ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency whose aim is to fight poverty worldwide. Formed in 1972, for over 30 years they have been growing and expanding to where they are today - helping over 13 million of the world's poorest and most disadvantaged people in 47 countries worldwide.
In all of their country programs they work with local partners to make the most of their knowledge and experience.
In December 2003 they established a new head office in Johannesburg, South Africa, and began the process of making all their country programs equal partners with an equal say on how they operate. They work with local partners to fight poverty and injustice worldwide, reaching over 13 million of the poorest and most vulnerable people over the last year alone, helping them fight for and gain their rights to food, shelter, work, education, healthcare and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.
Their five-year international strategy, Rights to End Poverty 2005-2010, sets clear and ambitious priorities to guide their staff and partners, based on their deepening understanding of the causes of poverty and injustice.
A.1 Vision
A world without poverty and injustice in which every person enjoys their right to a life with dignity.
A.2 Mission
To work with poor and excluded people to eradicate poverty and injustice.
A.3 Values
- MUTUAL RESPECT, requiring us to recognize the innate worth of all people and the value of diversity
- EQUITY AND JUSTICE, requiring us to work to ensure equal opportunity to everyone, irrespective of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, HIV status, color, class, ethnicity, disability, location and religion
- HONESTY AND TRANSPARENCY, being accountable at all levels for the effectiveness of our actions and open in our judgments and communications with others
- SOLIDARITY WITH THE POOR, powerless and excluded will be the only bias in our commitment to the fight against poverty
- COURAGE OF CONVICTION, requiring us to be creative and radical, bold and innovative – without fear of failure – in pursuit of making the greatest possible impact on the causes of poverty
- INDEPENDENCE from any religious or party-political affiliation
- HUMILITY in our presentation and behavior, recognizing that Action Aid are part of a wider alliance against poverty.
A.4 Global view
A.5 History
Action Aid has been fighting poverty worldwide for over 30 years. As the nature and causes of poverty have become more complex, we too have had to change.
1972: Action Aid starts life as British charity Action in Distress which based its activities on educating children. 1984: By now Action Aid was reaching over 40,000 children in Asia and Africa and expands out scope further by setting up affiliates in Ireland, Italy, France and Spain under the Action Aid name. 1985: The start of a shift in focus towards tackling the root causes of poverty rather than just meeting people's immediate needs. 1987: Launch the AIDS Support Organization in Uganda - the start of a major drive in the fight against HIV and AIDS. 1990: Now working on over 30 countries providing initiatives like start up finance for local businesses and working with people to help them improve access to healthcare, education, water and livelihoods.
1993 -1995: After pilot projects in Bangladesh, El Salvador and Uganda, Action Aid launches Reflect - the pioneering adult literacy tool which achieves a 66% success rate compared to previous programs. 1998: Action Aid further expand our work to include peace building and conflict resolution in Africa and lobbying financial institutions such as the World Trade Organization. 2003: Action Aid International is launched. Headquartered in Johannesburg, the new structure breaks the mould of traditional development NGOs where donor countries took the decisions and receiving countries were expected to be largely passive. A far-reaching transformation, it helps to further strengthen our accountability to the people, communities and countries Action Aid work with and make us more effective in fighting and eradicating poverty. 2005: Action Aid's Get On Board bus travels from Johannesburg to the G8 meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland taking messages directly from some of the poorest people in Africa to the leaders of the world's richest nations. 2007: Action Aid now reaches over 25 million people in over 40 countries worldwide.
1972: Action Aid starts life as British charity Action in Distress which based its activities on educating children. 1984: By now Action Aid was reaching over 40,000 children in Asia and Africa and expands out scope further by setting up affiliates in Ireland, Italy, France and Spain under the Action Aid name. 1985: The start of a shift in focus towards tackling the root causes of poverty rather than just meeting people's immediate needs. 1987: Launch the AIDS Support Organization in Uganda - the start of a major drive in the fight against HIV and AIDS. 1990: Now working on over 30 countries providing initiatives like start up finance for local businesses and working with people to help them improve access to healthcare, education, water and livelihoods.
1993 -1995: After pilot projects in Bangladesh, El Salvador and Uganda, Action Aid launches Reflect - the pioneering adult literacy tool which achieves a 66% success rate compared to previous programs. 1998: Action Aid further expand our work to include peace building and conflict resolution in Africa and lobbying financial institutions such as the World Trade Organization. 2003: Action Aid International is launched. Headquartered in Johannesburg, the new structure breaks the mould of traditional development NGOs where donor countries took the decisions and receiving countries were expected to be largely passive. A far-reaching transformation, it helps to further strengthen our accountability to the people, communities and countries Action Aid work with and make us more effective in fighting and eradicating poverty. 2005: Action Aid's Get On Board bus travels from Johannesburg to the G8 meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland taking messages directly from some of the poorest people in Africa to the leaders of the world's richest nations. 2007: Action Aid now reaches over 25 million people in over 40 countries worldwide.
A.6 Action Aid in Bangladesh
Action Aid Bangladesh always had a distinctive approach be it from the early days of simplicity to today’s complex nature of issues. Action Aid Bangladesh starting its journey from a very small with a minimalist approach today has become a relatively important player of the vibrant NGO movement that seeks to fight poverty in the country.
