GDBC Profile: Education and Tech for Gaibandha Development
1. PROFILE
OF
GDBC
TOGETHER JOURNEY TOWARDS EDUCATION
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT
GOBINDAGONJ DABALOY BIGGAN CLUB (GDBC)
Fair Plaza, 3rd Floor,Mirpur-1,Dhaka-1216
E-mail-dabaloybu@gmail.com,Mobile-+8801813639267
https://rajshahi.academia.edu/TapashDevgooglecomTapashDev1234
https://plus.google.com/+TapashDev1234/30,
2. Gaibandha is a northern district of
Bangladesh comprised of 7 Upazilas, 82
Unions and 3 municipalities with an area of
2,179 sq. km. Brahmaputra, Teesta, Jamuna
and Karotoa have crisscrossed the district
with numerous branches where 30 percent
areas are char area. About 2 lakhs people
are the inhabitants in 122 different islands
of those rivers. Natural calamities
especially flood; draught, erosion, tornado
etc are common scenario of this district.
Every year people who are poor and living
in char and river basin areas have to loss
huge assets, crops and so on by flood and
river erosion
BACKDROP
GOBINDAGONJ DABALOY BIGGAN CLUB (GDBC) is a non-government science and
technology aspired organization has been working for
the rural poor and disadvantaged people in Gaibandha
District establishing in 2005. It obtained legal
registration from the Ministry of Science, Technology
and Communication of Bangladesh Government during
2009.
Now a day’s information and communication technology
itself has been playing a vital role in development. Due to
globalization and the government’s special encouragement
people become interested to sink with science and
technology for their own development. Following the
democratic government declaration GDBC welcome all type
and class of people to implement the “Vision 2021” that
ultimately way out the establishment of a resourceful and
modern country by 2021 through effective use of information
and communication technology. The Club believes modern
philosophy of effective and useful use of information and
technology in terms of implementing the promises in
education, health, job opportunity, poverty reduction etc.
Therefore, the Club has been working with people with the major objectives includes changing people’s
attitude, enabling environment and technical supports, profitable and innovative ideas for creation,
production, preservation as well as marketing.
Science and technology sector within Gaibandha district are properly not in advance. People remain in
ignorance and darkness from the usefulness of information and technologies. They neither know nor try to
get the update what are going on. They only know to survive with the world by their hard labour. Due to
inadequate literacy rate, superstition as well as religious beliefs and thoughts are the majors hinders in
the way to development of science, information and technology in a whole. Women and girls in remote
and tribal areas belonged fully illiterate and they are the victims of early marriage, polygamy, divorces,
dowry, rapping and many other kinds of physical torture as well as domestic violence still now due to
economical deprivation along with influence of religious bound and prejudice of the society more far from
science, information and technology.
Under such circumstances, GDBC, a non-government science based club comes close to the poor
people with particular emphasis to bring out positive changes in their life and livelihoods through utilizing
IT skills, information and technology for development. GDBC realized that proper supports incorporating
technical education, training, campaign, skills exchange, sharing, massive awareness and especially
women empowerment are very prior to develop the situation.
VISIONS, MISSION, GOAL AND OBJECTIVE
VISION
A happy world built together by the people.
GOAL
To develop socio-economic status of the people of underprivileged and disadvantaged poor
people living in Gaibandha district by education through science, information and technology.
MISSION:
Bring student, teachers, youth and adult group, producers, CBOs and CSOs together for
solidarity intermingling with timely and effective initiative and efforts by utilizing information, data,
technology and science for overall development that ultimately serves the marginal,
3. disadvantaged, underprivileged poor people. Besides, organization cooperates, negotiate and
work together with different development committee, local government administrations. Integrated
and comprehensive measurement with policy advocacy with special concern to deprived children,
disabled and women.
OBJECTIVES
1. Increase literacy rate within the working areas through formal, informal and non-formal education
courses
2. Ensure enrolment of drop out and poorest children in education and encourage adult people for
education
3. Create massive awareness on different development issues through effective social mobilization
4. Campaign to stop early marriage, acid throwing, dowry, child trafficking, domestic violence etc
5. Efforts to establish human rights at family and society level through adequate family planning
6. Unite people and strengthened their united capacity
7. Support to access different level service delivery provision
8. Influence policy advocacy to increase responsiveness of service providers
9. Influence information, technology for policy advocacy to increase responsiveness of service
providers
10. Ensure rights and entitlement for the poor people by advocacy and publications.
11. Increase literacy rate within the working areas through formal, informal and non-formal education
courses utilizing available information and technology.
