ANTAR Programs

Introduction:
ANTAR followed a right-based approach of directly involving and sharing with the women and children in particular and also with the peoples representing various walks of life to know the situation of the women and children in the area. Leaders of the NGOs strongly felt that local level coalitions of NGOs to establish women and children rights fostering cooperation, coordination, capacity supports particularly through a right based approach could one of the appropriate steps.

The major events of ANTAR’s Women, Youth and Children Development program are (a) Development of participation skill and capacity building training for women, youth and children (b) Capacity building training for participating NGOs of ANTAR (c) Sharing workshop for developing BCC materials (d) Coordination meeting with women, youth, children and participating NGOs of ANTAR for strengthening cooperation (e) Development and distribution of IEC materials (f) Advocacy initiatives to make the duty bearers accountable and children sensitive for child rights promotion. All these activities were implemented successfully with the active participation of each of the targeted participants and contribute a lot for the best interest of children. Target adults at all level supportive in changes lives of women and children and protect rights violation. The participation of women, youth and children in every activities planned were really very much encouraging. Women, youth and Children participation skill and leadership quality improve and able to take advocacy initiative at community and family level.

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Objectives

• To create a greater constituency of the participating NGOs of ANTAR for influencing the duty bearers at local and national level.
• To build capacity of local NGOs, community leaders and members and ANTAR staff for addressing women, youth and child rights violation through right based programming approach.
• To develop a group of children and youths as leaders for mobilizing parents, community people and other children.

Program Participants

• Women
• The children and youths particularly the marginalized children and youths who are prone to violation;
• Religious Leaders
• Parents of the participating children;
• School teachers;
• UP Chairman & Member;
• Relevant government officials;
• Civil society members including media personnel;
• Community leaders and general people;

Major Activities of this Project :

• NGOs Coordination
• Collaboration with GO
• Child Rights Awareness Campaign focusing Child Trafficking
• Shishu Kendra (Child Club) Operation
• Coordination among the Shishu Kendra (Child Club) Children
• Women and Children Leadership Development
• Capacity Building for Women, Youth, Children and NGOs Staff on CRC, CRP, Facilitation skill, Child Participation
• Consultation Meeting with Women, Children and other Stakeholders
• Develop and Disseminate Behavior Change and Communication (BCC) Materials
• NGO Exposure Visit
• Youth and Children Exposure Visit
• Child Rights Week Observance
• National Days Observance
• International Women’s Day Observation
• Media Linkages
• Resource Center
• Representation
• Vocational Training
• Capacity Building Support for ANTAR’s Partner Organization
• Humanitarian Assistance to Flood affected Children and their family in Bangladesh

Human trafficking both internal and cross boarder is an increasing problem of Bangladesh. There are both pull and push factors active and contributing in this phenomenon. Poverty, lack of employment, gender discriminative attitude, early marriage, polygamy, dowry, lack of awareness, network of traffickers’ gang and their heinous vested interest are working as push factors. Trafficking is done through fake marriage, lures of better jobs, better life and high income. High demand of young women, adolescent girls and children as sex workers and domestic workers in the large cities of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries are very active as pull factors.

Since 2000 ANTAR has been involved in prevention of trafficking through organizing workshops and meetings at district and grass roots level. In several areas ANTAR has been playing the role of co- organizer and facilitator for the workshops and meetings organized on trafficking issue by local level NGOs. The major objectives of these sessions are to launch a comprehensive campaign against trafficking ensuring participation of civil society, GOs and NGOs. These events covered the districts of Dhaka, Norshingdi, Rajshahi, Joypurhat, Naogaon, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar.

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Human trafficking has been identified as a serious violation of human rights in the Country. ANTAR from its inception has actively involved in counter trafficking activity programmatically. ANTAR started playing pioneering role to combat trafficking in person taking it as one of its program focused issue.

ANTAR has produced several counter trafficking materials including workshop and orientation guideline, poster etc. ANTAR also procured and mobilized a lot of information materials on trafficking issue. ANTAR disseminates and distributes many materials to other NGOs, stakeholders around the country. ANTAR has established an information resource center on right based issues including trafficking. ANTAR observed that Imams also being the major actors in promoting rights should take appropriate role. ANTAR works with the adolescent children for building their capacity on child rights, trafficking, reproductive health, sexual abuse and exploitation in the greater Chattogram area. ANTAR actively involved with the children for build their capacity and awareness about the human trafficking and safe migration in greater Chattogram area.

