NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation

8th National Scout Jamboree: An eye-opener for the youngsters to WatSan

Jamboree is a great gathering of scouts where young people are provided with the chances to be together and engaged in various activities fostering friendship and mutual understanding. Jamboree helps to promote and strengthen peace, solidarity and cooperation among the youngsters nationally and internationally. As its motto, scouts are always ready to serve the nation and offer social services voluntarily. For this reason, they needs to be aware of issues like good governance, human rights, gender, social justice, environment and climate change, etc. Also they must have clear idea about current social, economic, political and cultural situation of the country along with the on-going development activities and initiatives taken by the government, NGOs, and other national and international organizations. NGO Forum had the opportunity to participate in the 8th National Scout Jamboree of Bangladesh, and exhibit its on-going programme components, share experience and demonstrate new WatSan technologies to more than thirteen thousand boys and girls including 143 scouts from India and Nepal.

In the 8th National Scout Jamboree, held with the theme ‘Scouting for Change’ from 14-22 January 2010 at National Scouting Training Centre, Mouchak, Gazipur was the biggest jamboree in the history of Bangladesh regarding its size, arrangements and participant number. The total area was divided into 5 villages, one of them was Global Development Village. This village was comprised of stalls from different government institutions and NGOs. The GDV was established by the organizers with a view to building awareness among the new generation scouts about issues related to the environment, health, education, climate, ICT, digester management, micro-credit, poverty reduction, safe water, sanitation, waste management, alternative energy and so on. To demonstrate activities related to these issues, each stall of different organization was decorated accordingly with their activity related posters, books, banners, brochures, display of dummy activities and many other different types of interesting materials. These materials helped a lot for easy understanding of

the youngsters including thousands of visitors who came to watch the Jamboree. Several seminars on accordingly with their activity related posters, books, banners, brochures, display of dummy activities and many other different types of interesting materials. These materials helped a lot for easy understanding of the youngsters including thousands of visitors who came to watch the Jamboree. Several seminars on environment, nature, ICT and health issues were also conducted in the GDV including quiz competition for the visiting scouts. NGO Forum’s stall was decorated describing with NGO Forum’s Vision, Mission, programmes, and many other WatSan and hygiene related information reflecting its mandate as a national apex networking and service delivery organization in the WatSan sector. Different type of publications, posters, brochures, leaflets, stickers published by the organization were displayed and also distributed among the young visitors. The documentary film show on WatSan, Hygiene and Climate Change issues in the stall was the main attraction for the young scouts. Every day at the time of documentary film-show there was a huge gathering of scouts and other visitors infront of the NGO Forum stall. The demonstration of Rain Water Harvesting System, new type of plastic slab and model of haor area attracted the scouts. While visiting the stall they were curious about the organization and asked a lot of questions related to NGO Forum’s activities and WatSan and hygiene situation of the country. From visiting the stall they gained knowledge about water, hygiene and sanitation related issues, impact of climate change over water and sanitation facilities, new
water and sanitation technologies. So it was very helpful for them for understanding the situation and their roles in the promotion of safe WatSan. Taking part in the 8th National Scout Jamboree was a great experience for NGO Forum. Having close interaction with the youngsters, answering their enquiries, showing them documentary films, and distributing posters, stickers, leaflet and booklet, etc was a great experience for the organization which may contribute in generating new advocacy initiatives for sensitizing young generation on WatSan and hygiene issues. On the whole, from participating in the Jamboree NGO Forum’s activities are now known to a huge number of young people and visitors from all over the country and abroad. This may open up new opportunity for the organization to work more effectively in different areas of the country involving young, energetic scouts who are dedicated to serve the nation. So, reflecting the theme ‘Scouting for Change’, 8th National Scout Jamboree gave both NGO Forum and the scouts a chance to come closer, share messages while creating an opportunity to work together in future for a positively changed Bangladesh.