Action Aid came to Bangladesh in 1983 to support an orphanage in Bhola named 'For Those Who Have Less' (locally known as 'Bittohin'). Today Action Aid is committed to changing the capacities of people and groups whose rights have been denied and violated in attaining justice and a life of dignity.
Action Aid came to Bangladesh in 1983 to support an orphanage in Bhola named 'For Those Who Have Less' (locally known as 'Bittohin'). Today Action Aid is committed to changing the capacities of people and groups whose rights have been denied and violated in attaining justice and a life of dignity.
Action Aid Bangladesh also assists efforts and builds capacities of actors of civil society and partner communities’ whom Action Aid believe are engaged in safeguarding and promoting people’s rights.
Action Aid constantly strives to accelerate support for anti–poverty initiatives and improve sustainability of development interventions that are inclined towards creating a confident and responsible nation, free from poverty and indignity.
A.7 Themes
Action Aid Bangladesh has divided its programmatic interventions into 12 themes:
- Livelihood
- Natural resources and serve people for their rights
- Risk reduction
- To create suitable environment of balance development for young people
- To prevent women’s torture
- Women’s right and establishment of their development
- Economic justice
- Quality education
- Quality health rights
- National diversity and citizenship
- Disabilities and favorable environment
- Social amalgamation
B. Introduction to educational program
B.1 Objectives
- Action Aid will secure constitutional rights to basic education where these are not in place and ensure these are enforced in practice
- Action Aid will work with excluded groups to secure free access to quality education as a basic right.
- Action Aid will secure adequate resources from governments and donors to ensure effective delivery of education for all.
- Action Aid will secure sustained and meaningful citizen participation at local and national levels, and increase the transparency, accountability and responsiveness of education systems.
- Action Aid will secure schools that respect all children’s rights and provide education that is empowering, relevant and of good quality.
- Action Aid will challenge the reduction of the EFA agenda to primary schooling and ensure balanced investment in early childhood education, adult learning and secondary education
B.2 World wide areas of activities
IMF and Education
Action Aid is working on the impact of IMF policies on education across 25 countries – getting education activists to interview Ministries of Finance and Central Banks about the constraints on education spending and how they are linked to IMF policies.
Studies from eight countries were compiled into a report published in September 2005 called, Contradicting Commitments: How the Achievement of Education for All is being undermined by the International Monetary fund. http://www.actionaid.org/main.aspx?PageID=166
Studies from eight countries were compiled into a report published in September 2005 called, Contradicting Commitments: How the Achievement of Education for All is being undermined by the International Monetary fund. http://www.actionaid.org/main.aspx?PageID=166
HIV and Education
Action Aid International has been one of the lead global organizations working on HIV/AIDS and education. Action Aid is doing on impact of AIDS on education, HIV preventive education and the global partners, Action Aid are working with.
Girls’ Education
Girls often suffer gender discrimination both within school and within the community, from teachers, parents and peers.
The attitudes and behaviors of parents, teachers and other children have been identified by girls themselves as the key barriers to participation. In addition, teacher training often does not address gender issues or child-friendly teaching techniques, which lead to the marginalization of girls within the classroom.
Most Action Aid funded programs around the world are working to improve the education of girls in one form or another. Some striking initiatives include:
TEGINT: Transforming the Education of Girls in Nigeria and Tanzania – a project supported by Comic Relief - which seeks to achieve a transformation in the education of girls in Tanzania and Nigeria by addressing underlying gender inequalities both in school and in the community. The project works:
- To build the capacity of girls to challenge gender discrimination.
- To promote participatory modules on gender and HIV/AIDS in national pre-service and in-service teacher training
- To build capacity and provide ongoing support to school management committees and the wider community addressing HIV and AIDS and girls rights in education.
- To facilitate the development of legal and policy frameworks and good practice, that will enhance and protects girls’ rights in school.
To build the capacity of national NGOs - CAPP and Maarifa Ni Ufunguo - as leading national organizations in education, gender and HIV/AIDS.
Stop Violence Against Girls In School
In 2004 Action Aid undertook a series of studies in 12 countries in Africa and Asia which indicated that the violence that girls encounter in and on the way to school constitutes a major barrier to their rights to and in education.
Research also revealed a direct link between violence in and around schools and negative outcomes in girls’ educational achievement including: enrolment, attendance, and completion rates as well as a loss of self-confidence and increased vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
Research also revealed a direct link between violence in and around schools and negative outcomes in girls’ educational achievement including: enrolment, attendance, and completion rates as well as a loss of self-confidence and increased vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Millennium Development Goals (link to MDGs) on primary education and gender cannot be achieved until these structural barriers such as violence against girls and its underlying causes (including unequal gender relations) are addressed.
In many cases though laws and policies exist to protect girls from violence, they are often poorly understood or implemented and fail to guarantee girls’ safety or allow them to seek redress.
Action Aid believes that violence against girls is an urgent priority which must be addressed now to end violence against girls in school and to guarantee girls’ rights to education.
Action Aid believes that violence against girls is an urgent priority which must be addressed now to end violence against girls in school and to guarantee girls’ rights to education.
Education Rights
Education is a fundamental human right. It is clearly the responsibility of the state and a core element of any development policy committed to social justice. Yet the right to education is violated by governments around the world. In 92 countries, children have to pay to go to primary school.
