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Strengthening Advocacy Initiatives of Dalit Community (SAID) II

Project Location: Khulna City Corporation and Digholia upazila of Khulna district
Project Period: July 2023- August 15, 2024
Financed by: Counterpart International & USAID
Total Amount:  BDT 3,033,000.00

Direct Beneficiaries: 635

Dalit as CSO implemented SAID first phase under social inclusion of PAR activities at Khulna City corporation. To enhance space for local CSOs to address governance issues affecting the life and livelihood of marginalized Dalits at Khulna City Corporation (KCC) and Digholia upazila (sub-district) under Khulna district, the project was helpful to achieve the objectives I) To improve Dalit organizational capacity to raise their voice in larger platform and II) Increased Capacity of Dalit community and their forum to raise their issue. There were significant advocacy issues identified and addressed by the Youth and community platform over the SAID first phase. Those identified issues were justifiable and the right demands were placed to concern the authority of KCC as well as service providers. These efforts contributed to reaching the outcomes also i.e 5% reservation for dalit youth in technical training centers are implemented, Larger platforms like Social welfare, National Women’s Organization, and Youth department are addressing few valid demands and including youth in their services. This learning of the first phase has encouraged the implementation of SAID second phase. Through the consultation with targeted project participants the importance of carrying forward the SAID project intervention with focusing the Dalit peoples’ political rights. To strengthen advocacy initiatives as a means to amplify their voices and further empower them for quality and political inclusion those consultations recommended on Dalit rights to be acknowledged by the political parties election manifesto.

Goal: To enhance space for local CSOs to address Dalit issues that are affecting the life and livelihood of marginalized people.

Objective(s)

  1. To raise a collective voice, different CSOs/ networks/stakeholders will be influenced by the Dalit advocacy initiatives.
  2. To influence the political parties to reflect Dalit’s demands/needs in the election manifesto/ commitment to improve their responsiveness even after the election.

Activities:

  • Conduct staff orientation and planning workshops to develop a project operational plan;
  • Identify issues to work with, and identify stakeholders;
  • National-level working group formation meeting;
  • 2 days Capacity strengthening training and refreshers on PEA (political economy analysis), Democracy & good governance for CSOs & Dalit youth forum, Sampriti forum;
  • Review of existing PPEM (political parties election manifesto), related Stakeholders mapping and reporting through a consultation;
  • TV talk show;
  • Mobilization of  potential candidates in the coming election;
  • Interface meeting between Dalit, harizon youth, and political parties/leaders;
  • Day observation (Intl. day for the elimination of racial discrimination) and political rights demands gathering;
  • Follow-up meeting with elected bodies at national & sub-national levels in collaboration with national CSOs/Dalit-led platform;
  • Organize learning-sharing meetings with multi-stakeholders;
  • Citizen dialogue with newly elected upazila chairman, members and dalit community;
  • Meeting with private sector job-providing agencies;
  • Documentary;
  • Press conference.