PARTNERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

Since 2006, ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) has been advocating and working for the wellbeing of garment workers by working closely with local partners, local authorities, trade unions, factory owners and management and the garment workers themselves, who are mostly women. Levi Strauss Foundation (LSF) has been a pivotal partner for ActionAid Bangladesh in this journey since 2016.

The aim was to improve industrial relations and empower women workers in RMG in Bangladesh, by fostering education and awareness on labour rights, supporting dispute resolution, and increasing access to legal aid and arbitration channels. ‘Master Workers Cafés’ were built under this partnership, where workers and factory management were able to gain knowledge on labour rights and responsibilities, factory-level dispute resolution and more. Access of workers to their rights and entitlement have increased over the years. Awareness on 10 core labour rights and entitlements in line with ‘ILO Better Work’ guidelines among RMG workers and local trade union leaders was also enhanced during this time.

Considering the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, LSF provided humanitarian aid to 4,230 vulnerable workers’ families, including multipurpose cash grants, health and hygiene kits, and psychosocial support.

Dr. Md. Khalilur Rahman is one of our esteemed individual donors, who invoke inspiration from within. He is a renowned doctor and presently serving as honorary Senior Consultant at BIRDEM Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is passionate about supporting the marginalised and disadvantaged. In line with that, he has been a strong supporter of the girls of Happy Home.

As a regular supporter, Dr. Md. Khalilur Rahman feels ActionAid Bangladesh is an organisation with a well-founded track record. He, therefore, frequently recommends his friends and relatives to come forward and help those in need. ActionAid highly appreciates the generosity of its individual donors.

The first partnership of Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) and ActionAid Bangladesh was for promoting education in one of the remotest parts of the country, Charmantaz, by constructing a school. This has positively impacted the education landscape at Charmantaz.

In 2019, Mutual Trust Bank partnered with AAB to support girls from Happy Home in their pursuit to education. The partnership contributed in ensuring 18 girls could obtain Primary Education Completion (PEC) Certificate, Junior School Certificate (JSC), and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) by appearing in exams and passing with remarkable scores.

Samia Chowdhury, CEO (Acting), MTB Foundation said,

To prevent and respond to violence against women and mainstream women’s rights and gender-responsive programming, ActionAid Bangladesh has been working in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) since 2017 in different parts of the country. The partnership commenced through the implementation of a joint humanitarian response programme, following a landslide in the hill tracts of Rangamati, through which 8,500 displaced households were supported. The support included prevention of gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health services, and multi-purpose cash grant support.

From 2018 to 2021, AAB and UNFPA collaborated to run programmes in ten disasterprone districts of Bangladesh and reached 70,000 people by operating women-friendly spaces (WFS) for strengthening gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and lifesaving response for women and girls.

In 2020, United Nations Country Team in Bangladesh, for the first time, conducted forecast-based anticipatory response for the northern flood with the funding of Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). ActionAid Bangladesh supported the procurement and pre-positioned provision of 3,255 dignity kits, an exemplary initiative in anticipatory action in partnership with the UN.

Under the scope of this partnership, advocacy initiatives were undertaken with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA) and Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief at both national and district levels for implementing Standing Orders on Disaster and integration of GBV interventions in disaster preparedness.

A stellar example of translating successful partnerships into meaningful actions is our partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands (EKN). This partnership resulted in the conceptualisation and realisation of a five-year-long progamme, targeted towards making market work for women. In 2013, a three-yearlong programme commenced, whereby the principles of agroecology, women’s access to gender-friendly market spaces, SRH and nutrition were blended. This allowed the women to fully participate and contribute towards women’s economic empowerment and realising their rights.

This five-year programme was implemented in Gaibandha, Bogura, Faridpur and Patuakhali districts in Bangladesh. The partnership will leave a longterm impact for making market work for women.

Since the Rohingya influx in 2017, ActionAid Bangladesh has been working through different interventions with the forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals (FDMNs) to address their emergency crisis and improve their conditions. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been a pivotal partner in this journey. The partnership started with Site Management and Site Development (SMSD) interventions in three Rohingya camps to ensure the affected population have better access and living conditions. In 2020, under this partnership, womenled site development work was introduced to encourage women’s contribution and leadership in scheme planning, implementation and site improvement activities. This gender mainstreaming approach in site improvement activities later became a model for other site development partners of IOM.

Hasina, one of the women-led scheme participants residing in Camp 19 expressed,