For much of Action Aid International’s work related to education rights, it followed a project named Right to Education Project.
This project aimed at sharing knowledge, promoting legal accountability and supporting social mobilization.
It seeks to promote accountability and a rights-based approach to education that is available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable.
It offers tools to make the law more accessible by linking widespread recognition of constitutional and public law, with hands-on approaches to education rights.
It holds the only comprehensive constitutional database on education rights, with pages on national level actors for mobilization and joint advocacy.
It has cross-country comparative tables, both on school fees and on school leaving age vis-à-vis marriage, employment and criminal responsibility.
B.3 Action aid’s Alliances
Since 1999 ActionAid has been facilitating the emergence of strong national, regional and global coalitions on education
Many national coalitions start as an alliance of NGOs coming together – but they slowly extend, building a dialogue with teacher unions and parent groups. In many cases these now have very diverse membership, including:
Many national coalitions start as an alliance of NGOs coming together – but they slowly extend, building a dialogue with teacher unions and parent groups. In many cases these now have very diverse membership, including:
- international, national and local NGOs,
- teacher unions,
- parents associations,
- women’s campaigners,
- child rights activists,
- faith based groups,
- elected officials,
- the private sector,
- journalists,
- celebrities / prominent individuals,
- cultural / traditional leaders
- wider social movements
B.4 ActionAid’s work in Bangladesh:
How they work:
Approaches
While pursuing the mission and being guided by its values, AAB (ActionAid Bangladesh ) will follow the following approaches gathered and tested from its development practices in Bangladesh. Together with the Vision, Mission and Values, the approaches constitute the worldview of AAB, determine its analysis of the development context and help devise its Goals, Objectives, Outcomes and Strategies.
While pursuing the mission and being guided by its values, AAB (ActionAid Bangladesh ) will follow the following approaches gathered and tested from its development practices in Bangladesh. Together with the Vision, Mission and Values, the approaches constitute the worldview of AAB, determine its analysis of the development context and help devise its Goals, Objectives, Outcomes and Strategies.
Participation, Empowerment and Reflect
AAB firmly believes that people's participation in their own development is essential for sustainability and effectiveness. Reflect is a key tool for effective participation of people, which can lead to social transformation. AAB facilitates the participation of the poor and marginalized communities in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of development activities.
AAB constantly develops new approaches to ensure greater voice and assertion of their rights from duty-bearers. Reflect promotes collective analysis and action to bring possible changes. It also delineates the changes needed in policy and practice to ensure equality and justice.
Right-Based Approach
In alignment with the global strategy of AAI (ActionAid International) and based on its own experience AAB believes that its future work should consider the poor and marginalized people as rights-holding citizens to claim that the State promotes, respects and protects their rights to meet their basic needs and lead a dignified life. Such an approach will address both the conditions and causes of poverty thereby protecting the poor and the marginalized from oppressors.
In alignment with the global strategy of AAI (ActionAid International) and based on its own experience AAB believes that its future work should consider the poor and marginalized people as rights-holding citizens to claim that the State promotes, respects and protects their rights to meet their basic needs and lead a dignified life. Such an approach will address both the conditions and causes of poverty thereby protecting the poor and the marginalized from oppressors.
Partnership
AAB's experience partnership with the local organizations suggests that its continuation will broaden the realm of its reach and influence in program implementation, ensure a broader commitment and give a greater strength and legitimacy because decisions are taken at the ground.
AAB's experience partnership with the local organizations suggests that its continuation will broaden the realm of its reach and influence in program implementation, ensure a broader commitment and give a greater strength and legitimacy because decisions are taken at the ground.
Network and Alliances
Based on fruitful experiences in the recent past, AAB believes that concerted and synergistic efforts at national, regional and international levels can ensure a better fight against poverty, injustice and inequality. Therefore, it strives for building theme or issue based networks and alliances with organizations.
Based on fruitful experiences in the recent past, AAB believes that concerted and synergistic efforts at national, regional and international levels can ensure a better fight against poverty, injustice and inequality. Therefore, it strives for building theme or issue based networks and alliances with organizations.
Research and Advocacy
AAB, with its linkage at the policy level nationally and globally, has a unique status as an advocacy organization. Advocacy is also a recognized tool to effect rights-based changes. AAB believes that research generates noble advocacy issues and advocacy without research misses credibility. Towards this end, AAB has developed its capacity for research and strategy development.
AAB, with its linkage at the policy level nationally and globally, has a unique status as an advocacy organization. Advocacy is also a recognized tool to effect rights-based changes. AAB believes that research generates noble advocacy issues and advocacy without research misses credibility. Towards this end, AAB has developed its capacity for research and strategy development.
Innovation
AAB believes that in order to assert influence at the policy level, it is important to remain at the cutting edge of development thought and practice. For that, AAB will continue to support innovation in development practice and communication.
AAB believes that in order to assert influence at the policy level, it is important to remain at the cutting edge of development thought and practice. For that, AAB will continue to support innovation in development practice and communication.
Work for whom
During the year 2007 ActionAid Bangladesh has assisted the following groups of poor and marginalized people.
Adolescents boys and girls
Children (girls and boys)
Poor women in domestic work
Commercial sex workers
Rural and urban poor men and women
People with disability
Divorced, separated or widowed women
Ethnic minorities |
Garments factory workers
Small and marginal farmers
Traditional fishing folk
Water gypsies
Homeless street people
Migrant workers
HIV positive people
Trafficked persons
|
Partners
Currently AAB has 28 Development areas in 24 of the 64 districts of Bangladesh, comprising projects involving 36 different partner organizations.
