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People's Organization PDF Print E-mail

This is our observation that present and existing power structure hardly responsive to poor and marginalized population so there is a need of balance. Still the structure is politicized and controlled from central level. There is very little representation of poor people in the existing power structure that’s why services from state level are not reaching to the real people.

So, there should be an alternative power structure represented by poor people who will take stand for the poor for their rights and entitlements. These could be facilitated by the course of actions to build alternative power structure so that there will be increase level of representation from poor people and also there will be a leadership which will have pro poor orientation. We believe that such an approach will make a balance in the present power structure that will create an egalitarian relationship with the poor and marginalized people.

We also believe that COAST exists for poor people, so there should be a space for their participation in organizational management too. Taking these in principle, we do following institutional building/people’s organization activities i.e. forming shomity management committees with the representation of member participants in the shomity level. The president and the secretary of each shomity elect Branch Janasanghatan (BJS) and the leaders of BJS elect the Upazila Janasanghatan (UzJS) through an informal election process. There are by-laws for those committees.

All the members’ participants give regular subscriptions, which maintained through separate bank accounts. BJS meetsb regularly and they transact three major agenda (a)social action for ensuring justice in their locality (b) social action to place legitimate demand in the local level state/ government institutions, these activities are like mobilizing local level civil societies against kidnap, acid throwing, rap, corruption in local government in respect of allocation/ distribution of services etc and (c) to take accountability of the staff in face to face meeting and provide comments on COAST management with reference to local efforts.

 

The major concept of the People’s Organization is as bellows:

 

Rationales

Objectives

Components

Probable Impacts

Process of implementation

Means of Verification

1. Present and existing power structure hardly responsive

to poor and marginalized population so there is a need of balance.

 

2. Poor and marginalized population hardly aware and active to realize their legitimate rights and entitlements from state agencies, which has to be facilitated in a systematic process.

 

3. Socially and culturally women are deprived from their rights and opportunities, they have to facilitate with positive discrimination.

 

4. Due to lack of appropriate policies institutions are hardly responsive to the poor and marginalized section of population. So, policy research and mobilization is imperative in this regard.

1. To develop an institutional arrangement to promote alternative power structure.

 

2. To enhance access the services to the poor from state agencies.

 

3. To promote dignity of women with positive discrimination both in families and society.

 

4. To influence in policy level for pro poor livelihood practices and institutional responses.

 
  1. People Organization

 

  1. Demand mediation and social action

 

  1. Access to power structure

 

  1. Combating critical violence against women

 

  1. Advocacy and mobilization on critical livelihood issues.

 

  1. Development education

 

1. Women from poor families are organized and they are mitigating their legitimate rights and entitlements in organized way.

 

2. Members from poor families got access in formal (e.g., local government) and informal (e.g. school and bazaar committee etc.) power structure.

 

3. Policy and practice has changed so that there are better pro poor livelihood actions and movement, with especial reference to coastal population.

 

4. Group members are critically aware on basic health, hygiene, rights and entitlements.

1. Policy based activation, formation and election of SMCs, BJs, UzJs and DJs.

 

2. Monthly meeting, planning, implementation, case studies and follow up support on demand mediation and social action.

 

3. Training, counseling and mobilization for having access and compete in election.

 

4. Legal support to crucial cases to the victims of acid throwing, rape, kidnapping and minority eviction.,

 

5. Policy research, advocacy/ campaign and district based mobilization on critical coastal livelihood issues.

 

6. Conducting development awareness session in weekly group meetings.

1. Resolution, constitution, meeting minutes, case study, action plan, Committees.

 

2. Availability of services, List of services, value of services.

 

3. List of PO leaders in election cometion, list of elected leaders, voting analysis, gazette notification.

 

4. Case registration in police station, support register and documents,

 

5. News paper clippings of events. Networking. Photos, participation of political policy leaders.

 

6. Manuals, lesson plan. Group resolution.