Village Development
Center (VDC)
Village and Post:
MoyenpurKadamtala, Upazila: Mithapukur, District: Rangpur
__________________________________________________________________________________
Background
Village
Development Center (VDC) started its journey in 2001 with Sustainable
development goals (SDG) vision to stand in solidarity with the poor and
marginalized being a peoples centered organization. VDC envisioned for a
society which well be free from inequality and injustice. A society where no
child will cry from hunger and no life will be ruined by poverty. Over two
decades of relentless efforts to make this happen. VDC has embraced new ground
s and opened up new horizons to help the disadvantaged and vulnerable people to
bring meaningful and the most time bound services especially for the poor and
disadvantaged. A community focused and people centered approach has been
adapted by VDC while consideration has been given to the national policy and
Sustainable development goals (SDG) as its guiding principle
VDC act as
dynamic organization expanding
its development interventions
across 8 upazillas under Rangpur district of Bangladesh covering poor, ultra poor, youth, women,
disable and vulnerable people.
Introduction
Village
Development Center (VDC) is a non government organization formed in 2001. The aim of VDC has been to create a self-reliant
development process among the rural poor by extending support for getting
themselves organized and making united and collective efforts to improve their
socioeconomic condition. The activity extends from the formation of primary
groups with an average membership of 25 to the creation of groups’ broader
organizational structures at the village, union and upazila levels. The
beneficiaries of VDC are men and women of the two large sections of the rural
population, i.e., the farmers, marginal peasants, landless, rural professional
groups including fisher folk, weavers, potters, etc. VDC prioritize the beneficiaries
considering women, youth and socially and physically vulnerable peoples.
VDC emphasize
capacity building of the community peoples through organizing
training. Training plays a crucial role in the VDC process and through this
activity development education is imparted to the people to raise the level of
their awareness, confidence, capacity and skills. There are two types of
training are organized: Human
development and practical skills. The subject areas of human development
training courses include: social analysis, development concepts and approaches,
analysis of development constraints, techniques of building organization and
staff members, public relation, communication, development management,
leadership and participatory development. Practical skills training courses
provide the skills that are required for making efficient use of the resources
and for effective implementation of social, economic, ecological and
environment projects.
VDC support
members through providing credit and
technical assistance to the groups specially for women, youth and socially
excluded portion of the members to take up income and employment generating
projects in various fields such as agriculture, irrigation, fish cultivation,
bee keeping, animal and poultry birds rearing, homestead gardening, social
forestry, handicrafts and marketing of products, etc.Other programmes that VDC
has initiated include: popular theatre; participatory research; development
support communication through video medium; health and nutrition education;
literacy and women’s programmes
VDC has been working for community development working in eightupazilasof
Rangpur district. There are 7100 poor and marginalized community members
involved with VDC program for their livelihood improvement and empowerment. Out
of 7100 households about 75% are women.
Registration
VDC
registered as a social development organization from the Department of social
welfare, Government of Bangladesh in 2001 .The registration no is DSS/715/2001.
Vision
VDC seek an equitable
society free from all discriminations and ensuring social and economic rights
of the members of the society.
Mission
The mission of VDC is to make a happy,
prosperous, and democratic society which ensure
the basic needs of the people. VDC ethical principles include social
justice, gender equity and human rights.
.
Goal
Equal participation of both male and female in
durable development programs, poverty elimination, fulfilling of basic needs, empowerment and
a right to live with justice.
Areas of work
VDC has been
working in the field of agriculture, environment, climate change, biodiversity,
livelihood integration. Good governance and human rights, Education, health ,
Livelihood and Water and sanitation, Youth development, Entrepreneurship etc.
VDC Activities
Homestead Plantation
Homestead plantations are one of the keyareas of VDC. We the staff members of
VDC to learn from the communities. The
learning and experience we share with the communities for expanding the programme activities in
other plantation areas. The implementation nature of the homestead plantation
is individual, but VDC is encouraging collective efforts of the group members
in selection and production of saplings. This stage is addressed as a
preparatory one for group members, as well as for the staff, to face social
constraints for switching over their activities to the other plantation areas..
Social Forestry
Social
forestry is the component for conservation and enhancement of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) at individual
and collective way for the integration of livelihood and rural development. The
activities included mobilization, awareness building, training, seed and
seedling distribution and plantation of seedling in the homestead areas and
road sides.
Nursery
VDC promote rural nurseries to produce seedlings
required in afforestation activities by providing credit, formal and non-formal
training support and field technical assistance. It is worth mentioning in this
regard that for capacity
building buildup training we invited Department of
Agriculture Extension representatives as trainer and working together between
DAE and VDC. Fruits, Timber, Flower, Ornamental
and multipurpose species are the main seedlings produced in rural nurseries.
Species selection and seedlings production capacity of a rural nursery depend
upon the villagers’ choice and demand. The seedling also distributed among the
members in free of cost or minimum cost that encourage the community people for
enhancement of plant genetic resources. The key support under this component
included establishment of nursery, seed distribution, financial and technical
support for establishment of nursery. The project also provided marketing
support for selling the seedlings.