Throughout the country ActionAid Bangladesh aim to work with local and community-based organizations that have essential knowledge and experience and enjoy the confidence of the poor and marginalized communities ActionAid works with.
| Sl. No | Name of the partner organization | DA No |
Geographical
area |
Theme
/sector * |
| 1. | Assistance for Slum Dwellers (ASD) | 2 | Dhaka | LP/LS&RR |
| 2. | Fulki | 2 | Dhaka |
|
| 3. | Unnayan Sangha (US) | 3 | Jamalpur | LP/LS&RR |
| 4. | Bangladesh Association for Community Education (BACE) | 3 | Jamalpur |
|
| 5. | South Asia Partnership (SAp)Bangladesh | 8 | Patuakhali | QE/SD&EJ |
| 6. | Gram Bikash Sangstha | 9 | Bagura | DEE/ R&SJ |
| 7. | Concerned Women for Family Development | 10 | Chittagong | CAO/ WR&GE |
| 8. | Green Hill | 11 | Rangamati | DC / R&SJ |
| 9. | Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) | 12 | Chittagong | DEE/ R&SJ |
| 10. | Nari Moitree | 14 | Dhaka | CAO/ WR&GE |
| 11. | Uttaran | 15 | Satkhira | NR/LS&RR |
| 12. | Village Education Resource Center (VERC) | 16 | Manikgonj | QE/SD&EJ |
| 13. | Bangladesh Association for Community Education (BACE) | 17 | Chandpur | QE/SD&EJ |
| 14. | Bangladesh Institute of Theatre Arts (BITA) | 18 | Chittagong | CAO/ WR&GE |
| 15. | Voluntary Association for Rural Development (VARD) | 19 | Sunamgonj | NR/LS&RR |
| 16. | Center for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS) | 19 | Sunamgonj | NR/LS&RR |
| 17. | Esho Desh Gori | 21 | Kurigram | QE/SD&EJ |
| 18. | Chinnomukul Bangladesh | 21 | Kurigram | SI/ R&SJ |
| 19. | Solidarity | 21 | Kurigram | QE/SD&EJ |
| 20. | Mohidev Jubo Somaj Kallayan Somity | 21 | Kurigram | QE/SD&EJ |
| 21. | Noakhali Rural Development Society (NRDS) | 22 | Noakhali | LP/LS&RR |
| 22. | Amra Kaj Kori (AKK) | 23 | Faridpur | LP/LS&RR |
| 23. | Racine | 23 | Faridpur | SVAW/WR&GE |
| 24. | Mohila Unnayan Foundation | 23 | Faridpur | DEE/ R&SJ |
| 25. | Shapla Mohila Sangstha (SMS) | 23 | Faridpur | SI/ R&SJ |
| 26. | Pachbibi Upazilla Adivashi Multipurpose Development Organisation (PUAMDO) | 24 | Joypurhat | DC / R&SJ |
| 27. | Association for Integrated Socio-Economic Development for Under Privileged People (AISEDUP) | 25 | Jinaidah | DEE/ R&SJ |
| 28. | WAVE Foundation | 26 | Chuadanga | SVAW/ WR&GE |
| 29. | Speed Trust | 27 | Patuakhali | LP/LS&RR |
| 30. | Population Services and Training Center (PSTC) | 28 | Gazipur | RQH/SD&EJ |
| 31. | Chhinnomukul | 29 | Lalmonirhat | LP/LS&RR |
| 32. | Samaj Kalyan Sangstha (SKS) | 30 | Gaibandha | AWR/WR&GE |
| 33. | Shachetan | 31 | Rajshahi | EJ/SD&EJ |
| 34. | BUP | 31 | Rajshahi | EJ/SD&EJ |
| 35. | South Asia Partnership Bangladesh | 32 | Sirajgonj | QE/SD&EJ |
| 36. | Shomajibi and Dustha Kalyan Sangstha (SDKS) | 33 | Pabna | RQH/SD&EJ |
| 37. | Bollipara Nari Kalyan Somity | 34 | Bandarban | DC/R&SJ |
| 38. | USS | 35 | Nilphamari | NR/LS&RR |
ActionAid has Development Areas in 38% of the districts of Bangladesh, working with 36 partner organizations.
ActionAid also work with a further 121 strategic partners outside of the Development Areas.
* Theme and sector definitions:
LS&RR Livelihood security and risk reduction, LP Livelihood promotion, NR Access and control over natural resources, WR&GE Women's rights and gender equality, AWR Advancing women's rights ,CAO Creating adolescent opportunities, SVAW Stopping violence against women, SD&EJ Social development and economic justice, QE Quality education, EJ Economic justice, RQH Right to quality health, R&SJ Rights and social justice, DC Diversity and citizenship, DEE Disability and enabling environment SI Social inclusion
B.5 Description of Educational programs and their contribution
- Pre-primary education
Still now, there is no pre-primary education in our formal education system. But in the recent education policy (draft) of 2009, pre-primary education is recommended as a part of formal education system. But ActionAid has already launched a curriculum for pre-primary education. This curriculum is implemented in 350 child care centers. At the same time they are working to include pre-primary education as a part of formal education from the last several years.
