Name of organization: HELP Cox’s Bazar – (Hand to Embrace the Less Privileged)

Head office address: Court Bazar, Farid Mansion Masjid Road, PO. Ratna Palong, PS.Ukhiya, Dist. Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Mobile: 01819-024945, E-mail:helpcox.org@gmail.com,
Web: www.helpcox.org
Cox’s Bazar office address: Adv Abu Taher Bhaban, Biman Bandar Sharak, New Baharchara, Cox’s Bazar,

Name of the CEO: Abul Kashem, Executive Director

Background of the Organization :

HELP Cox’s Bazar is a pioneer NGO in this locality particularly only one Ukhiya based NGO registered with the department of social services under the Ministry of Social welfare in 2001 as well as affiliated in the NGO affairs Bureau under the Prime Minister Office in 2006.

Working Experience:

a) Concretization

Concretization is the most and important program of the organization. It begins from the start and continues continuously for raising mass awareness in all respects among the targeted and other community people. So far it has concretized approximately 25000 people in different respects. Now the community people of HELP working areas are fairly conscious in all respects and they can understand that their development should be done by themselves. In this regards, HELP appliesdifferent methods like: personal contacts, door step visits, group meetings, gathering, seminars, workshops, folk song, popular theatres, circulate posters, leaflets, stickers, charts, billboards, signboards etc.

b) Motivation and Institutional Building

The organization first selects the working areas, conducts base line surveys and identifies the targeted beneficiaries. HCB aware and educates the targeted people on the goal, objectives and programme interventions of the organization. When the beneficiaries realize that they should be organized, then the HCB staff members help them to be organized through groups and provide different awareness and skills training to the group members. Groups members become the participants of the different project interventions. HCB takes initiatives to help the group members in saving and credit activities with the technical and administrative supports from the organization.  

c) Gender Based Violence

Discrimination against women and girls that starts from the day of birth of a girl child is largely rooted into our traditional culture and social practices. Lack of proper laws and their proper implementation perpetuate women’s subjugation to men and makes them more susceptible to repression leading to violence. The shame and stigma, the trauma and humiliation infected upon women and children through any such happening forgoes a long lasting adverse affect in the lives of the victims, which may in some cases end up in their mental and physical disorder leaving little hopes for their survival. Moreover, acute poverty also restricts their access to the justice system. HCB is experienced to address the rights of women. It has experience in implementation of combating domestic violence projects. HCB addresses the women violence issues through different ways like; formation of differentlevel groups and committees, awarethose committees on women violence issues and how to protect the women. Groups are organized and received skills and knowledge through having meetings, trainings, networking etc. HCB also organizes weekly shalish mediation at union levels and solves the domestic violence. HCB also forms legal aid committee at union level and raise the un-dissolved issues into the court.

HCB has experienced in implementation of GBV projects in Rohingya camps through organizing awareness activities: court yard meeting, folk song, leaflet, billboards etc. Organization was also involved in referral process to shift the serious cases to other organizations and departments.

d) Counter Human Trafficking

Human trafficking has emerged as a great challenge for the entire world. The situation of human trafficking in Bangladesh is no different from the other countries of Asia. The trend of human trafficking has been increased in Cox’s Bazar due to Rohingya influx. Both host and rohingya communities are the sufferer. Help Cox’s Bazar is working with the objectives:

1. To prevent of human trafficking
2. Protection to the victims and survivors of human trafficking
3. Multi-stakeholders partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to support the achievement in combating human trafficking.

HCB has different forum and committees to address those objectives. It has formed Union level youth forum, working with Union and Upazila level government anti trafficking committees. HCB organize the following activities:

1. Court yard meeting
2. Organize training on anti trafficking and safe migration issues
3. Leaflet, poster and billboard placement.
4. Organize anti trafficking campaign
5. Life skill training
6. Livelihoods support to victims.

