Bolipara Nari Kalyan Somity (BNKS)

BNKS is an NGO established in 1991 registered under Department of Women Affairs # MoBA/B.Ban/07/95 and Bureau of NGO Affairs # 1656-19-08-2001 by a group of energetic like-minded women social workers with a view to promoting the socio-economic and cultural status of the marginalized and socially excluded peoples of the country especially focusing on Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. BNKS stres

ses emphasis on empowering women and children through, education, capital formation, health, water, sanitation provision and community capacity and local institution building. BNKS implements demand driven problem solving programs by integrating indigenous and modern scientific knowledge and techniques which promote bottom up and participatory development processes. BNKS works with all vulnerable people irrespective of race, disability, age, gender and religion. BNKS believes in and feels the need for solidarity and cooperation among all classes of people as well as with the Government institutions for achieving its goals and objectives. Vision, Mission, Core Values and Objectives

The Vision: BNKS envisions to ensure an enhanced standard of life for the people living in the country with especial emphasis on the CHTs and other parts of vulnerable areas through mainstreaming them to the current development paradigm of the country. The Mission: To improve the social, economic and cultural conditions of the marginalized people of the country with especial emphasis on the CHTs and other vulnerable areas particularly the women and children through sustainable development of knowledge, ethics, efficiency and services. Core Values:
 Inclusiveness and empowering  Innovation and creativity
 Integrity and openness  Effective and Efficiency

Goals and Objectives:
• HEALTH: The community people especially women and children have access to primary health service and that their knowledge on health care services are increased. Rural people of Bandarban Hill District do not have access to health services due to the remoteness and landscape of the area and difficulties in communication. Many health facilities and services are derelict and un-manned due to this people are not aware of basic health services that should be available to them.
• LIVELIHOOD: Community peoples’ participation in profitable income is increased and their overall economic status is improved. The main occupation of the people is Jhum cultivation (slash and burn cultivation) however this practice is often for subsistence farming. Due to lack of communication infrastructure it is difficult for rural people to sell their produced products at market and often results in dealing with unnecessary middle men.
• EDUCATION: All community people of Bandarban have access to education and that their capacity and knowledge is improved through education and training. The overall literacy level of Bandarban is 39.5%, Men’s literacy is 56.22% and Women’s is at 23.5%. According to the communities’ extreme poverty hinders the parents from sending their children to school. Families prefer their children to engage in household and agricultural works. Other problems include distance and education not in mother tongue language.
• RIGHTS: All communities and local institutions know and practice their basic rights. So that people and services able to develop to empower the community to meet their basic needs.
• CULTURE: Local people of Bandarban are free to practice and reserve their own cultures, values and customs. There are 13 different ethnic groups that are co-habiting the area of Bandarban Hill District. However due to extreme poverty people are unable to practice their cultural traditions. Traditional cultures are being mainstreamed into each other, values and customs are being forgotten.
• CLIMATE: People and the environment are protected and living sustainably alongside another. Community people of Bandarban are facing many problems due to climate change and practices that are affecting the local environment. The seasons play an active role in the rural people’s life, especially farming however the seasons are becoming more and more disrupted with monsoon coming earlier and heavier each year. The area is subject to landslides due to heavy rainfall in the wet season, deforestation, forest fire and land reforming to create more land for development.