Every farthing development partners give to different non-government organisations (NGOs) or any government has to be accounted for since the money belongs to tax-payers there. The fund-givers have to explain to them how their money is being used in foreign lands. Most donors are now attaching tough conditions to their assistance for strict external and internal auditing so that money really goes where it is meant for, not for grabbing.
The Bangladesh Family Planning Association (FPAB) is a trend-setter in population control in this part of the world. But the situation in the FPAB came to such a pass that donors had once suspended their funds for it.
The FPAB was established in the early 1050s under the dynamic leadership of Professor Humayara Rashid with active support from personalities like Dr Mohammad Ibrahim of the Diabetic Hospital fame. It had the credit of setting the first family planning clinic at the gynecology department of the Dhaka Medical College. It was also the first to initiate advocacy efforts with the then Pakistan government to adopt family planning programme for the first time. In 1953, the Association was incorporated with worldwide movement of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). The drastic fall in population growth in Bangladesh could be attributed to a large extent to path-breaking initiatives the FPAB had taken in the initial days.
Today, the FPAB is working as the government's complementary and supplementary organisation and has expanded its areas of work in almost all spheres of health care of the people below the poverty level. It is now providing sex-related, reproductive and health services to around five million people in 21 districts including two hill districts of Rangamati and Khagrachhari.
The FPAB now operates a robust network of over 1,540 service points including 35 static clinics, 75 mobile facilities and 1,472 community health workers following standards set by the Bangladesh government, the World Health Organisation and the IPPF.
The IPPF and other donors which support the FPAB activities are not apparently happy over misuse of their funds. The development partners have advised the FAPB to amend its constitution doing away with 'family trees' that had grown over the years in almost all tiers of the voluntary organisation eating up the money. The development partners have even threatened to suspend their funds if such 'corrupt family trees' that were allowed to grow deliberately to grab funds are not demolished. They have sought to trim the higher echelon of the FPAB and make it more democratic and accountable by disallowing members to stay in office for more than 12 years.
"The IPPF is very keen to inject new blood in the leadership of the FPAB so that the voluntary organisation could deliver the goods," said FPAB President Professor Khaleda Khanam, former whip of parliament.
The FPAB is an organisation for the poor and will continue to remain so in the days ahead, she said firmly adding that she fully agrees with what the donors are asking for.
A total of 66 national councilors took part in the December 28 annual general meeting for 2014 to amend the constitution as per the suggestions of the IPPF and other donors. Of the participants, 28 were males, 22 females and 16 youth councilors. But a few councilors with support from outsiders tried to disrupt the AGM opposing the move for amendment of the Constitution. As a result, the AGM was adjourned.
Khaleda Khanam said the FPAB will be closed down due to fund crunch once the donors withdraw from it. "Poor Bangladeshis alone will suffer, not the donors in that case", she pointed out adding that over 98 per cent of the higher FPAB leadership is in favour of amending the constitution as donors' demands are quite logical. And the charter will be amended in not-too-distant a future, she assured.
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