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Item বস্তিবাসীদের অভিজ্ঞতায় বস্তি উচ্ছেদ: একটি নিবিড় পর্যবেক্ষণ(গবেষণা ও মূল্যায়ন বিভাগ, ব্র্যাক, 2006) মামুন-উর-রশীদThis study aimed to explore the social and economic dynamics that led to and followed the eviction of Kallyanpur basti, home of some 1,675 families, demolished in December 2003. Information was collected through participant observation, stakeholder perceptions and group discussions. The process of eviction, actual demolition, reactions to the eviction, and eventual settling down of the dwellers are narrated. The initiators of the eviction were the local commissioner and the House Building Research Institute of the government. The demolition was successful in the face of collective protest of the slum dwellers due to the commissioner’s collaboration with the leader of the slum dwellers. The dwellers found that there was none to support them in the actual protest. Although they had expected the NGO activists, their local leaders and media to help them out, all of them betrayed. After eviction, some of the dwellers left while others tried to stay. The living conditions were adverse. Cold winter nights without proper housing and sanitation, police raids and internal outbursts of violence led to severe suffering, including death of some children. The Basti still exists. The ones who held on to their land through all the troubles have rebuilt their houses. However, the commissioner has retained a large portion of the land. The paper emphasizes the need for collective will and planning on the part of all stakeholders to make sure that future evictions are conducted more effectively, making sure that the sufferings of the dwellers are minimized and they are properly rehabilitated.Item Lives of street-connected children in Bangladesh(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2015) Rahman, Rehnuma; Samadder, Zion RabbiStreet connected children, children who live/or spend time on the streets, are a vulnerable group of considerable concern. The aim of this study is to gain a detail understanding about lives of children living and working in the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, to help develop an effective and informed intervention that can contribute to improved outcomes for this vulnerable group. In order to understand the overall situation and structural violence in which street connected children spend their lives, the study explored their (children) reasons for street migration, primary livelihood, daily struggles, vulnerabilities and other issues which are distinctively associated with street connected children. The study indicates a range of “push” and “pull” factors leading and keeping the children on the street. It also includes a detail analysis of the dimensions of challenges and risks experienced by children living in the streets and the meaning and significance of a shelter to them as well as the factors that draw and prevent them from joining street children shelter.Item Impact assessment of credit programme for the tenant farmers(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2014-04) Hossain, Mahabub; Jaim, WMH; Malek, MA; Hossain, Marup; Jimi, Nusrat Abedin; Mahmud, Kazi Tanvir; Ahsan, Abu; Chakraborty, Barnali; Ahmed, Md. Shakil; Reza, Md. Hasib; Tarannum, Taheya; Rahman, ANM Mahfuzur; Das, Narayan CItem Need assessment of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2017-08) Shatil, Tanvir; Saha, Polin Kumar; Rahman, RahmanThere has been a continued influx of the ‘Forcibly displaced Myanmar Nationals’ (FDMN) across the border of Bangladesh and Myanmar since 25 August, 2017. As consequences, the large numbers of people (FDMN) have unexpectedly taken shelter in Bangladesh. Along with 307,500 Rohingya refugees now total 822, 500 FDMNs are living in various makeshift, unregistered and registered settlements of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. So, it is realised that Bangladesh has been facing a severe challenge in providing food, shelter and protection assistance to these shelters. Till date, FDMN influx is underway and the new arrivals have little or no access to food, shelter, safe drinking water and healthcare. In response to the crisis, this study has been designed in aiming to reach standard humanitarian services to the FDMN people. Broadly, the assessment of the study is to understand the priority needs of the new arrivals and make recommendation to mobilise resources and interventions. To observe and conduct the interviews of the targeted people, an assessment team has visited six makeshift camps of Cox’s Bazar district including, Unchiprang, Hakimpara, Kutupalong, Kutupalong extension, Balikhali 1 and Thankhali. Altogether, age and gender disaggregated 18 FGDs are conducted in seven days with more than 250 participants. In addition to FGD, the team conducts individual interviews with FDMN peoples and host communities. As outcome of the study, the ongoing or prospective humanitarian responses have been resulted upon on the existing scenarios of fundamental needs (e.g. shelter, health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food, Non-Food Item (NFI), and child protection) to the FDMN including possible solution in relief distribution and strategic directions to overcome the challenges.Item The impact of skills development initiatives for adolescents on climate adaptive livelihoods in south-western Bangladesh(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2017) Reza, Md Hasib; Shatil, Tanvir; Rahman, Md Sajedur; Malek, Mohammad AbdulNearly 23 per cent of Bangladesh’s total population is aged between 10 and 19. This large population group is termed as adolescent and considered the most potential source of country’s future labour force. However, a larger portion of them has limited scope for acquiring knowledge and skills for self-development and participate in income generating