- Primary education
Action Aid’s main aim is to ensure primary education as a basic human right. In the constitution of our country, it is not founded as a basic human right. So, ActionAid is working on it. ActionAid wants every citizen of a certain age which is determined by law will get the opportunity of primary education and Bangladesh government is bound to create that opportunity. If Bangladesh government is failed to meet that opportunity then anyone can go to the court for trial to get his/her constitutional right.
- Budget allocation
In primary and pre-primary education, ActionAid is working for increasing budget allocation. This budget allocation should be upozila based for quality development of education.
- Developing national plan of action
ActionAid works with their partners for NPA (National Plan for Action). By taking the opinion of the people, ActionAid gives recommendations for reducing the gaps of the policy.
- Mainstreaming good practices
The CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) representatives, guardians, Reflect participants visit the quality school. By activating PTA (Parents-Teachers Association), SMC (School Managing Committee) ActionAid tries to improve their schools.
- Strengthening SMC/PTA forum/alliance
ActionAid is working for strengthening SMC and PTA. That’s why they are doing forum on them.
- Community audit of educational invention
With journalists, Reflect participants a committee is built up to audit the work of govt. The members of the committee are given training. The opinion of the committee is shared in district level. This committee plans for how to work and revisit the schools.
- Community audit of health governance
The birth registration is done in upozila level to find out the children who are getting or not getting primary education. To build up awareness about HIV and AIDS they develop teaching materials for the students of class 3 to 5.
- Corporate social responsibilities
ActionAid motivates CSR, Local leaders and rich people for encouraged contributing in educational activities.
- Initiative or functional and responsive URC
ActionAid takes initiatives for making URC more effective and functional. ActionAid also takes steps to make URC more responsive.
- Child labor
ActionAid find out children who are engaged in different types of labor in local areas. Then they ensure education for those children.
- Midday school meal project
They serve the students midday hot meal in order to encourage them to come to school. The local community will be involved in this process. This pilot project is going on in Zamalpur zila and the project will go on for two years.
- Inclusive education
ActionAid works for disable children. They tries to include those disable children in the mainstream of education.
- Disaster education
ActionAid has disaster education program. In the period of natural calamity how the education system will go on, is planned by Action aid.
- Indigenous people
ActionAid tries to ensure primary education for the indigenous people. They also give education to them in their mother tongue.
Reflect Approach
ActionAid has invented the Reflect approach to promote critical learning, empowerment and social change. Reflect has been widely used for adult literacy and it has won UNESCO literacy prizes in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. Reflect is now used by over 500 organizations in over 70 countries worldwide.
Originally called "Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques" it's now known just by the abbreviation 'Reflect'
Now used by over 500 organizations in 70 countries, ActionAid developed the Reflect approach through innovative work in Uganda, Bangladesh and El Salvador between 1993 and 1995.
Reflect has been used to address a wide range of issues, from peace & reconciliation in Burundi, to community forestry in Nepal, from holding government accountable in El Salvador to opposing domestic violence in Peru.
Reflect has been used to address a wide range of issues, from peace & reconciliation in Burundi, to community forestry in Nepal, from holding government accountable in El Salvador to opposing domestic violence in Peru.
The Reflect approach links adult learning to empowerment, and strengthens the voices of poor people in education decision-making at all levels. Having originated as an approach to adult literacy, Reflect is now a tool for building people's capacity to communicate through whatever medium is most relevant to them.
Reflect creates a democratic space where people can analyze issues for themselves. It is a basis for mobilization, which enables us to strengthen people's own organizations and capacity to advocate for them at all levels.
Although Reflect projects are diverse, they all focus on enabling people to articulate their views: the development of literacy and other communication skills is closely linked to the analysis of power relationships and the active engagement of people in wider processes of development and social change.
Groups develop their own learning materials by constructing maps, calendars, matrices, and diagrams or using drama, story-telling and songs to capture social, economic, cultural and political issues from their own environment.
While members of a Reflect circle learn the basics of literacy, they are also learning how to access information or demand services more effectively. Reflect circles often strengthen people's dignity and self-confidence, as well as having an impact on improving resource management, health practices, children's education, local community organization and civic life.
Reflect – origins
The origins of Reflect lie in the theoretical writing of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, put together with practical visualization methods (especially those used in “Participatory Rural Appraisal).
At first Reflect was very focused on linking adult literacy. Groups of adult learners convened to learn literacy, would develop maps, calendars and matrices analyzing different aspects of their own lives – social, economic, political or cultural issues.
These would be then translated to flipcharts using simple pictures drawn by the non-literate participants (who thereby practiced the manual skills of holding pens). Words would then be added to the visual images as illustrations / labels and these would serve as the basis for practice. The facilitator would write up key conclusions from discussions and these would then become texts for further study.
These would be then translated to flipcharts using simple pictures drawn by the non-literate participants (who thereby practiced the manual skills of holding pens). Words would then be added to the visual images as illustrations / labels and these would serve as the basis for practice. The facilitator would write up key conclusions from discussions and these would then become texts for further study.
Participants in these “Reflect circles” would identify action points to resolve issues and literacy would then be put to practical use in taking forward such actions (groups would write letters to government officials or NGOs etc).