Horizontal Learning

Horizontal Learning
A Sustainable Way of Socio- economic Development

Union Parishads are now very transparent and accountable to the community people through maintaining their active role playing in ensuring different development issues in Bangladesh. To strength the capacity building of UPs identifying their own good practices and replicate the best practices each other through exposure visits and appreciative enquiry, the Horizontal Learning Program, an outcome based peer-to-peer learning process launched in November 2007 under the supervision of the Local Government Division of MoLGRD&C. The Program is facilitated by the development partners, national and international NGOs along with Water and Sanitation Programme- South Asia (WSP-SA) of the World Bank. A number of good practices i.e. organizing open budget meetings, increasing the revenue income more than double through motivating the local tax holders, ensuring total sanitation, arsenic mitigation with the community participation, empowering women and vulnerable people of the community etc are now being implemented at the community level through Horizontal Learning Program under the leadership of LGIs in 128 Union Parishads under 13 Upazilas of Bangladesh. Under the Horizontal Learning Program a total of 21 good practices were identified and being replicated among different UPs. A total of 62 UPs have already allocated Taka 24.2 million in their annual budget during FY 2008-09 for replication of good practices to benefit more than 3.1 million people. Text Box:

To review the Upazila-wise progress of replication of the good practices and develop Action Plan for the next year, a Network Workshop for Horizontal Learning Program organized during 2-4 June 2009 at Cox’s Bazar. Representatives from UPs, community catalysts, UNOs, development partners and government officials at senior level participated in the Workshop. Under the Horizontal Learning Program a total of 128 UPs, UNOs, and different development partners are now linked with ‘Mobile SMS (Short Message Service) System’. UPs are now able to sharing information of important events with their network peers through SMS network. The Horizontal Learning Program has contributed a lot to creating self-confidence among UPs. This sustainable way of replication process would help to scaling up of the good practices throughout the country and this would ultimately contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the country.

Observance of the World Water Day 2009 in Bangladesh

In line with the International Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD), NGO Forum has been dedicated to contribute to bring in a favourable scenario in the WatSan arena in the country. NGO Forum as a part of its organizational mandate, feels accountable to uphold the significance of the World Water Day, 22 March observing it through a concerted effort from all concerned by ensuring a strong collaboration and network among the important sectoral stakeholders.

Addressing this year's theme "Shared Water - Shared Opportunities" under the purview of 'Transboundary Water', NGO Forum plans to observe the Day with due significance in collaboration with the important development partners. Hence, NGO Forum has chalked out different programmes highlighting the significance of the Day. The programmes include National Seminar, Symposium, Rally, Cultural Programme on WatSan, Development & distribution of Poster, Leaflet and so on at Central & Regional level.

At the central level a National Seminar titled 'Transboundary River Basin of Bangladesh: Situation Analysis of Water & Sanitation' is going to be organized with the participation of representatives from the relevant ministries, govt. departments, diplomatic missions, UN-bodies, academics, national and international development organizations, mass-media, and other relevant stakeholders. The key issue to be discussed in the Seminar will highlight on the present water supply, sanitation & health situation in the transboundary river basin of Bangladesh.

Symposium and Art Competition at 15 divisional/district level, Cultural Programmes upholding the theme of the World Water Day, publication and distribution of Poster upholding the theme of the World Water Day at central and district/divisional levels is going to be organized.

As a consequence of a long collaboration and especially the joint collaborative initiatives in the recent years, NGO Forum feels that a joint initiative between NGO Forum and the lead role players in the WatSan sector i.e. Department of Public Health Engineering, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO) & Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP)-the World Bank in this line can attribute special significance celebrating the World Water Day and make it a success.

The observance of the World Water Day through the country is expected to uphold the important and relevant issues highlighting the present water supply and sanitation situation in the transboundary river basin of Bangladesh.

Topography, Climate Change Main Barrier to Sanitation

3-day WASH Fair kicks off in Cox’s Bazar

Extreme natural events and diverse topography are blamed to be the main barriers in attaining 100 percent total sanitation by 2010 in the country.
“Climate change induced extreme events like floods and cyclones along with varied topography of the country are being emerged as main barriers to achieve sanitation targets across the country”.
Local Government Division Secretary Sheikh Khurshid Alam told an international water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) fair as the chief guest at a beach hotel of the tourist city.

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