The Rohingya community taking shelter in the camps 11 and 12 of Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar observed the World Refugee Day 2019 with different activities. The observation ceremony started with a rally followed by tree plantation. Handcraft products, paintings by the Rohingya people were also exhibited in the occasion. The cultural ceremony also included drama and ludu game.

The informal sector of Bangladesh employs nearly 87% of the country’s total workforce, yet there remains serious lack of compliance to ensure decent work environment. The workers working in the informal sector have significant contribution in keeping the country’s economy going and growing. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, we should put emphasis on protecting the rights of the workers giving them the environment of decent work.

ActionAid International Bangladesh has entered its fifth strategy period from 2018 to 2022. After successfully ensuring key achievements from the last CSP, AAIB believes the new goals will strengthen the aspiration and confidence of the organisation to work for rights, justice and challenge discrimination of all forms which it has gained over more than three decades through playing pioneering role of advocacy on rights and social justice.

ActionAid Bangladesh advocates for women rights to food and nutrition security and as well as Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. To address the issues AAB has several flagship projects including Making Market Work for Women (MMWW), Promoting Opportunities for Women’s Empowerment and Rights (POWER) and others. AAB believes that collaborated coordination of different organizations working for ensuring SRHR and nutrition rights can deepen understanding of these issues.

Defining life can be a complex task but not impossible when it comes to recognising river as a living being. Water is one of the most essential elements for human life and river is one of the prime sources of it. While South Asian countries are blessed with hundreds of rivers, many of which are trans-boundary, these resources are being killed through unplanned development, encroachment, pollution and climate change impacts.

It has been 18 months since the mass influx of Rohingya people fleeing violence in Myanmar and coming to Bangladesh. But now, with continuous efforts and interventions, the scenario of the Rohingya camps have been changed a lot. Now the women are taking initiatives for bringing betterment.

Empowering women and young people through ensuring their leadership has been one of the key working areas of ActionAid Bangladesh. Last year, Angikar Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (ASUS), with the support of ActionAid Bangladesh, involved 150 young people through establishing a youth digital club at Panchagarh. Through this initiative 27 young girls came into leadership and initiated different advocacy.

While in one hand, unemployment is a challenge for the youth of the country, many industries are facing lack of skilled manpower. Industrial based apprenticeship training can bring a solution in this case. With this view, Access to Information (a2i) with the support of ActionAid Bangladesh organized a national consultation workshop with public and private level stakeholders where the discussants talked on different issues regarding the possibilities and challenges of employment opportunities for youth in the informal sector.

According to different statistics of Bangladesh, many women here face violence in one way or other. During disasters, women become more vulnerable to violence. For this, to prevent violence against women during disasters and ensure proper response to the victims of violence, ActionAid Bangladesh, with the support of UNFPA arranged a training workshop in Barishal, Jamalpur, Gaibandha, Sylhet and Khulna.

While the entire world observed 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women, a two-day long programme has been organized at Rohingya camp to raise awareness among the community. With the support of UNFPA, ActionAid Bangladesh initiated the programme where a group of ten artists performed interactive theatre drama in front of the Rohingya people.

Expressing solidarity with the global campaign ‘One Billion Rising’ to end violence against women and children, Bangladesh observed the day on 14 February 2019. Bangladesh Association for Community Education (BACE) and NDBAS in association with ActionAid Bangladesh organized campaigns at Madarganj and Kalyanpur area where hundreds of women and children took part to raise their voice against VAW and child marriage.

We shed our blood to protect our mother tongue, Bangla. But, ironically, our very own mother language is now being used against women. If we closely look at the abusive words which are commonly used in our society during any heated argument or fight, we will notice that almost all of them are women-centered violating their dignity.