Building Peoples Institution

As a right based NGO, Nabolok always given emphasis on multiple method of development. The ultimate goal of Nabolok is to empowered the poor and make them capable to ensure, enjoy & preserve their rights. Empowerment involves enabling the poor to raise their voices and express their demands in an effective manner. The poor can raise their voices effectively only when they are aware about their rights and become united on one platform. Developing peoples' institutions at different levels and inter-connecting them with the mainstream of society are the means that Nabolok chose to achieve this objective. 

The Nucleuses of Change:

Nabolok learned lesson from the limitation of service oriented NGO activities of the let 70's & 80's. To cross over the limitation Nabolok's strategy is to build up right based peoples institutions. The institution will provide support both in moral & material to the group member. Nabolok also dreamed that this type of Peoples Institution will become self dependence and capable to act as a nucleus of change, both in economically and socially. But to achieve this type of objective the institution should be supported materially and advisory by the development activist.

In order to enable the people to improve their livelihoods with the support of micro credit community management of micro-financing is becoming imperative. Active participation of the community in micro-credit operations, control and accountability will be essential to expand the poverty elimination program and make it effective. Only the communities themselves can achieve what the NGOs have so far not been able to address satisfactorily, that is, bringing out the hardcore poor from within the poverty trap.

Regarding this Nabolok took Micro Credit is one of the way of development to enhance the hidden creativeness of the poor people and support to improve their livelihood. It takes various steps to build up the capacity of the poor that they can make the best use of the small materialistic support as micro credit. But the poor can better utilized the micro credit support only when the are aware about their right to access on resource and become confident on the hidden power of creativeness on them. The micro credit in Bangladesh by the NGO's, is now related completely to the income generating activities. But there should be a micro credit support in the non income generating purposes, like Education, Medical treatment etc. If micro credit open this type of new windows, then it will be micro credit support, not service.

Only the right based awareness can give them such sprit of change and this is the importance of rights based initiatives. So that the principal objective of the people's organization is not to be limited on micro credit, but the main focus is to insure the entitlement of people on resources and build up the capacity of the poor people to make best use of the resources.

Simultaneously, for sustainable development, the active and spontaneous participation of the people is essential, for which they need to be organized. This is why Nabolok given great emphasis on Peoples Organization.

Steps of the Peoples Organization:

Nabolok facilitates the formation of people’s institutions at different levels, starting from primary groups, various occupational and action groups, pressure groups, etc with representation and leadership from primary groups.

But the Primary groups formed by NGOs (including Nabolok) are not strong enough to voice the needs of the poor. Realizing thus the need to unite the Primary Groups within one Union and develop a Federation of all the Primary Groups in each Union, so that they can raise a strong voice in favour of poor peoples' rights, Nabolok implemented this process in all the six UP's in Fakirhat, 8 UP's in Rampal Upazilla and all 4 UP's in Bagerhat Sadar Upazilla which are all in the working areas of Nabolok. And the wonder of all wonders is that this strategy was successful.

The apparent strength of the Union Federation persuaded the rural power elite to agree to the formation of a Union-based Gono Unnayan Committee (People's Development Committee) and Union Gender Development Committee. These two Committees which gave equal representation to all classes of people became the forums where the poor could voice their needs and demands 

But though the Union Parishads represent the people, they are still governed by the bureaucracy both at the Upazilla and district levels. As such, people-pressure alone is not strong enough to move the UP's towards democratic distribution of local resources. Nabolok realized this weakness and accordingly, formed Union Federation in the union level and Upazilla Federation in the Upazilla level. The Upazilla Federations became capable of interacting with the government officials at Upazilla and district levels. 

Primary Groups

The poor communities of our country face two vital sets of problems.  One is the assurance of the fundamental needs, such as gainful employment, which will, in turn, provide food, clothing, shelter, treatment and education. The other set consists of the structural and administrative problems wrong application of laws, corruption, dowry suppression of the weak including women, etc, or in other words, equitable access to justice Sometimes the prevailing good laws are not effective enough. Nabolok's aim is to increase group unity and solidarity and has formed 589 primary groups consisting of 9703 female and 261 male members by the end of June 2005. 

Village Development Committee

Before forming Union Federations of Primary Groups, Nabolok tried out the experiment on a smaller scale, by forming a federation of all primary groups in one large village or two or three small hamlets, and named them "Gram Unnayan Committee" (Village Development Committee). This has facilitated the people even after the formation of Union Federations, because simpler and more urgent local problems can be and are solved by these Committees. A total of 35 village development committees from 10 unions of Fakirhat and Bagerhat Upazillas have been formed for the faster unification of members and the instant or short time solving of on-going problems through the above mentioned committee.

Union Federation

While the primary groups are formed for the purpose of Human Resource Development, Income-generating skill development, savings and credit, which will held reduce poverty, the structural problems, such as ineffective laws regarding family relationships and distribution of state services and local resources, are in need of a stronger voice. It is for this purpose that we created Union Federations of Primary Groups. These federations represent a vote bank, and the Chairperson and members of the Union Parishad, who are elected, are constrained to listen to this united, and thus stronger, voice of the poor. Though still in the experimental stage, we feel that have laid the foundations for a system of People's Institutions.  

Upazilla Federation

The function of this federation is to ensure communication and networking with government and other non-government organizations. This is formed by bringing together all the Union Federations within an Upazilla. The idea is to raise the primary groups sufficiently to gain access to government officials at Upazilla level. Even without exerting any pressure on the Union Parishads (and the vested interests that control the Union Parishads), the mere possibility of such pressure being applied, is making the UP leaders amenable to suggestions for a more equitable delivery of state services and common resources.

Gender Development Committee

Thousands of problems confront Bangladesh. Among those the problems created by the patriarchal system are the most vicious. The result is the gradual deterioration of the status of women. A systematic change is of extreme need for the betterment of both life and country. Nabolok is anxious to establish a fair relationship enriched by the sense of equality between the opposite genders in its working area. Nabolok tries to establish greater gender equity in the society and has formed Gender Development Committees.

Through these committees Nabolok is trying to create awareness among men about the rights of women and to empower them by helping them to enhance their personal incomes. The families are now seen admiring their earning female members for their being self-sufficient and participating in family decision-making. As the GDC includes members from all strata of society, there is better interaction amongst them. 

Gono Unnayan Committee

Long period of inaction by the Union Parishads had alienated the trust of the common people, constraining them to turn to the courts for justice. This causes a huge loss of their time and money. To break this situation, a committee named Gono Unnayan Committee has been formed in each Union, which works as a fair arbiter of the on going problems of the society/union. Moreover it goes a long way to obtain fair justice, as contending parties being in their local area without the interference of the bureaucratic system. To overcome these difficulties a committee with some respected local members, has been formed, which aims at even handed justice. For this Nabolok has formed 18 Gono Unnayan Committees in 10 unions in two Upazillas (Fakirhat &  Bagerhat Sadar). of Bagerhat district.

Youth Clubs: Nabolok also formed Youth Club in the 6 Union of Fakirhat Upazilla to increase the cultural and social knowledge of the youth. Under the Youth Leadership project Nabolok organized a total number of 121 young student through this youth clubs The club member can play a strong role in favour of poor people rights.

People's Organization

(Up to June 2005)