Program Evolution

BEES has initiated a number of comprehensive program addressing the need of the broader section of the disadvantaged community of the intervention areas. A brief description of program wise evaluation is given below.

BEES started Microfinance program at the very beginning of its development drive in 1978- 79 session, in collaboration with Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) to alleviate poverty and empower the poor. But its direct involvement in microfinance with concerted efforts grew only around 1988, when agreement with BKB failed. The then donor CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) on request allowed using part of the development fund for revolving loan fund. Later, in 1992, BEES received fund from the Netherlands Government for operating a six-year long integrated rural development program along with micro-credit program. Then onward, BEES has been forging ahead with its microfinance intervention steadily gaining support from donor agencies, Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), Bangladesh Bank and other commercial Banks.

Poultry and Livestock:

This is one of the oldest program of BEES, designed to utilize the livestock potentials fully towards poverty eradication, nutritional enhancement, and sustainable agricultural resource development. BEES has an extensive experience in poultry and livestock rearing. Based on this BEES, in 1997, has started the program with a developed strategy, some new components and assistance. The objectives of the Poultry and Livestock Program are to increase income particularly of women; reduce poultry and livestock mortality; fulfill the protein need of the rural poor; and generate employment.

Agriculture and Social Forestry:

Agriculture is the root of BEES's development initiative. With the organization the program also reached its 27th years. The program started its expedition in  1975 from Bogra Rural Development Project (BRDP). At the backdrop of severe food crisis it started its journey with a robust optimism. Intensive agricultural program with research, training of farmers and input service back-up was designed to cater to the need of the target beneficiaries in order to boost production. Crop diversification along with small-scale irrigation equipment was provided to allow the farmers to irrigate small piece of land. Adaptive research was undertaken to identify test and promote crops for specific agricultural location and thereby increased food productivity. Besides, BEES has started a new project titled 'Agricultural Diversification and Intensification Project (ADIP)' in 1999 under the Agriculture and Social Forestry Program. The project got the financial support from IFAD through the Ministry of Agriculture, Bangladesh Government. In addition to the ADIP, BEES in 2001 has initiated another project with assistance of IFAD to implement the Smallholder Agricultural Improvement Project (SAIP) under the Agriculture and Social Forestry Program.

Micro- enterprise Development:

During implementation of the micro lending program, BEES observed that there are many small entrepreneurs, craftsman and skilled workers in the rural areas who are struggling hard to overcome their sufferings due to scarcity of capital. Based on the realization that financial support to them would help promote their business and thus enhance development initiative including subsequent employment opportunity in the rural areas, BEES look up the micro-enterprise development program for implementation. This is not completely new in BEES, though formally started in July 1 997.

Education Program:

In the year 1 984, BEES started providing Functional Education (FE) its target beneficiaries. BEES's FE course was designed to provide literacy, numeracy, knowledge, skills, values of the target beneficiaries through functional and basic education to enable them to take charge of their own lives.

Besides, in response to the needs of the rural people and recognizing that female literacy is very important for poverty alleviation and empowerment BEES, in 1996, started imparting Non-formal Primary Education (NFPE) by establishing a total of 20 NFPE schools. This NFPE experimental schools piloted by BEES with its own efforts and so far BEES has able to establish a total of 200 NFPE schools with the financial assistance of World University service of Canada (WUSC)-CIDA.

BEES also provides an opportunity for education to the urban poor adolescents in the program areas. In 1 998 BEES started implementing its Non-formal Education (NFE) course and BEES has so far established a total of 435 NFE centers.

In addition to the FE, NFPE and NFE, BEES has recently started primary education called Hard to Reach (HTR) to provide with the children basic right to primary education, especially who do not have the family support or whose families, are dysfunctional. A total of 45 HTR schools have so far been established by BEES. Side by side, BEES has been conducting as ILO-USDOL project for the labor children, working in tanneries entitled "BEES-WFCL" program and Post Literacy & Continuing Education for Human Development (PLCEHD)" project by operating 3 and 15 educational centers respectively.