activities. Particularly, in south-western region of Bangladesh adolescents are much more disadvantaged in this regard as there agricultural based livelihood system has been shifted from traditional paddy cultivation to aquaculture and homestead based small scale agricultural activities due to the erroneous effects of climate change. Considering the present context, BRAC has implemented a pilot project titled ‘Skills Development Initiatives for Adolescents (SDIA) on climate adaptive livelihoods’in two districts of south-western Bangladesh to promote some agricultural technologies among the adolescents so that they can develop their skills and engage in income generating activities (IGAs).Item The effects of skill training on livelihoods(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2017-07) Rahman, Rehnuma; Rahman, Atiya; Samadder, Zion Rabbi; Bayes, AbdulSchool dropout rate in Bangladesh is estimated to be about 40 per cent at the secondary level. The majority of the dropouts is most likely to remain unemployed or, if employed, engaged in low paying and hazardous work in the informal sector. With the aim of producing a well-trained and empowered youths, BRAC initiated ‘Skills Training for Advancing Resources (STAR)’ programme in 2012. The programme provides onthe- job and classroom training in various informal trades to disadvantaged school dropout adolescents aged between 14-18 years. This study estimates the effects of the programme on employment, earning levels, financial assets, empowerment and household level welfare. The results show that the intervention succeeded in increasing labour market participation and earnings of the adolescents. The magnitude of the effect on earning is about six times the baseline mean level of earnings. Increased earnings of the adolescents translated into household welfare– as proxied by food expenditures and durable asset holdings. Evidences also show the positive effects of the programme on enhancing empowerment, improving selfconfidence, and preventing substance abuse. Further, the intervention appears to have improved work place environment and job satisfaction among school dropouts. The cost-benefit ratio of the intervention is found to be about 1:3.Item Unifying social identity: community skilled birth attendant(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2017-07) Khan, Ashrafuzzaman; Kamruzzaman, MdHomebirth is regarded as gold standard and the premier standard of birth possible. Community Skilled Birth Attendants (CSBA) received a six-month training in and out of class at skilled birth attendant (SBA) training institutes, approved by the Government of the peoples republic of Bangladesh. The trainees are involved in assisting the safe and clean delivery at home in rural Bangladesh. Many CSBA are engaged in Government and non-government organisations in relation to providing birth attendant services in rural Bangladesh. The intention of HNPP, BRAC is to increase the number of CSBA in order to achieve MDG 5. The study explored the process of social identification of CSBAs. The notion of social identity has delineated a comprehensive account of social relations in the theory of practice of Pierre Bourdieu. Moreover, social relations explained the process of social identification employing the concept of selfcategorisation and social categorisation. The study employed qualitative methods to explore the mechanisms of internal and social categorisation of CSBAs. The findings reveal that CSBAs are known as BRAC health cadres in the community. They are struggling to establish their identity as trained midwives in the community. Despite some challenges of their professions, CSBAs are respected as ‘dactar or nurse apa’ by the villages. Professional training on SBA enables them to generate income and social prestige. TBAs and village doctors create constraints to perform professional responsibilities of the CSBA in the community. On the other hand, the villagers are still bewildered about the terms as well as the roles and responsibilities of Shasthya Shebika (SS), Newborn Health Workers (NHWs), Shasthya Kormi (SK) and CSBA of HNPP, BRAC. They are confused whether health providers of BRAC are required paying for assisting homebirth. The villagers also perceive that assisting to homebirth is considered as social norm rather than professional duties. Moreover, the villagers hardly found the government service providers in this regard. Therefore, the study has outlined a number of recommendations for strengthening the profession of CSBAs of HNPP in BRAC.Item Community centre-based care and education for children with neurodevelopmental disability(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2016-07) Mallick, UtpalSince its inception, BRAC Education Programme (BEP) has been including children with disabilities in its various educational initiatives. To foster this inclusion initiative BEP developed Children with Special Needs (CSN) unit in 2003. From 2014 this unit launched Neuro Developmental Disability (NDD) centres for poor communities in Bangladesh in cooperation with Health, Nutrition & Population Programme (HNPP) of BRAC. Till June 2015, four centres were established; one in a slum in Dhaka city and three others in Pabna, Khulna and Gazipur districts. Preparation of opening another centre in Sylhet district is in progress. As this is relatively a recent initiative of BRAC, this research study was done to document and analyze its processes, outcomes, problems and solutions. Overall aim of this study was to explore in detail about these centres including strategies taken, successes achieved, challenges faced and scope of further improvement in operation. Qualitative research design was followed as the study intended to document entire development of the centres from the perspectives of policy and personnel, lives of the children and their families and communities. The