Project Title : 

Citizen Initiative to Reduce Human and Civic Rights Violations towards Enhancing Local   Governance in Khulna City

Funded By: 

Manusher Jonno Foundation

Project Duration: 

3 years (from May 2007 to April 2010)

Total Project Fund:  

Tk. 38,433,417.00

This year Fund:  

Tk 16097456.00

Project Introduction:

The project “Citizen Initiative to Reduce Human and Civic Rights Violations towards Enhancing Local Governance in Khulna City” is being run by Rupantar since March 2004 with financial support from MJ Foundation. The project is being implemented in 31 City Wards of Khulna City Corporation. 

Khulna City Corporation has 31 Wards, each with one Male Ward Commissioner and also 10 Women Commissioners for three of the Wards. These Ward Commissioners are being elected by direct votes of the citizen. The citizens, especially the poor male-female, have great expectations from the local Ward commissioners but in the true sense they do not find those responses that are expected except issuing Nationality certificate for them. They take part in the meetings with the City Mayor but fail to bring any good for the people for reasons unknown. Even the city people are deprived of their due privileges and rights.   

People have their basic rights to various services and privileges that are being provided by the government through local government institutions like City Corporation and other Service Providers but it is unfortunate that the desired services have never become available for the poor citizens. The poor citizens are always deprived due to their ignorance as well as lack of capacity to demand for such rights and privileges.  

These are the real picture in which the people of the country are thriving in agony and mental depression and anxiety. They are searching for the solution to live in peace.  So, it is time that we take up the issue to resolve the problems and revert the situations through peoples participation to initiate local level governance at the urban level of Khulna city Corporation. 

The project hopes for the intensification of the activities of the Citizen Forum through their sustainability and strengthening their organizational efforts for facilitating poor people’s access to services, privileges and rights. 

Project Goal :

Reducing human rights violations at Khulna City Corporation by influencing governance through institutional approach ensuring community mobilization  

Project Objective: 

To strengthen the Citizen’s Organization at Khulna City level in initiating activities towards prevention and protest against human and Civic rights violations

To undertake advocacy at the City Corporation and other institutional level for ensuring  peoples access to resources, services, opportunities and improve social accountability of the service providers 

To activate the service delivery institutions in supporting livelihood development for the hardcore poor

Project Activities

• Capacity Building Training for Citizen Forum and its Apex Body 

• Ward and central Level Bi-annual Election for Youth forum 

• Day Observation by the youth (National  youth day, International drug free and  counter-trafficking day)

• Training of Youth forum on  Leadership & volunteerism

• Mass awareness campaign through Pot song, Folk drama  

• Quarterly Lawyers Forum Meeting

• Awareness materials Publication-

• Quarterly Citizen’s Bulletin

• Booklets

• Leaflets

• Campaign Poster

• Poster

• Sticker

• Wall painting

• Small Business Management Training for slum people – IGA for slum dwellers – 600 persons on various trades including Confectionary, block- batik, Hand stitch etc.

•  Monthly meeting with Slum leaders 

• Training on Solid waste Management

• Quarterly meeting of the Apex Body

• Dialogue with service Delivery Institutions

• Dialogue of the Apex Body with City mayor

• Pre-budget discussion meeting with City Corporation

• Poor friendly Workshop

• Health Camp

• Coordination Meeting Through Ward Councilor 

• Bi-Monthly Meeting Of Youth Forum

• Dialogue With Youth Development Department

•  

  Meeting with Management Committee of service provider at ward level