Objectives

To eliminate child labor and human trafficking from the village by establishing systems at village level by forming Child Friendly Village with ensuring Child Safety-net and all children are going to school.

Program Participants

The children (8-18 years age) and adolescents, who are working for private house-masters, hotel restaurant owners, shops and their own house and are not getting education opportunity, are the target groups. Those children are categorized as follows;

• Child Labor (at hotels/restaurants, private house, small cottage, industries/mills)
• Children from the poorest household
• Out of School Children and Drop Out Children from schools
• Rescued person including women and children
• Muslim Religious Leaders (Imam)
• Religious Leaders of other Religion
• Children and Women
• Local Elected Representatives
• Teachers
• Journalists
• Government Officials
• Law Enforcement Agencies and
• Other Stakeholders

Major Activities:

• Community Meeting with Religious Leaders
• Adolescent Awareness
• Establishing Network with Interfaith
• Village Level Gathering
• Education Center Base Gathering
• Khutba Message
• Watch Dog Committee Meeting and Training for the Group
• Advocacy Workshop

Enhancing Resources and Increasing Capacities of Poor Households towards Elimination of Their Poverty (ENRICH)

ANTAR has a major objective to promote education & health development based on this objective ANTAR Initiate a new education & health program in 1 working area namely Nababpur Union under Sonagazi Upazila in Feni district. In the working area of ANTAR we have to provide Education support through 25 education center and also providing health facilities through our 9 health volunteer, Static clinic, Satellite clinic, special health camp and special Eye camp to the target beneficiaries and ANTAR create an environment in its working area that people are in touch with ANTAR for getting these services by its Teachers and Doctors. A total of 39 staff are working in the program area in Nobabpur. ANTAR has been working with the poor households’ members in association with the local government and other committed stakeholders to help them lift themselves out of poverty, so that they can bring changes in their socio-economic condition by themselves. ENRICH created access to appropriate technologies as well as to health and education so that their empowerment & productivity would increase. The major activities that are being implemented under the ENRICH program listed below:

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• Education support through 25 Shikkha Kendra (Education Center)
• Health Service through Volunteers
• Satellite Clinic throughout the Union
• Static Clinic
• Issue based Special Medical Camp
• Special Eye Camp for Cataract Operation
• Beggar Rehabilitation
• Water & Sanitation Program
• Women & Youth Empowerment
• Income Generating Activities (IGA) Training & Support
• Homestead Gardening
• Special Savings Program
• Parents Meeting
• Teachers Meeting
• Youth Skill Development Training
• Union Coordination Meeting
• Infrastructure Development

ANTAR have 5 years of experience on primary health care for family members along with lactating mothers in different districts in Bangladesh and also ongoing experience in implementing health programs in Ruhingya Camp. We have all setups including an Office located at Court Bazar near the Ruhingya Camp, requiring project staff along with an Ambulance for the project.

The latest influx of Ruhingya into Bangladesh from Myanmar starts since seven months ago. More than 7,00,000 Ruhingya people have fled from their homes and villages in the face of mass annihilation in the Rakhaine State of Western Myanmar. They are still arriving in every day. They are sick, hungry, exhausted and wondered.

Given the scale of Ruhingya influx, it’s called the fastest and most urgent refugee emergency in the world. The needs of Ruhingya refugees are food, shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation, clothes, healthcare, reproductive health support and children’s basic education etc.

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In response to the current massive humanitarian crisis, ANTAR has been providing food, clothes, deep tube-wells for safe drinking water, community toilets for sanitation and Health care support including free medicine with the support of Dompet Dhuafa Foundation, Indonesia. ANTAR is trying to making collaboration of one health project for Ruhingya people & host community in Ukhiya upazila.

Since the start of the Ruhingya influx in the last August 2017, ANTAR has provided food & non-food items to the over 1700 Ruhingya families. In each food package contains 2 kg lentils, 5 kg potatoes, 1 kg salt, 2 liters cocking oil, 2 kg onions, 1 kg sugar, 3 no. soaps, 1 no. family size mosquito net, 20 no ORS and 5 liters drinking water. ANTAR also has provided winter aid to the 1500 Ruhingya families with a package which is including for every family is 2 no. blankets, 1 sweater for children and 1 unisex Shawl. For water and sanitation purpose ANTAR has setup 5 community toilets and 30 deep tube-wells for safe drinking water in the Kutupalong camp area.