Each participant would end up writing their own book based on the language and issues discussed. Over a year or so collectively the group would end up producing their own local development plan – their own analysis of critical issues which development agencies should respond to. This was an inversion of traditional power dynamics in development – giving the poorest and most excluded time to do their own analysis and come up with their own solutions.
Each participant would end up writing their own book based on the language and issues discussed. Over a year or so collectively the group would end up producing their own local development plan – their own analysis of critical issues which development agencies should respond to. This was an inversion of traditional power dynamics in development – giving the poorest and most excluded time to do their own analysis and come up with their own solutions.
Reflect has evolved rapidly, based largely on the variety of organizations who started to use the approach and adapt it to their own needs and contexts. Some of the new directions in which Reflect is evolving involve:
- Linking Reflect to governance and accountability –Reflect is positioned as an approach to “creating spaces” in contrast to the ever more prevalent (but limited) “invited spaces.”
- Linking Reflect and Information Communication Technologies: there is a DFID funded action research initiative in Uganda, India and Burundi exploring how to ensure that poor and excluded people can both choose and sustainably access appropriate information and communication technologies.
- Adapting Reflect to work in schools – e.g. using the citizenship curriculum as an entry point (Get Global) and to teaching English to speakers of other languages (Reflect and ESOL)
- Using Reflect on a large scale e.g. after the fall of the dictator Fujimori the Women’s Ministry in Peru’s transitional government launched a national Reflect program reaching 180,000 people across the country.
- Using Reflect within institutions: there is a growing body of work looking at how Reflect adapts to organizational change processes. E.g. the Participatory Methodologies Forum in Bangladesh 2001.
- Applying Reflect to ourselves: subjectivity. In much of Latin America, influenced particularly by feminist theory, Reflect practice is now centrally defined by a strong focus on personal behavior - and ensuring consistency between work and home life.
Using Reflect within coalition building and campaigning:– bringing together diverse NGOs, parents associations, teachers unions, the women’s movement, child labor or debt campaigners etc – into broad-based platforms to place education higher up the political agenda and provoke public debate around the role of education
Monitoring
- Action aid’s partner organizations visit the activity field once in a month.
- Two meetings are held between ActionAid and partner organization twice a year.
National level convention
They organize convention and seminar on various subjects which are related to their themes, such as disaster curriculum, pre-primary curriculum etc.
Reflect: The innovative approach to adult learning and social change
B.6 Strengths of the educational programs
- ActionAid doesn’t need any infrastructural building in local level.
- ActionAid is able to run many program at the same time as their partners help them in doing that.
- ActionAid doesn’t recruit manpower for local educational program.
- There are more possibilities for sustaining the educational program of ActionAid as they include local community to their programs.
- ActionAid consults with govt. to run these educational programs.
- ActionAid monitors the educational programs twice a year.
- ActionAid receives fund from different sector for running the educational programs.
B.7 Weakness of the educational programs
- As the partners work for the education programs of ActionAid that’s why they can’t ensure the quality all the time.
- ActionAid faces risk during working in war affected areas.
- ActionAid monitors the educational programs centrally.
- ActionAid faces problems to implement the educational programs in primary sector as they don’t have their own schools.
- As they receive funds from different donors, they can’t manage necessary budget timely.
C. Review of assessment reports
ActionAid works on partnership basis. So there is no assessment report of ActionAid especially on Educational programs. All the educational programs are described their partner’s reports. But in the internet, we found ActionAid national and international reports. In that reports, we found the following:
C.1 National report 2007
Quality Education Theme
The theme has supported a citizen review of PEDP-II (the sector wide approach on primary education) as a parallel and participatory process to the official donor and government driven mid term review. This process was highly appreciated by the civil society, government and the donor community and the findings were considered in the review process. ActionAid has also initiated a study to understand the historical context of Non Formal Primary Education (NFPE) in Bangladesh. ActionAid has also conducted education situation analysis in the southern part of the Bangladesh after the SIDR cyclone as part of the UNICEF assessment process.
Better governance of schools through participation
Auditing
ActionAid is at the final stages of auditing aid effectiveness in education. ActionAidis also negotiating with Commonwealth of Learning, Canada on people’s plan of action in education and education budget literacy.
Publishing
ActionAid has also published “A guide to people’s plan of Action – development and implementation”. It will be an invaluable resource in ensuring participatory primary education governance. The theme has translated activist guide (Education rights: a guide for practitioners and activist).
Developing a curriculum on pre-primary education
The theme has developed a curriculum on pre-primary education and ToT was arranged for the DA partners of education theme to make the piloting go smoothly.
Supporting
ActionAid has continued to support school management committees (SMC) and parents teachers associations (PTA) resulting in better governance of schools with active participation of parents as well as community people. This has resulted in fewer dropouts of children in schools where ActionAid is involvement. In total the various schools (Pre-schools, ECD centers, feeder schools) that our partners directly support have 3953 students of which 1936 are girls.
Disaster resilience education
As part of the disaster resilient education system engagement ActionAid has done the Bangla translation of “Minimum standard for education in emergency, chronic crisis and early reconstruction”. This was useful at the time of SIDR cyclone response. Our partners have also completed PVA (Participatory Vulnerability Analysis) in more than 70 schools covering 3490 people of which 1469 were women. As a result some of the schools have already started taking action plan to cope with disasters such as floods. Disaster preparedness in primary school Gobindo Government Primary school is situated in working area of VERC (DA 16). After the PVA exercise and realizing that the schools needs a boundary wall to protect the children as well as the school from soil erosion they have built a boundary wall. For this they have negotiated with the union parishod and upazila government officers to allocate Tk. 75000.
