers.

Safe Motherhood Promotional Project (SMPP)

(December 13, 2006 to June 2010)

The purpose of the project is to make significant improvements in the maternal and neonatal health in the project areas. The project intends to demonstrate a successful replicable model of community mobilization, within Health and Family Planning service delivery system for promoting safe motherhood in Narsingdi district, in collaboration with JICA and Department of Family Planning.

Sanitation, Hygiene, Education and Water Supply Program (SHEWA-B)

(October 28, 2007 to March, 2010)

This project aims to reduce mortality, morbidity and malnutrition due to water and excreta related diseases, especially among un/under served poor women and children in urban slums in 19 Municipalities in Bangladesh. This project is supported by GOB & UNICEF.

Social Economic Transformation of the Ultra Poor (SETU)

(March 01, 2009 to February 2012)

The purpose of this DFID funded project is that women and men of 20,000 extreme poor households in Northwest Bangladesh are empowered to collectively address the causes of their economic, social and political exclusion. SETU seeks to graduate people out of poverty by expanding the pool of capabilities and freedoms of these people integrating economic, social and political dimensions of empowerment.

Strengthening Household Abilities for Responding to Development Opportunities (SHOUHARDO)

(October 2004 to May 2010)

The goal of the USAID funded SHOUHARDO project is to sustainably reduce chronic and transitory food insecurity of 400,000 vulnerable households in 18 districts of Bangladesh. SHOUHARDO is addressing not only the availability, access and utilization issues that lead to food insecurity, but also the underlying issues that contribute to vulnerabilities such as a lack of participation, social injustice, and discrimination that prevent people from realizing their full potential in leading healthy and productive lives. It is located in four major regions of Bangladesh – Kishoreganj, Rangpur, Tangail and Chittagong. Strengthening Poorest and Vulnerable Households Capability to Improve Food Security in Northwest Bangladesh (January 2010- October 2011) The EC funded project will address problems and challenges that the extreme poor and small holder producers face in agricultural productivity and will create better income earning opportunities by engaging them in the market and agriculture value chain.

Strengthening the Dairy Value Chain in Bangladesh (SDVC)

(October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2011)

The main objectives of this Gates funded project in North Bengal are to improve milk collection systems in rural and remote areas; improve access to inputs, markets, and services by mobilizing groups of poor farmers, producers, and char dwellers; improve the milk transport network; and ensure access to quality service at the producer level.

Tothyo Tori- information boat

(Jan 2008- ongoing)

Four information boats are operated in haor region with support from Grameen Phone. These boats are serving rural people living in one of the remotest areas in Bangladesh (Kishorganj and Sunamganj district) as information access point.

Women’s Health & Education through Effective Learning (WHEEL)

(November 2009-October 2010)

CARE is scaling-up interventions to improve the social and human condition of RMG factory women workers through life skills and literacy training. The Walmart funded project will build on best practices of CARE’s Competitive Literacy Initiative (CoLI) and CEPZ Corporate Pilot projects, which collectively promote improved health, literacy and awareness of women’s and workers’ wellbeing.