Projects

The projects Samhati supports have no religious affiliation and are available to poor women of all faiths. Samhati has created and supported various initiatives including:

1. Rokeya Sadan, a shelter for women:

With financial support form Samhati, Mahila Parishad, a prominent women's organization in Bangladesh, has been able to run a center, known as "Rokeya Sadan" for abused and homeless women and children in Dhaka. The Center provides food, shelter, clothing, counseling, education and training for women who otherwise have dim prospects for their future. Women who previously had few or no options are now attending schools to be productive members of society. In the process they are gaining economic freedom and thereby developing their own self-esteem.
To sustain our activities more effectively, Samhati recently helped Mahila Parishad to purchase its own building which is the Sufia Kamal Bhavan. This will serve as Mahila Parishad's headquarters. It also houses Rokeya Sadan and its training and rehabilitation center.

2. Natural disasters:

After cyclones, tornadoes, tidal waves or large scale flooding Samhati has provided immediate emergency relief to survivors. We have also assisted survivors with rebuilding their homes including a recent initiative to build low cost housing for families run by women usually where the adult males have perished. In 2004, we provided assistance in the aftermath of the tornado in Netrokona and the flooding in most of Bangladesh.

3. Malnutrition and adult education:

Samhati has funded a number of nutrition programs for malnourished children in Dhaka. Samhati also funds adult literacy centers for women in Dhaka and others areas of Bangladesh.

4. The Katakhali Baraishdia project:

Samhati's project for the empowerment of rural women in Katakhali, Barabaishdia, a remote island off the southern coast of Bangladesh, is a resounding success. Through the project 200 village women obtain vocational skills, have access to small loans ("micro credit") and receive literacy classes and training on basic health and hygiene. A local non governmental organization, the South Asia Partnership-Bangladesh ("SAP") runs the Katakhali Project with guidance, oversight and support from Samhati. The women have a repayment rate of 100% on their loans and are building better lives for their families. Samhati has provided funds to hire a doctor to stay on the island full-time to provide medical services in the village, which otherwise has no doctor or clinic. In the past we only had sufficient funding for the doctor to visit intermittently and several villagers died needlessly during the periods when the doctor was absent. The micro-credit component of the Katakhali project is well on its way to being self-sustaining. Samhati is also funding schloarships for 20 children in Katakhali. Just $100 per year allows one child to attend school, covering the cost of books, clothing and supplies.

5. Eco-village in Rangpur (Northern Bangladesh):

In 2004, Samhati started a new project in the villages’ of Bathgari and Charani in Rangpur District, which are in northern Bangladesh. Samhati will work with an established local non-profit group, The Environmental and Social Development Organization ("ESDO") (see www.esdobd.org), which will provide micro-credit and training to allow income-generation to 200 women and teenage girls. The vocational training will include as a core component the concept of conservation of nature and reuse of resources. ESDO will provide training on sustainable agriculture, bee-keeping, cattle and poultry raising and development of small business, use of solar energy. Because the female literacy rate in the area is less than 15%, basic adult literacy classes’ will be provided. For women and girls who are literate, computer training will be one of the types of vocational training offered.
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