Community-State interface enhanced through sustained people’s alliance
SMC-PTA forum is quite active in taking forward the issues of quality education with the government officers. They are also playing a role in improving quality of education at their locality. Even in remote islands [Char Rangbali, Montaz] the forum has motivated to enroll children in schools has resulted in 85% enrollment. As part of the peoples’ plan of action the partners have done testimony analysis and sharing meeting at the schools, where a large number of community people [Total 4660, out of which 1749 were women] were present. The community people now are aware of national plan of action. Community peoples’ feedback will be incorporated and then it will be shared with the wider stakeholders including the government. As part of the demonstrating how community-state interface in education governance can improve education delivery some of partners selected a few schools. One of those schools was selected as best schools of the country by national academy for primary education. ActionAid has also sponsored a TV talk show series titled “Education is a right, not privilege” that addresses various rights based aspects of education and it was telecasted on a popular TV channel. Community audit team at the grassroots level is working to look at the utilization of education allocation by the government institutions as well as look at the school governance. The results of these audit teams are very encouraging as people are understanding the various process of the education system and contributing to the better understanding of the community.
C.2 International report 2007
If there is one message that sums up ActionAid experience of 2007, that is collaboration, hard work, perseverance and the determination to face challenges head-on pays off in the phenomenal fight against poverty. This was true, whether it was for women in Sierra Leone
fighting for the recognition of their rights, a team of parents in Uganda mobilizing for improved basic education for their children.
Steps against girls’ violence
Studies show that violence perpetrated by teachers and peers is a key reason why many girls drop out of school or do not attend in the first place. ActionAid wants to see zero tolerance of violence against girls in schools and an increase in girls’ enrolment, retention and educational achievement, by making schools safer. In 2007, ActionAid moved a few steps closer to achieving these aims. ActionAid expanded work already initiated in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo and started new work in Mozambique, where over a dozen of partners are now engaging directly with girls in schools. Some 15 girls clubs have been created and special radio programs are being broadcast to reach girls in remote rural areas.
At a global level, ActionAid worked in partnership with the international federation of teachers’ unions (Education International) to put violence against girls on national teaching unions’ agendas worldwide. ActionAid also organized a conference jointly with UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women), bringing together ministries of education, teachers’ unions, national education coalitions and women’s associations plus school pupils from seven countries in West and Central Africa. ActionAid will be developing this work further in Kenya, Ghana and Mozambique over the coming five years, as well as in other countries.
Vision of 100% literacy
Since 2000, 50 million more children have been absorbed into schools and the total number of children not in school has dropped by 28 million. However, 72 million children are still out of school and hundreds of millions more face huge class sizes, poor teacher training and a lack of materials. Governments and donors still seriously overlook literacy amongst adults. Their aim is to ensure that no child is left out of formal education and that adults gain the literacy skills they missed out on in their childhood.
ActionAid provides a proper midday meal to every student at school in Shankargarh, Madhya Pradesh in India. Today, all 80 children in the village who attend the school, get a midday meal. It is not only vital for their health but also provides a valuable incentive for many young students to claim their right to an education.
Rights-based program
ActionAid has been at the frontier of pushing a right-based program agenda for education. For the past ten years, rather than building schools, or paying directly for teachers, ActionAid has targeted national governments and international institutions to invest in their education systems. This has paid great dividends in countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, where governments now provide free universal primary education. In 2007, a number of grassroots partner organizations were successful in enrolling more excluded children into local schools; in India, an additional 17,000 children from poor communities were enrolled and in local schools, and in Nepal, 3,200 Dalit children were enrolled. ActionAid also worked closely with partners in Afghanistan to set up special literacy courses to help war-affected., ActionAid campaigned hard with partners to remind and persuade governments and donors to spend more on education. Although they have committed to achieving education for all by 2015, they have invested too little so far to make this a reality. In Uganda, partners supported 27 parents assemblies to get together to demand better basic education.
Reform IMF policies
ActionAid had a number of important breakthroughs in our campaigning at the IMF. Their research in Mozambique, Malawi and Sierra Leone showed that IMF policies were partly to blame for the shortfalls in national education budgets. By placing conditions on many poor countries who receive IMF loans on what they can spend on public sector wages, teachers – who make up the largest single group - often see their already meager salaries frozen and governments are forced to stop recruiting any more. Their research and campaigning contributed to the IMF changing its policy. This was an important step in enabling governments across Africa and elsewhere to recruit more teachers. While continuing to track the IMF’s policy advice, ActionAid will now shift their focus to ensuring that national finance ministries allocate adequate funds to the recruitment and training of teachers.
Collaborating with various organizations
Supporting a global education movement in all their education work, ActionAid has collaborated closely with partners and other organizations around the world, making new and stronger links with teachers’ unions in 2007. ActionAid has continued to play a leading role in the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) whose Global Action Week in March, 2007 mobilized six million people in 120 countries around the slogan `Education Rights: Join Up Now’. To coincide with this event, ActionAid published, with the GCE, a multilingual resource guide on education rights which has proved successful with many national and regional education coalitions.