Establishing and Protection of Rights of Vegetable Producing
Farmers (EPRVPF)
Bangladesh is a major agricultural
country. About 85% of the people are directly or indirectly involved in
agriculture. Due to cultivable land availability, labor availability, local
market, safe food production, marketing etc., due to agricultural land
availability, the main economic sector. However, farmers of our country are
neglected, fraudulent and deprived in different ways. Despite the opportunities
for development, the agriculture sector has been threatened. Farmers, slaves of
local and foreign marketing companies based on agricultural fertilizers, seeds
and pesticides. VDC is implementing this program through its own funds to
protect the rights and protection of farmers' rights. The project is being
implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and VDC's joint fund
to build safe food habits of people of all levels of the society.
Fish Cultivation
The farmers and fishers are involved with this activity for
cultivation of fish in the pond at individual way and fish cultivation in the
common land as collective way of fisher and farmers organization. The project
mobilize and organize farmers group and provided training on fish cultivation
in collaboration with the department of fisheries, government of Bangladesh.
Legal Support of disadvantaged women
The legal support are provided for disadvantaged women in the
society included widow, female headed
households, victims from dowry and other social injustice sections of the
society. The project organizes the meeting at community level and local
government level for providing the social supports for the disadvantaged
sections of the women in the society. The organization also provides financial
support and appoint lawyer for ensuring legal support for victim members.
Marketing support of craft artisan
There are the artisans those who have traditional and technical
skill on making bamboo and mat cane. The project organize the portion of
artisan and provide financial and marketing support for their livelihood
improvement and social empowerment.
Promoting Pro-Poor Policy Reforms and Public Services for All
(2010-2012)
No program can
play fruitful role for the development of the people by keeping the ordinary
people out of the development process. Bangladesh government had already made
principles and taken programs, and implemented the programs to reduce poverty,
hunger, inequity, depriveness, unemployment and illiteracy and poverty
elimination. But no program can play effective role for entire development. For
this reason, there is a need of increasing public participation in development
process and capacity building for the grass-root level people. in order to reach this goal, VDC is implementing campaign programs
at national and grassroots level.
VDC, as a coordinator of RangpurDistict committee
organization, is implementing the program – “Promoting Pro-Poor Policy Reforms
and Public Services for All (2010-2012)”.
Income Generation Activities
VDC has organize diverse training on awareness raising,
nursery establishment, poultry and
livestock keeping, fish cultivation, home gardening, organic farming, seed
conservation, marketing, seed production at community level. These training
organize in consultation with relevant government individuals and departments
and also invite the respective experts in the training sessions as a resource
person. As outcome of training the beneficiaries has been able to improvement
of their livelihood matching with the changing climatic condition.
Monitoring and Evaluation :-
Monitoring is the
essential techniques of management authorities to analysis the current
activities of VDC on regular
basis. This procedure acts as the medium of supplying information to the
management authorities regarding the real situation of the ongoing programs. VDC is monitoring its programs in order to
determine the effectiveness of the activities and to survey the development or
advancement. These procedures help the management in order to realize the
difference between the target and the achievement of the activities. The
monitoring procedures have collected the information from the perspective of
quality and quantity of creating fruitful steps of the activities and
implementation.
Human Resource Development
Development of staffs:
1. The most valuable asset of VDC is its own skilled workers. That’s why VDC emphasizes with highest priority on the
development of the workers. For this reason, a human resource policy is
available for the organization. As per the human resource policy, various
procedures are continuing in order to strengthen the skill of the workers,
qualification, and accountability. So VDC
emphasizes on the development of workers through the development of
organizational management of the workers, planning of the programs, conquering
any difficulties while implementation in reality. There are 3 skilled trainers
available in this organization and three more trainers are made from the
citizen organization side by side. The necessary training for on going programs
is provided by them. Some Rich training modules are available in order to
provide training on various subjects.
Development the skill of local leaders:
Another important
resource of VDC is the local
citizen organization in the procedure of program implementation in the work
area of VDC. This is our
thought that there is no alternative to social entrepreneurship in order to
make positive change. This is the reason VDC
is giving highest importance on the development of the skill of the citizen
organization. There are various training, orientation are provided for the
citizen organizations established in the union, Upazila and district level in
order to implement the activities of the organization and various activities
are taken in order to improve their skill by their participation in meeting and
seminar.
National and International Day Observation
Various national
and international days, matching with the goal, objectives and activities of VDC, are observed often either with government
and private organizations or other networks by altogether or by alone.
Cultural Activities
VDC
has been arranging cultural activities from the very beginning of the
establishment as part of the continuous work. The fundamental goal of VDC is to make a non-communal Bangladesh by
practicing and evaluating domestic culture. These cultural activities are the
main fundamental strength for implementing public awareness campaign on various
social development programs of the organization. At present, the cultural
activities are directed in various angles for creating awareness in all the
implemented programs of the organization. There are two cultural teams are
formed in 2 unions under the program of the achievement of the rights of
vegetable farmers and preservations. Two sets of musical instruments are
provided to two cultural teams. The skill is increased by providing training to
them.
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