Sylhet CM conferenceBetween March and April 2007, Change Maker conferences were held in 10 districts of Bangladesh. The idea was to enlist Change Makers into the campaign fold, spread the campaign message to many more people, interact with policy makers in order to shape and influence policy, and strengthen the National Committee of ‘We Can’ in Bangladesh.

On 12 April 2007, a Change Maker conference was organised in Dhaka at the Engineers Institute. On 7 April 2007, a similar conference was held at the Rajshahi division. Conferences were also organised in Chittagong, Barisal, Pirojpur, Sirajgonj, and Pabna with the help of district alliances. The Chairperson of the National Committee of ‘We Can’, Sultana Kamal, and most of its members attended these functions to show support and solidarity, as well strengthen vision and gather ideas for the future.

On 29 March 2007, Gaibandha hosted a Change Maker conference. Three thousand Change Makers from the districts of Gaibandha and Rangpur participated. The Chairman of the Gaibandha Pouroshova was the chief guest. Change Makers who attended the conference shared their experiences and spelt out the reasons for enlisting as change agents; they talked at length about why change was important.  A rally was organised a day before the event in the Gaibandha city to sensitise people to the campaign and its issues.

On 28 March 2007, a Change Maker conference was organised at Dinazpur district where 5,000 Change Makers from four districts Panchagar, Takurgaon, Nilphamari and Dinajpur participated. The conference was presided over by Shah Mohammad Sahjahan, Chair Person of Dinajpur. The District Commissioner of the District Alliance, A.M.Saiful Hasan, was the chief guest. The Police Superintendent of Dinajpur district, the Chairman of Dinajpur Pauroshava, the General Secretary of Press Club, the Executive Director of Pollisree, the Chairperson of the ‘We Can’ National Alliance, and the Gender Coordinator of Oxfam GB were present as special guests.

All the guests showed solidarity with the campaign and promised to extend support. After extensive discussions on the subject of violence against women, all the participants who attended the ceremony took a pledge to help end all violence against women. They pledged to begin the process from their own homes and lives and tackle domestic violence as the first step.

The venue for the Change Makers conference on 20 March 2007 was Sylhet. Change Makers gathered at the Sylhet Auditorium to discuss how to reach out to people and help change attitudes.