Adult literacy
Promoting adult literacy the Reflect approach continues to underpin their work with adults in poor and marginalized communities around the world. Reflect is a tool that enables adults to build their literacy and communication skills while also reflecting and acting on local issues that affect their lives. Their approach is now used by 500 organizations in 70 countries. The methodology is being constantly adapted to suit new contexts. In 2007, ActionAid secured funds to use it to teach English to asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. ActionAid is one of the few international NGOs to have consistently prioritized adult literacy but other institutions are now also fortunately waking up to the importance of this work. In 2007, ActionAid persuaded the Fast Track Initiative, which coordinates international donor funding of national education plans, for the first time ever to support adult literacy work. Meanwhile, a series of International Benchmarks on Adult Literacy which ActionAid developed with the GCE in 2005 are now close to being formally adopted by UNESCO.
Budgeting
Across the world, their partner organizations have differing levels of experience of budget monitoring, creating the potential for inter-country exchanges. A delegation of nine Nigerian activists and ActionAid staff visited Brazil to learn more about Brazilian participatory budgeting processes while a delegation of civil society organizations (CSOs) and parliamentarians from Bangladesh and Afghanistan visited India to learn about budget tracking initiatives.
In Uganda, ActionAid trained 114 community-level budget monitors, each of who are now consulting their local communities on their priorities and encouraging collective responses to local council budgets. In Uganda’s Nebbi and Bundibugyo districts, budget tracking supported by ActionAid recently compelled local authorities to increase the budget allocation to pro-poor programs. In the Gambia, ActionAid has trained parliamentarians in budget monitoring, contributing to a revival of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee to which all government departments now have to report. In Nigeria, ActionAid partners trained in ELBAG (Economic Literacy Program) to influence the Ogun and State governments’ decision to increase its education, agriculture, health and HIV/AIDS budgets.
D. Future perspective
- To ensure the increasing of budget allocation for the quality development of primary education
- To establish the primary education for all as a basic human right
- To relate the community to the local educational activities
- To make strong and effective SMC/PTA
- To stop violence against girls and ensure their safe schooling
- To strengthen their work on political governance
E. Conclusion
ActionAid is still at an evolutionary stage of working on governance issues. ActionAid draws on over 20 years of experience in education, food rights and HIV and AIDS programming, but only three years in governance. Whilst ActionAid is building capacity, starting up new streams of programming work, and forging new partnerships, there are gaps in their ability to document and capture their learning. ActionAid follows a learning-centered approach to their governance programs. ActionAid is adequately grounded and making the strongest connections between governance and poverty. With economic literacy program (ELBAG) now up and running in over 20 countries, ActionAid need to strengthen their work on political governance. The importance of engaging with political parties and parliaments, especially during elections, emerged strongly on their governance radar. ActionAid will do this by developing a program to start working with target countries to build poor citizens’ ability to engage with and influence the political processes that will have the biggest impact on their lives. ActionAid improved their induction program to ensure that new employees are well informed about ActionAid and have clear access to information. ActionAid developed their management system to encourage enhanced collaboration across their teams.
References
- AAB Partners’ Initiatives on Education for All, Education Theme,ActionAid Bangladesh, 2005.
- Reflections, Newsletter, December 2005 ,June 2006.
- Education for All; National Action Plan-2 (2003-2015), Easier version, January 2006.
Appendix
Publications of ActionAid Bangladesh
Publications 2007
- Socio-Economic and Indebtedness-Related Impact of Micro-Credit in Bangladesh, Edited by: Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad
- Struggle For Survival: A Study On The Legal Status Of The Mandi Peoples Land Rights in Modhupur Forest Area, Author: Fazlous Satter
- Gendered, Violence in Education: Realities for Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh, Author: Shuchi Karim
- Shastha Babostha, Sthaneo Gan O Corporate Bishaion: Ekti Prathomic Tharona Patra (Translated Title - Health Systems, Indigenous Knowledge and Corporate Globalization) Edited by: Arup Rahee, Sardar Arif Uddin
- Shastha Taththa Grantha (Health Information Sourcebook), Published by: Voluntary Health Services Society (VHSS)
- Barriers in poor peoples access to public health facilities in Banglades, Author: Abul Barkat, Nazme Sabina
- ActionAid Bangladesh identity thematic Briefs- Identity unit
- Newsletter Protisshowr- - SVAW theme.
Publications 2005
- GAT s er Hamla Rukhe Darao (Resist Invasion of GATS)
- Together in Change: AAB Newsletter
Publications 2004
- Walking 20 Years: A souvenir for the 20th anniversary of AAB
- AAB brochure for the 20th anniversary
- Poster for AAB 20th anniversary
- A poster on HIV/AIDS
- To Enter Again the Sweet Forest: A qualitative perspective of people's livelihood in the Sundarbans
- Reflect brochure in Bangla
- Bishwa Banijja Shangsthar Boidhotar Shonkot
- Directory of Reflect Experts
Publications 2003
- Antorjatik Banijjo o Khaddo Nirapotta
- A poster on HIV / AIDS
- Bangladesher Narir Vhu - Shampader Larie: Areasearch on Women's Struggle for Land Reform and Establishing Equal Rights on Natural Resource in Bangladesh