Health, MCH-FP and Nutrition Program:

After CRWRC's hand over in 1984, BEES has been conducting its Health, MCH-FP & Nutrition program until 1992 with the financial support of CIDA. In 1992 BEES initiated health and family planning program along with water and sanitation activities among the poor with the assistance of the Netherlands Government under the name of Cooperative Based Health Program. But soon it realizes that through this process only the groups are faci1itated, not the total population of the community in the program intervention areas. Then in the same year BEES commenced a multi-faceted, Community Based Health Program along with WatSan, receiving fund from ODA to ensure maximum benefit to the rural people particularly disadvantaged women and children. Later, since 1999, BEES has been executing the Expanded Health and Education Program (EHEP) project with the financial support of World University Service of Canada (WUSC)-CIDA with the major components of reproductive, child & general health and nutrition.

Urban Poor Development Program (UPDP):

To reduce the vulnerability of the urban slum dwellers, BEES launched a new program called the Urban Poor Development Program" (UPDP), organizing the urban poor residing in slums of Dhaka Municipality areas in 1996-97 with its own efforts, to empower the slum dwellers, specially the women and working and street children by providing them with credit, training, basic health and non- formal primary education. Health care services (both preventive and curative) are provided along with motivational and awareness building activities.

Note of the Executive Director

BEES started its journey in 1975 with an aim to be with the people those who are at disadvantaged situations. Since then BEES has been contributing towards the development of the poor with utmost commitments and enthusiasm. BEES believes that sustainable development of the poor communities can only be ensured if the development activities are shared and owned by the communities. Being a development partner, BEES attitude is always to support the poor with appropriate assistance, link them with local level institutions and facilitate the government policy so that development is sustained.

BEES. from its long association with the people has experienced that without integration and addressing the peoples' requirements following the participatory approach, real development will never be attained. Therefore, BEES is very careful in designing and implementing its programs. BEES programs are contributing to supplement and compliment the services taken by the Government of Bangladesh.

The overall achievements of the year 2001-2002 were quite satisfactory in terms of the annual targets. BEES successfully addressed over 600,000 population within 26 districts of Bangladesh. Development initiatives were continued to accelerate employment and income generation through the Micro-credit and Micro-Enterprise Development programs. BEES shared a major portion of the credit for the beneficiaries from its own fund. Agriculture and Social Forestry program targeted landless, marginal and small farmers including tribal people and successfully promoted agricultural crop diversification and increased food production. The education program facilitated the disadvantaged children and adolescents who had either been dropped-out from regular schooling or never been enrolled in any school. The program supplemented national efforts towards building an illiteracy-free society. Health initiatives under BEES program significantly enhanced the health and nutritional status of the women and children under the program areas. The lessons learnt from different programs would be the platform of BEES to move forward.

Credit Plus is another innovation of BEES's services which is providing financial assistance to the target beneficiaries under "Sheba Package" along with other development services. A common trend of micro-credit programs in Bangladesh is to provide economic support to the beneficiaries to enhance their economic condition only through Income Generating Activities (IGAs). Unfortunately most of these programs do not critically analyze the socio-cultural and other development aspects including the question of sustainability. Hence these programs may partially contribute in social and other development and as a consequence, sustainable changes in the life of targeted beneficiaries are not being observed.

We believe that parallel to financial support, people need to widen their periphery of knowledge and skill and; fulfill social requirements. The approach "Credit Plus" promotes human attitudes, social norms, values & culture. It is linked with other essential services such as basic health & nutrition, education, training along with IGAs, which have direct impact on the welfare of the potential beneficiaries. BEES has introduced this approach since last two years and a good number of beneficiaries are brought under these facilities on pilot basis. Considering the demand, BEES has a plan to expand this approach among all the target beneficiaries.

The accomplishments of BEES are not only the credit of its own. It is the Community People who contributed their utmost effort to transform the initiatives into actions, the Donors who provided us the financial and technical assistance, the Executive Board of BEES who contributed to develop the policy guidelines, and finally the committed Staff who leads to the accomplishments with their professionalism and sincere efforts.

The ultimate goal of BEES is organizational sustainability. BEES is trying to reduce its dependency over the donors' fund and become self-reliant. The new S years plan (2004-2008) Credit Plus Development Program (CPDP) has been developed taking into consideration the continuity and sustainability of the beneficiaries of BEES. Now BEES is in the process of establishing its motto through hard work and sincere efforts.

