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. Geetiara Safiya Chowdhury, Honourable Advisor, was also present.

Sultana Kamal, Chairperson of ‘We Can’ Alliance in Bangladesh and former advisor to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh, presided over the inauguration. M B Akhter, Co-Chairperson of ‘We Can’ Alliance, welcomed the participants and gave them an overview of the campaign. Also present were: Heather Blackwell, Country Programme Representative of Oxfam GB-Bangladesh, Hubert Staberhoffer, Programme Manager, Police Reform Project of UNDP, Bangladesh, Farah Kabir, Country Director, Action Aid Bangladesh, Shaheen Anam, Team Leader, and Manusher of the Jonno Foundation.

Speaking on the occasion, Change Maker, Momeja Begum talked at length about how she survived an abusive relationship and how the campaign has helped her overcome feelings of inadequacy and face up to the challenges of the world. Another Change Maker Hajra Shahidul Islum Bablu talked about how the campaign has aided in changing his worldview and helped change personal behaviour. Campaign Alliance members - Hussain Riznad from Sri Lanka, Usha and Sofia Khan from India, also shared campaign experiences from their countries.

The inauguration was followed by cultural events. Udichi, one of the largest and most active cultural organisation in Bangladesh, along with other allies of the campaign performed a play on the injustice that women face and how they overcome such limitations. Eminent singers inspired the assembly with their music, expressing their solidarity with WE CAN.

On the second day, a mock parliament session was held where Change Makers took on the mantle of parliament members. Ranjan Karmaker, Executive Director, Steps Towards Development and member ‘We Can’ National Steering Committee, chaired the session. The participants discussed the challenges that Change Makers face at various levels – personal, family, community and State. Eminent personalities like Dr Abul Hossain and Ganesh Chandra Roy, Directors of the Department of Women and Children Affairs; Dr. Mahmuda Islum, Professor of Dhaka University; Hamida Hossain, eminent Human Rights Activist and President of Ain-O-Salish Kendra; Monira Rahman, President of Women for Women and Executive Director of Acid Survivors Foundation; and Ali Imam, producer, ATN Bangla Channel discussed these and tried to provide answers and ways to move forward.

Many other national celebrities active in the fields of drama, song and acting joined efforts. Marjolinj Verhoog, Programme Officer for South Asia from Oxfam-NOVIB expressed her solidarity with the campaign and stressed the fact that Oxfam NOVIB's commitment to  work with ‘We Can’ in Netherlands.

The chief guest for the concluding session was Dr. Akbar Ali Khan from the Regulatory Reform Commission of Bangladesh and a former Advisor to the Caretaker Government. “Domestic violence is a social disease and a long-term campaign is needed to eliminate it, ” he said. Mahfuz Anam, Editor, The Daily Star, and Dr Mahbub Hossain, Executive Director of BRAC, attended as special guests. They, too, expressed solidarity with the campaign.

The assembly ended with a colourful rally against violence against women. The rally culminated at the National Parliament House. Thousands of Change Makers took a pledge not to support violence against women both in their personal lives and within their communities. Hena Das, President, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad and an eminent activist of the Democratic Movement in Bangladesh led the oath taking ceremony. The idea was to highlight the need for women’s human rights. Change Makers lit candles to show support for the cause and released balloons. Sultana Kamal, Chairperson of ‘We Can’ Alliance, presented a declaration.