study involved review of programme documents (e.g. policies, curriculum, materials etc.), repetitive nonparticipant observations of the centres combined with semi-structured interview and focus group discussions (FGDs) with a range of stakeholders including children, parents, teachers and other officials from BRAC. Findings indicated positive learning outcomes of children with disabilities and the joy of having a school like centre for them, changing attitudes and perceptions of families and communities regarding disability and a genuine goodwill among most staffs involved. Certain problems were also voiced. Some concerns were expressed over limited resources in the centres, problem with transportation of children, inadequate medical support including therapies, lack of intrinsic motivation of teachers and caregivers for poor honorarium and so on. Major area of expressed concern was the need for intensive training of teachers and other staffs and the need for a more structured approach. Curricular and other activities for children could be improved if appropriate activities were implemented by the teachers even in such resource constraint situations. Based on these analyses, some recommendations for advancing growth of these centres have been made. It is hoped that this report will provide useful information for better implementation of the NDD centres.Item Understanding civil society contributions to access to justice(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2016-10) Cerecina, Mila; Chapman, Peter; Shahed, Syeda SitwatAcross the world, civil society legal empowerment programmes are making important contributions to securing access to justice and inclusive development. From assistance navigating justice processes to independent mediation services, civil society programmes deploying community-based paralegals provide practical avenues to seek rights and resolve disputes. Such programmes add to the range of access points to justice, offer additional avenues to pursue government accountability and improve community knowledge of their rights often at a scale and level of legitimacy in the community that is not readily available to government initiatives alone. The evidence base for the impacts of civil society legal empowerment programmes is slowly increasing. Such programmes have been subject to robust evaluation in multiple countries and legal empowerment programmes themselves are becoming more sophisticated in management and evaluation. From 2014-2016, Open Society Justice Initiative teamed with BRAC Human Rights and Legal Service programme (BRAC HRLS), a large legal empowerment programme in Bangladesh, to explore what BRAC HRLS’s programme data could tell us. Relying on existing and routine data collection we sought to: 1) Explore how internal data can help to manage performance and to make decisions about where to allocate resources; 2) Provide an example to other civil society organisations about what can be learned from internal data; and 3) Suggest that contributions of civil society actors toward access to justice can be measured as part of the effort under the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 in order to show a more complete picture of access to justice. The research relied on existing administrative data about mediation, court and registration services provided by BRAC HRLS from 2012-2014 as well as a new, small survey sample of former clients and current staff. Using these data points we explored indicators by which BRAC HRLS, and perhaps other civil society organisations, can measure impact in their operational programming. In particular we wanted to explore how BRAC HRLS ii Understanding Civil Society Contributions to Access to Justice legal services 1) strengthened community relationships to institutions, 2) enhanced social well-being of clients, and 3) improved economic well-being of its clients. Relying exclusively on such administrative data had limits. The aim of this study is not to generate a precise evaluation in the manner of a randomised control trial. Nor is the aim to suggest how such data could be successfully aggregated across multiple organisations and programmes. Rather it aims to explore lessons that may be found in ordinary data produced by most legal empowerment organisations. This data can be used by organisation leaders to better understand and demonstrate progress toward access to justice, and to make regular and timely management decisions and adjustments.Item How the adolescents applied their learning in their lives: an evaluation of the Adolescent Development Programme of BRAC(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2012-08) Alim, Md. Abdul; Nahar, Mst. Ashrafun; Khatoon, Fathema ZhuraThis paper aims to measure the changes in the type and depth of knowledge and understanding on sexual and reproductive health and gender issues, and how they obtained that knowledge. Secondly, changes in the ways in which adolescents were practically applying this understanding, or intended to apply it in their own lives (or not) were determined; if not, then reasons for not doing so were determined. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in this research. Results show that knowledge on sexual reproductive health and gender discrimination changed positively and participants had been able to apply increased knowledge in their own lives, in the lives of their families and in their communities, by changing their parents’ and influential persons’ embedded attitudes. On the other hand, there were some who did not apply the knowledge in practice because of failing to overcome the entrenched norms, attitudes and beliefs that are deeply ingrained in the family and community. In conclusion we suggest that the intervention should continue with additional measures to ensure the involvement of the community, so that the limitations could be removed for a sustainable change.