We hope that the Report will be of interest to the valued readers to know about the programs and philosophy of BEES and to this report will be a source of some information to the partners of BEES who are constantly supporting its initiatives.

A Weapon Against Poverty:

Poverty Alleviation Program

BEES entered with a dynamic spirit to alleviate poverty and empower the rural and urban poor since its inception in 1975. BEES started its journey to reach to the poorest of the poor to uplift them and establish its dream of a poverty free society. Efforts have been made to reduce sufferings of the humanity, assist the disadvantaged people within the communities to improve their standard of living through skill development. BEES realizes that sustainable development can never be assured without the elimination, or at least, alleviation of poverty.

BEES promotes, reinforces and initiates multi- dimensional programs to bring about changes in the lives of the poor, illiterate, unskilled and malnourished people. It adopts the strategy to get the beneficiaries united, organized and group formation through motivation. It provides funds with necessary technical support through various training, education and other support packages to the group members to facilitate income generating activities.

BEES believes in bringing people under the same umbrella in the form of cooperative groups which will bring a sustainable change within the society through social as well as economic emancipation. Basically every individual has the potential to utilize her /his own resources. But the process is being accelerated through developing self-reliance within individuals and conversed to a collective effort through leading them towards a proper direction. Internalizing the fact, BEES extend its support services through cooperative groups.

Through a 27 years long journey, BEES has highest emphasis on empowering people to identify and analyze and; divert them towards the evolved solutions generated by themselves in a participatory manner. It is realized that parallel existence of empowerment and economic emancipation along with adequate self- confidence of indigent automatically lead them towards self-establishment in the society. With the aim to fight against poverty, BEES promotes affordable and sustainable alternative services through improvement of social and physical environment of the poorer section of the communities.

BEES's strategy is to develop self-confidence and unity among the target groups, strengthen them through skill development and provide necessary technical as well as financial support. And, at the end, ensure economic emancipation of the group members through different income generating activities.

During the entire process, a participatory approach is adopted. The group members learn to be accommodative and show respect to others opinions. Through several sessions, they realize the strength of unity. attain self-respect and self-confidence. Over the time, they become aware of their potential capacities and acquire leadership quality. At the end, self-reliance, better social understanding and back-up supports from BEES lead them to a desired platform of success.

BEES's trans-sectoral Poverty Alleviation Program (PAP) came into light in 1975 in the name of Rural Development Program (RDP). Since then, BEES has been moving forward steadily keeping pace with socio-economic demand of the country. BEES steps into the development field in a demand-responsive manner. BEES concentrates its efforts towards mainstreaming beneficiaries through development of skills, understanding and confidence and has been facilitating them to participate in the different programs on health, sanitation, nutrition, education, legal rights, agriculture, environment, disaster preparedness, women empowerment, training and credit for small-scale income generating enterprises during its expedition over the last 27 years.

Since the inception of BEES in 1975, Poverty Alleviation Program (PAP) interventions focus on the following four major Programs known as;

I. Rural Development Program

II. Health, Family Planning, Maternal & Child Health (MCH) and Nutrition Program.

III. Special Program and;

IV. Support Program.

Each of these major programs includes a number of sub-programs, which is being implemented through the Unit Offices of BEES.

A Diagram showing the major programs as well as sub-programs to be inserted by BEES.

I. Rural Development Program

A. Micro-Finance Program

A.I Micro Credit

Major interventions:

Survey, group formation, weekly meetings, issue-based meetings, collection of savings, loan disbursement, arrange training, conduct regular audit.

B. Agriculture & Social Forestry

Major interventions:

Arrange agriculture inputs, irrigation facilities, crop credit, conduct demonstration program, facilitate community participation in social forestry, timely distribution of seedlings/ saplings/ grafting; supervision and monitoring.

c. Poultry and Livestock

Major interventions:

Arrange training, credit support, collect raw materials, poultry & livestock, arrange and preserve vaccine and collect vaccination equipment.

A.2 Micro-enterprise Development

Major interventions:

Select entrepreneur, raise awareness on entrepreneurship, training for skills development, arrange credit, contact with sales agents, contact with production centers, contact with buyers etc.

D. Education Program

Major interventions:

Facilitate Non Formal Education for children & adolescents, provide infrastructure support for school, providing education & material support, impart training to the school teachers and provide primary education to the working children.