Archive Bangladesh
National Change Maker Assembly
Campaign allies in Dhaka organized the National Change Makers Assembly on 11 and 12 November 2007 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Convention Centre. It was attended by representatives of 236 campaign allies and also by 2,500 Change Makers from 44 districts of the country. Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, Honourable Chief Advisor of People’s Republic of Bangladesh, was the chief guest and inaugurated the session. He urged the participants to work towards building an environment that is conducive to women and where their rights are taken into account.
‘We Can’ Messages on World Population Day
Sylhet CM conferenceIn Bangladesh, the ‘We Can’ campaign allies attempt to come together three times in a year: March, July and November. This year in July, however, 70 percent of the districts in the country remained submerged by floods. But braving all odds, the Nari Maitree, a prominent campaign ally, organised a variety of events in July.
Change Maker Conferences In Ten Districts
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.
Annual General Meeting
In Bangladesh, more than 250 organisations from 40 districts are involved with the ‘We Can’ campaign. The members of the campaign include representatives from the NGO sector, women’s organisations, media, trade unions, and people from a cross section of the society. Recently, a National Committee comprising 32 members was formed.
National Change Maker Assembly in Bangladesh11-12 November 2007
The National Change Makers Assembly in Bangladesh, organized by We Can Alliance to End Domestic Violence at Dhaka in Bangladesh-China Friendship Convention Centre on 11-12 November 2007, was attended by representatives of 236 Campaign Partners and allies and by 2500 Change Makers from 44 Districts of the country.
Inauguration Session (11 November 2007)
Campaign messages at the book fair
To commemorate the youth who sacrificed their lives to have their languages recognized as official by the Government in 1971, many events are organized every year on 21 February in Bangladesh. This day which has gained recognition from the UN as the International Language Day is a special day in the calendar of the country. But to keep alive the sacrifice of the youth and their memories, an annual book fair is also organized in Dhaka that lasts for the whole month.
Bangladesh - Van rally: Connecting people, places and messages
The ‘We Can’ team of Change Makers in Gaibandha organise three campaign events every year. In 2006, Change Makers attached to the Gono Unnayan Kendro (GUK) in Gaibandha, a campaign ally, orgnised a huge cultural van rally in Gaibandha with remarkable success from 28 June to 10 July. It was marked by theatre performances, songs, drawing competitions, film shows and video shows that culminated in a colourful van rally that made the campaign messages highly visible.
Football tournament: Challenging aggression-supporting practices
Violence against women is sanctified by custom and reinforced by institutions in most communities. The main challenge for Change Makers of the ‘We Can’ campaign is to address the need to effectively engage communities in order to elevate awareness and commitment to end violence against women.
Therapuetic fair for couples
The Change Maker team organised a couple fair on 27-28 March, 2006 in Dinajpur to raise awareness on the importance of harmony within homes amongst the wedded people. The chairman of Dinajpur pouro shava inaugurated the fair. The highlight of the fair was a performance by a cultural group. They staged a musical the theme of which was the need to reverse violence within homes.
National girl child day
The National Girl Child Day was celebrated on September 30 as Konna Divas in Bangladesh. It gave the ‘We Can’ allies a chance to highlight the discriminatory practices against girls in the country and urge people to adopt gender-equal practices in their homes.
Partner’s coordination meeting
A Partner’s Coordination Meeting was held on 29 September 2005 to review the progress of the year-old campaign and firm up existing strategies. Participants assessed its strengths and shortcomings; discussed ways to attract more partners to lend a national character to the campaign; sought means to streamline the database being attempted on Change Makers; and identified methods to reinforce the messages of the campaign.
Public service advertisements on television
Three public service advertisements on domestic violence devised by the campaign allies are being currently aired on prime television channels. Though the individual advertisements vary the context and environment within which domestic violence occur, they together expose the pervasiveness of the problem.
Assessing impact of the ‘We Can’ campaign in Bangladesh
On August 1 2005, representatives of 148 Bangladesh ‘We Can’ ally organisations came together at a significant national-level meeting to assess the progress of the campaign and plan for the future. A set of ‘process indicators’ were formulated to measure the effectiveness of the campaign – the recognition of the campaign logo; reach of ‘We Can’ messages; its receptiveness among members of the community and their willingness to be part of it.
Forthcoming Events
- The day 25 November 2005 will be celebrated across Bangladesh as ‘Violence Prevention Day’. Campaign allies plan to put up mammoth, eye-catching campaign posters all over the country to draw attention to the issue of domestic violence. The formation of a 200-km-long inter-district human chain is also being planned to highlight the gravity of the issue. In a show of solidarity the construction workers will hold a massive rally and gather at the Trade Union Centre at Dhaka.
Change Makers Sign Up Event June 12, 2005
In an attempt to bring together the individual efforts of the Change Makers all over Bangladesh and make them feel as part of the larger national ‘We Can’ campaign, around 1,000 Change Makers were invited to take part in a Sign Up event at the Engineers Institute, Dhaka, on 12 June 2005. The day was crowded with an eclectic array of events.