The Mithapukur community programme
The Mithapukur community development programme is in Rangpur
district, 236km north of the Bangladeshi capital city, Dhaka. World
Vision reaches 314 villages with a total population of 450,000. Â
World Vision's partnership with the community started recently in
2011 and is envisaged to continue until 2025, when the community
will be fully equipped with the resources and skills to take
ownership of its own development. As World Vision started working
in Mithapukur fairly recently, it is still working with the
community to determine development priorities. The programme will
look to focus on areas such as health, education, nutrition, clean
water and growing community leadership skills.
Issues covered: Education, nutrition
and water
Updates on World Vision's work
Nutrition and water
- Mothers, caregivers and adolescent girls received nutrition
education, especially to improve the nutritional status of children
under 3 years of age.
- To advance children's health, World Vision conducted training
sessions on the importance of clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
Community water and sanitation committees were also formed and will
provide support and help create change in the coming years.
Education
- In the past year, World Vision has conducted meetings with
community members on the importance of education, especially for
girls, as the current average school enrolment figure for girls is
only 40 per cent.
- 8 early childhood development centres were established in 2011
for children aged 4-5 years, to begin addressing the low pre-school
enrolment figures.
The Mithapukur community is in the second year of its development
journey with World Vision.
Life on
the ground in Mithapukur
Embarking on the development journey
together
Children and young people were also
invited to give their opinion on development priorities and the
role they can play in the future of the Mithapukur community.
World Vision started researching the
possibility of working in the Mithapukur community in 2010. In the
past year, World Vision facilitated consultations between community
representatives, such as farmers, teachers, children, women and
young people, as well as other stakeholders, including local
authorities, to discuss development priorities and the road ahead
for Mithapukur. All group members were encouraged to provide their
perspectives on creating a better quality life for children and
families. Participants then formulated the following vision: "Our
vision is to establish a child-friendly environment where children
will grow up in safety, good health, be respectful and will have
access to participate in different relevant activities." The
community also identified the following development priorities:
- Education
- Mother and child health
- Economic development
- Awareness-raising programmes on relevant issues
- Nutrition
- Water and sanitation
World Vision, the Mithapukur community and other partners are
now working together to develop and implement projects that will
address these priorities in a sustainable way over the next 15
years.
Bangladesh at a glance
Bangladesh has the highest population density in the world. The
country's land area is slightly smaller than the South Island of
New Zealand, yet, is home to about 162 million people. A
combination of frequent natural disasters, internal political
strife and corruption affects the people's struggle to rise above
the poverty line.
Our vision is to establish a child-friendly environment
where children will grow up in safety, good health, be respectful
and will have access to participate in different relevant
activities.
- Mithapakur, Community vision