Mainstreaming must for welfare of aboriginal people, say speakers
Sunday, 21 December 2008
RAJSHAHI, Dec 20 (BSS): Speakers at a meeting here Saturday underscored the need for a collective effort to make the aboriginal people free from the vicious cycle of poverty side by side with making them competent in all aspects especially literacy and social empowerment so that they could take themselves forward.
In this context, they viewed that the aboriginal people are hardworking and they have been playing a vital role in increasing farm production. So, they said a holistic village- based community development approach has become indispensable for their substantial welfare.
They were addressing the annual general meeting of the indigenous village-based community organisations where some 1,234 aboriginal people comprising 333 men, 318 women and 583 children of 257 families from Chaitanyapur, Idulpur-Kantapasha, Shahanapara, Nimkuri, Patharghata and Beldanga indigenous villages under Godagari Upazila of the district participated.
Indigenous Village Community Organisation: An Instance of Sustainable Development of the Indigenous People with assistance from the Centre for Capacity Building of Voluntary Organisation (CCBVO) and Bangladesh Freedom Foundation (BFF) arranged the function on Rajabari High School premises of the upazila on completion of a three-year development programme.
According to the concerned sources, main thrust of the programme was to make the disadvantaged aboriginal people free from the poverty of food, money, health facilities and education through proper utilisation of local resources and the public level service-delivery institutions.
The aboriginal community organisations were reorganised along with building their capacity under the programme that has also built their self-reliance food-safety for the Ashwin- Kartik lean period through establishing community level 'Rakhha-Gola' (Food Bank) side by side with protecting and flourishing their own culture.
During the three-year programme, the target people saved 21,332 kilograms of rice and 4070 kilograms of paddy and deposited around Tk 282,000 to the community fund as the sale-proceeds from the saved rice and paddy by virtue of establishing the food bank.
With Convener of the programme Komol Toppo in the chair, the meeting was addressed, among others, by BFF Executive Director Shafi Rahman Khan and Programme Officer Majharul Islam, CCBVO Programme Coordinator Arif Eather, Convener of Adibashi Rights Movement Everest Hembrom, Convener of local unit BLAST Advocate Abdus Samad, Editor of Daily Sunshine Tasiqul Alam Babku, Headmaster of Rajabari High School Quamruzzaman and Journalist Mahtab Chowdhury.
CCBVO Chief Executive Sarwar-e- Kama highlighted the programme while Project Officer Uttam Kumar Khalko presented the success story so far achieved.
Stressing the need for protecting the rights of the tribal community people, the speakers said importance should be given to protecting the underprivileged people from all sorts of deceptions by the surrounding privileged people and those with muscle power.
In this context, they viewed that the aboriginal people are hardworking and they have been playing a vital role in increasing farm production. So, they said a holistic village- based community development approach has become indispensable for their substantial welfare.
They were addressing the annual general meeting of the indigenous village-based community organisations where some 1,234 aboriginal people comprising 333 men, 318 women and 583 children of 257 families from Chaitanyapur, Idulpur-Kantapasha, Shahanapara, Nimkuri, Patharghata and Beldanga indigenous villages under Godagari Upazila of the district participated.
Indigenous Village Community Organisation: An Instance of Sustainable Development of the Indigenous People with assistance from the Centre for Capacity Building of Voluntary Organisation (CCBVO) and Bangladesh Freedom Foundation (BFF) arranged the function on Rajabari High School premises of the upazila on completion of a three-year development programme.
According to the concerned sources, main thrust of the programme was to make the disadvantaged aboriginal people free from the poverty of food, money, health facilities and education through proper utilisation of local resources and the public level service-delivery institutions.
The aboriginal community organisations were reorganised along with building their capacity under the programme that has also built their self-reliance food-safety for the Ashwin- Kartik lean period through establishing community level 'Rakhha-Gola' (Food Bank) side by side with protecting and flourishing their own culture.
During the three-year programme, the target people saved 21,332 kilograms of rice and 4070 kilograms of paddy and deposited around Tk 282,000 to the community fund as the sale-proceeds from the saved rice and paddy by virtue of establishing the food bank.
With Convener of the programme Komol Toppo in the chair, the meeting was addressed, among others, by BFF Executive Director Shafi Rahman Khan and Programme Officer Majharul Islam, CCBVO Programme Coordinator Arif Eather, Convener of Adibashi Rights Movement Everest Hembrom, Convener of local unit BLAST Advocate Abdus Samad, Editor of Daily Sunshine Tasiqul Alam Babku, Headmaster of Rajabari High School Quamruzzaman and Journalist Mahtab Chowdhury.
CCBVO Chief Executive Sarwar-e- Kama highlighted the programme while Project Officer Uttam Kumar Khalko presented the success story so far achieved.
Stressing the need for protecting the rights of the tribal community people, the speakers said importance should be given to protecting the underprivileged people from all sorts of deceptions by the surrounding privileged people and those with muscle power.