12. Create massive awareness on different development issues through effective social mobilization.
13. Campaign to stop early marriage, acid throwing, dowry, child trafficking, domestic violence etc
14. Undertake different Research, Action research and dissemination Programme to identify
underlying causes of development drop off.
15. Advertisements through different Productions, Booklets, Bulletins and Publications
16. Skills Transfer and Exchange Programme on Information, advocacy and communication through
establishing Training and Resource center.
17. Learning Center Establishment and Management Programme within the working areas.
LEGAL STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION:
Registration Authority Number Date
Ministry of Science, Technology and
Communication of Bangladesh
65/2009 24-01-2010
STRATEGY
1. Institution Building
2. Non Formal Primary Education (NFPE) and Learning Center establishment
3. Mobilization and Socialization
4. Message dissemination
5. Information Communication
6. Promotion, Lobby and Advocacy
7. Regular wise Meeting
8. Training, Workshop and Orientation session
9. Financial and Technical Supports
10. Disaster Management Team
11. Integrated efforts
12. Networking and consortium
4. TARGET PEOPLE
• Women like widows, divorced, abandoned and disadvantaged
• Deprived and drop out Children
• Land-less, asset-less and homeless
• Marginal Farmers and Producer Group
• Injecting Drug Users, trafficking offender
• Street/Hotel/Station based Sex Workers
• Minority groups including fisherman, Butcher, Potters, SANTAL and Non-Bengali
• Person with Disability
CORE PROGRAMMES OF GDBC
A. Education Programme
B. Capacity Building Programme
C. Gender, Justice and Governance Programme
D. Disaster, Environment and Climate Change Management Programme
Programme wise description and outputs are stated bellow:
A. Education Programme
GDBC believes there is only way to increase awareness among the targeted people though
education and learning. Childhood is the supreme period to learn. Consequently to increase the
literacy rate within the working areas, GDBC attempt to establish different types of educational
programmes for the children and adults at the grassroots level. It includes Poribar O Soisab
Bikash Kendra (POSBP), Ananda School under ROSC project supported by Ministry of Primary
and Mass Education through the World Bank. It has been operating 50 Ananda School in
Gobindagonj Upazila while 170 POSBP centres. Seeing the results and impact, high officials
and political representatives praised the initiatives undertaken by the organization. During 2009
Bangladesh government allowed to change the POSBP to Ananda School respectively. It is
contributing to establish education centre ensuring equal participation of children and adults
both for male and female group so that they can be able to gain knowledge and conception
about their own rights and development.
Output:
Increased the literacy rate within the working areas
50 Anonda Schools are ongoing where 4200 drop out students are imparting
education
50 local teachers cum facilitators are engaged with those schools
120 POSBP centers also on going within the working areas
Local people and administration are interestingly cooperating with the education
programme.
Innovated new approaches for quality education adopted
Extra curricular activities in the education session adopted for their learning
Education materials are also been distributed among the learning centres
Dress and others equipments are also provided to the learning centres
The rate of drop out and deprived poor children have been decreasing for effective
enrolment of the organization.
170 SMC/CMC have been strengthened for school management.
170 teachers have been capacitated through different training, sessions and
orientations.
Finally the relationship in-between teachers, guardians, local government structures,
civil society have been developed.
5. B. Capacity Building Programme:
This programme is a unique program of GDBC through which the capacities of the targeted
people have been increased. Different activities are being implemented under this programme
like different types of training, workshop, orientation session, yard session, technical
assistance, open consultation. Besides, organization ensures their individual participation in
different development activities for social advancement. In addition, about 75% HHs are more
or less depending on agriculture. Some of them are also engage in fish culture, livestock
rearing, poultry farming etc; but which they are doing in traditional ways. As a result, they can
harvest or produce targeted production. Thus why GDBC has been providing different skill
transfer training, workshop with practical demonstration to establish agriculture based
enterprises.
Output:
Increased capacity of organizational staffs, teachers and facilitators through 35
training, 23 workshops and 129 orientations
Increased capacity of 170 School Management Committee (SMC), Centre
Management Committee, Guardians representatives through 14 training, and
numbers of orientations
Yearly foundation training for the teachers cum facilitators successfully organized
Regular orientations on social development and mobilization for the youth groups
were also organized
Couple training and sharing on family planning and development regularly
organized for awareness creation
GHAT information and technology centres has been delivering its supports to the
students, teachers, farmers and different professionals
Training and orientation on office management, staff and resource management
are also in high priority for the senior level staff.