In continuation of ANTAR’s humanitarian support to the Ruhingya people in the Camp area ANTAR is providing primary health care support to the Ruhingya people including medicine with a dedicated medical team which is also support by Dompet Dhuafa Foundation, Indonesia. ANTAR already organized 48 medical camps in the Ruhingya camp (Camp no- 1, 2, & 7) area at Kutupalong with a 4 months project where 8,369 people got medical support with medicine. ANTAR hope that this medical program will continue for long time for the Ruhingya people.

The health support is made available through a mobile clinic, where a qualified medical doctor who led a team of trained medical assistants. The mobile clinic goes to the particular camps as suggested by the relevant camp management officials looking into needs of the camp inhabitants.

The Goal of this project is to improve the health situation of the Ruhingya communities living in the camps with particular emphasis to children and women.

Expected Outcome:

• Prevalence of primary health complications like viral fever, cough, pain, stomach disorder, diarrhea, dysentery etc. are reduced among the targeted beneficiaries.
• Preliminary health checkups like blood pressure; blood sugar test etc. are available which will help taking decision further treatment if required in this regard.
• Health conditions of infants, young children, carrying and lactating mothers are improved through special focus to these segments of Ruhingya people.
• Health awareness among camp people are increasing.

Micro Finance, Capacity Building & Skill Development

ANTAR has been implementing micro finance activity at the field level targeting women as the major participant. The micro finance activity has been designed in such a form that it benefits the family with particular thrust to the children and women. ANTAR has been providing micro-credit to its group members with a very systematic process generally accepted in the country. Micro-credit being a systematic process ANTAR has developed a very effective monitoring system so that the activity is kept in the right track and does not fell into problem due lack of proper supervision and management. The realization has been scheduled on weekly basis and the realization rate is 100%. ANTAR provides orientation to the group members so that they understand the micro finance system and their role as a borrower. ANTAR field area has a great demand micro-finance.

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ANTAR organizers and staff members have a long experience in dealing in Micro Finance (MF). ANTAR has developed a very practical policy for its micro finance operation. ANTAR has skilled and dedicated staffs who are continuously working to benefit its micro finance borrowers. ANTAR has already created a reputation in its working areas for its efficient micro finance operation. The target beneficiaries are happy with ANTAR’s support for them. Through its micro finance activity ANTAR also deriving social benefit very systematically and continuously.

ANTAR has been working for ecological balance of the country through implementing planned activities in its micro credit project areas. The participants of micro finance group are encouraged to cultivate vegetables without using chemical fertilizer and pesticide. ANTAR has providing supports to the villagers to use organic fertilizer and follow an integrated pest management system for cultivation. Community people are motivated to grow more trees and arrangements have been done to grow quality seedlings at the village level. Environmental day has been observed with colorful rally and discussion meetings in the working areas.

ANTAR has been systematically promoting Human Rights (HR) issues in the micro finance groups through issue base discussions, distribution of BCC materials, orientation and mobilization against HR violations in the family and the community as a whole. Poverty being one of the root causes of HR violations the IGA schemes launched through micro finance has been playing a vital role in promoting HR at the target household as well as the society level. ANTAR observes that a consciously designed micro finance program combining CR awareness with income generation of the poorer section of the society can have a positive impact on HR situation in the area.

Goal

The major goal of AMFP program is to promote a sustainable socio-economic development in the life of the poor, landless and disadvantaged people by which of their good plan, implementation and properly resource allocation that help them to attaining a dignified livelihood in the family and the society as a whole.

Objectives

• The following are objectives of the AMFP project:
• To organize female group for empowerment;
• To develop financial strength of rural and slum disadvantage target people;
• Develop leadership skill and management competence;
• Improve the gender relation development and the human rights situation;
• Integrated child development (establishment of child rights in the family through micro credit and entrepreneurship and awareness development);
• Training on consciousness raising, group management, leadership development and skill development for IGAs;
• To establishment of ecological balance environment.

Major Activities of this Project :

• IGA Training for beneficiary group member
• Scheme Management Training & Skill Development
• Gender Training for beneficiary group member
• Child Rights Convention (CRC) Training for beneficiary group member
• Awareness building on Climate change & it’s effect, Child Abuse, Trafficking, Dowry, Child Marriage, Personal hygiene and Children Education.