Advanced training on reporting and documentation, presentation, speech delivery
to develop professionalism for the organisational development
C. Gender, Justice and Governance Programme:
Every human being is entitled to get some indispensable rights, which is equally applicable for
all. Due to patriarchy, unequal power structure, influenced culture and tradition, lack of good
governance and accountability, women fail to achieve their right and justice equally like men.
As a result there prevails insecurity, corruption, and anarchy and gender inequality in our
society. To address the situation, GDBC emphasize to empower local government by playing
their role and responsibility and also influence different community service provider to increase
their responsiveness towards the poor, disadvantaged, disabled, old aged people especially
who are female. This programme enables an opportunity to abolish all kinds of discrimination,
social deprivation social injustice from the society.
Output:
Lobby and advocacy to fulfil rights on behalf of poorest people, disadvantaged
people, disabled, old aged and vulnerable people affected by disaster are on going in
a regular basis
Backing to establish women rights through caring by the legal advisers of the
organization
A total of 35 conflicts have been resolved locally to establish women rights
A total of 07 victims from domestic violence have been supported by the
organization.
Influence to increase responsiveness and accountability of the local government,
government and non-government institutions are also in place in a regular basis.
A total of 12 workshops, 05 seminars on gender, justice and governance organized
successfully
6. Proper negotiation and cooperation with the local government representatives
adopted to establish rights and entitlement of the poor people.
D. Disaster, Environment and Climate Change Management Programme
Almost in every year people of Gaibandha district are affected by natural calamities like flood,
draught, river erosion, cyclone, cold wave etc. Due to unplanned public encroachment, barrage,
road and infrastructure, destruction of plantation, frequent use of chemical fertilizers and
pesticides, the environment and bio-diversity is severely
affected. Every year hundreds of families loose their houses and cultivated lands. In such
situation, GDBC puts special emphasis on Disaster and Environment Management Programme
to ensure sustainable development for the neglected and marginal poor people. GDBC realizes
the importance of preparedness which definitely lessen the loss and sufferings of affected
people.
Output:
A total of 13 orientations successfully organized to increase capacity to face disasters
as well as to protect environmental degradation.
Information collection, reporting and dissemination in favour of flood affected people
are also emphasised by the organization.
Together initiatives have been taken with the Upazila Administration during disasters.
Form and develop volunteer groups especially for disasters management
Form and develop Disaster Management Committee (DMC) for disasters
management.
PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
GDBC ensures effective co-ordination and collaboration with different social actors, local government and
Upazila and district level structures on behalf of the rural poor and under privileged men, women and
children. It works with different committees like SMC, CMC, DMC, Youth Group, Volunteer Groups along
with different social change agents for smooth implementation of projects. GDBC works with them
enhancing their capacity to become self-reliant development partners. GDBC believes equal participation
of male and female in the development as well as in decision making process by raising their collective
voice for their own development. During implementation always maintains its core norms and values and
set outs its approach which are selected strategically. GDBC also coordinates with Executive Committee
and General Committee along with a management team within the organization which is the supreme
authority to take programmatic and managerial decision.
PRESENT ACTIVITIES
1. Social mobilization, group formation
2. Literacy movement with the civil society to increase the level of literacy rate by moving door to
door counseling and motivation.
3. Gender and development training to the development partners
4. Learning centre establishment for women beneficiaries through income promotion activities
5. Awareness and consciousness raising program
6. Providing legal aid supports for the women victims
7. Massive awareness about HIV/AIDS and STD
8. Formation of different committees like village development committee, disaster management
committee, village WATSAN committee, School Management Committee etc
9. Family Planning, Health and Nutrition awareness program
10. Activities for the development of self-promotion
11. Activities to stop women and children trafficking
12. Water, sanitation and environment development programs
13. Social Forestry along nursery development and demonstration
14. Homestead Gardening and tree plantation
15. Drama, street drama and folk song show
16. Occasional cultural programs
17. Disaster preparedness and management initiatives
7. 18. Formation of village to upazila level Disaster Management Committee (DMC)
19. Land and reform schemes
20. Environment development programmes with civil society
21. Drug and Tobacco controlling through counseling and recreation
22. Relief and rehabilitation programmes for the disaster affected people.
23. Rehabilitee distressed abandoned women, children, sex workers, drug users
24. Financial as well as supports for small level enterprise holder, rural producer group, marginal
farmers, skilled workers for undertaking respective initiatives
ACHIEVEMENTS OF GDBC
1. GDBC refer to the success of returning of school dropouts, deprived and neglected children in
education to increasing literacy rate comparatively ensuring quality education.
2. 50 Ananda Schools are ongoing where 4000 drop out students are imparting education
3. 50 local teachers cum facilitators are engaged with those schools
4. 120 POSBP centres also on going within the working areas
5. Local people and administration are interestingly cooperating with the education programme.
6. Extra curricular activities in the education session adopted for their learning
7. Education materials are also been distributed among the learning centres for the drop out
children.
8. About 55 thousands children got a total of 28 sets materials including books.
9. Dress and others equipments are also provided to the learning centres
10. 170 SMC/CMC have been strengthened for school management.
11. 170 teachers have been capacitated through different training, sessions and orientations.
12. Finally the relationship in-between teachers, guardians, local government structures, civil society
have been developed.
13. At the same time significant level of awareness about different development issues has
increased. The tendency of exploitation, suppression, early marriage and divorce has also been
decreasing within the working areas of GDBC.
14. GDBC has helped 63 deprived students to get admission in secondary schools for their higher
education.
15. The rate of early marriage is declining and child labour is also showing downward trend.
16. To raise awareness GDBC has been organizing different types of orientation session, gathering,
workshop, meeting, opinion sharing meeting, seminar in order to increase the level of awareness.
17. Most of the people are practicing their gained knowledge and education at their family and
community level.
18. Organization has mobilized to utilize local resources along with their small contributions.
19. Organization always assists to get appropriate services from the perspective sectors. Advocacy
for the landless and disabled people is a continuous effort of the organization.
20. GDBC has successfully organized 53 couple groups who are taking initiatives to identify problems
and their solution through their united efforts.
21. Through effective awareness raising initiatives about 40% people in the working areas use
sanitary latrine and also using safe drinking water.
22. About 25% people become conscious about personal hygiene and cleanliness. All those statistics
are taken from a baseline survey by the organization among 200 HHs.
23. It has established GHAT-information and technology centre at the organization has been playing
very effective role in favour of poor people.
24. It has another special scheme to carryout research activities to address different development
issue.
25. It already published different useful learning booklets for the children
26. It produced a total of 75 volumes of Digital’er Bijoy newspaper
MOTTO OF THE CLUB
If you become technology
You would be able to free from jobless
8. Together journey towards Science and Technology,
Happy World Built by the people.
CORE VALUES
1. Establish believes and full of confidence on liberation war and freedom
2. Respectfulness to every level of men and women
3. Promote open thinking and liberty
4. Present equal attitude to all mankind's and religion
5. Hold especial attention to severe victims, handicapped, neglected women and children
6. Honesty, liability and polite
7. Accountability and transparency
MANAGEMENT OF THE ORGANIZATION
The club generally governed by Executive Committee consists of 05 members headed by Chair person
including male 03 and female 02. Another committee is Advisory that consists of 10 member including
08 male and female 02. Most of the members of Advisory Committee are related with science and
technology. The Executive Committee regularly seats 4 time in a year. Besides, it has a management
team, within the organization consists of 03 members headed by the Chair Person is the higher
authority to make decision, event management, projects management. The management team meets
once a week where they review all situations and take decision necessary by participatory approach.
The Management Team is responsible for various programme & project implementation and is
accountable to Chief Executive Committee.
PROJECT PERTICIPANTS/BENEFICIARIES
Type of Project Participants/Beneficiaries Total groups
Total
Numbers
School/learning center - 170
Teachers and Facilitators - `170
Students - 7525
SMC, CMC, DMC, VDC 254 424
Media People and Circle - 78
SOURCES OF FUNDING
Sources of
Own Income
Donation from Science and Technology Museum by the
Government
Digiltal’er Bijoy (Weekly Newsletter)
LGRD Ministry
Sabuj Bangla Unnayan Sangstha (SBUS)
FUTURE PLAN
GDBC like to undertake the following projects to bring intensified benefit for the mankind by developing
the utilization of science and technology in the northern part of Bangladesh.
1. Central information and Knowledge Management Theatre
9. 2. Science and Technology based Human Resource Development Complex
3. Full Equipped Learning and Experiment Center
4. Offset Publication Center
5. Science and Technology based Agro-based projects
10. 2. Science and Technology based Human Resource Development Complex
3. Full Equipped Learning and Experiment Center
4. Offset Publication Center
5. Science and Technology based Agro-based projects