e) Education

Help Cox’s Bazar has been working on education sector since it’s inception (2001). Initially Help Cox’s Bazar opened a kinder garden school in Court Bazar, Ukhiya, It was run from 2000 to 2007. At least, 600 children got their pre primary (play to KG) and primary (Class I to V) education supports from this initiative. Help Cox’s Bazar implemented a non formal primary education programme supported by BRAC from 2005 to 2010 in Ukhiya through establishing 20 centers and approx. 750 drop out children received education support in 04 unions of Ukhiya Upazila  In 2010, Help Cox’s Bazar run a school programme for un registered Rohingya children  (4-10 years old) in Leda camp with the support of BRAC and using its own fund. Total 200 children got education support through 05 schools over the one year project time. Help Cox’s Bazar also experienced in implementing education programme with the support of Education Department of Bangladesh Government. With the support of Education Department of GOB, Help Cox’s Bazar opened 84 schools in Ukhiya, Teknaf and Ramu Upazilas of Cox’s Bazar district in 2011. Total 2520 school dropout children got non formal primary education support for 02 years.

f) Rohingya Context

Help Cox’s Bazar is actively involved in providing emergency and other supports to Rohingya people since its arrival in August 2017. Help Cox’s Bazar provided emergency health support to the affected people in the month of August and September 2017. Distributed food and non food items to 2000 HH supported by Janmabhumi TV in Australia in 2017. Distributed cloths among 5000 persons supported by local people and ABC TV in Australia. Distributed food and non food items to 7500 families with the support of Indonesian NGO Alliance in 2017. Provided temporary latrine, tube wells, bathing place etc with the support of individual donors. Provided deep tube wells and latrines support with the help of BRAC in 2018. Implemented GBV and Anti trafficking activities among the affected people with the support of IOM, Oxfam, CPI. From January 2018 to still now, Help Cox’s Bazar is providing basic health support to the Rohingya community through establishing clinics funded by Bring Hope Foundation and Love Army. With the financial support of Love Army, Organization is also providing WASH support to the Rohingya people living in camp 03, 04 05 and 17.

g) Primary Health Care

Help Cox’s Bazar has been working on health & family planning project since it’s inception (2001). Executive Director of Help Cox’s Bazar was an employee of government health department with health background. Help Cox’s Bazar has one permanent doctor working in health sector. It has many health volunteers in the local community. Help Cox’s Bazar provided emergency health supports to the Rohingya people using it’s own fund. Help Cox’s Bazar already implemented different health projects funded by: Bring Hope Humanitarian Foundation, Love Army, Action Medeor and UNFPA in Rohingya camp and host communities. HCB has good linkage with government health and family planning departments and implements their some projects in Ukhiya Upazila.

It has one health clinic in camp 5 and operating since January 2018. Major interventions under primary health sector are:

1. Health awareness sessions
2. HH visits
3. Organize satellite clinic  
4. Primary health treatment through clinic with medicine support
5. Billboards placement
6. Poster, leaflet distribution

 h) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Water, Sanitation & hygiene Program is one of the major development activities of HCB. Safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation is a must for the safety of life as well as sound environment. HCB undertook this program in order to ensure safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation in the rural area because the people of this area are ignored, unaware and not knowledgeable about the importance and need of safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation.

HCB has been implementing Water and Sanitation program under financial and technical assistance of it’s own contribution and individual donation for Drinking Water supply and Sanitation considering the inadequate access of villagers to safe drinking water and hygienic sanitary facilities.

HCB is implementing the Model Village project with collaboration of village development committee, which is also formed by the Organization. In this regard, HCB organizes monthly VDC meeting, courtyard meeting, school meeting, tea-stall meeting, Imam Orientation, group meeting etc.

With the help of NGO forum, it has installed 12 tube wells and 1050 water sealed latrine I different unions of Ukhiya Upazila. Established 1 latrine production center with the help of NGO Forum for DWSS and continuously producing water sealed latrine for the community people and the community people are consuming the produced latrine, because, they have become aware about their health and sanitation issues.

Recently HCB implemented a WASH project funded by BRAC providing with 07 deep tube wells, 42 bathing places and 85 latrines in Rohingya camp. It has also option to provide awareness messages among the project participants. With the support of Love Army, HCB is providing repairing and maintenance supports of tube wells in camps 05 and 17. A garbage cleaning project also being implemented in camps 5 and 17 with the financial support of love army.

i) Training

HELP emphasis on different kinds of training to the group members for their skill development and potentials upgrading and started from 2001. It is a continuous process, so far 350 group members and 17 staffs and volunteers received different kinds of training with the support of the different programme interventions.

j) Disaster Preparedness and Management

Disaster preparedness and Management is one of the most important programme for the organization, because the working areas are lying with natural and manmade disasters like: cyclone, flood and Rohingya crisis etc. Every year different natural disasters hit the areas seriously. So the organization impairs awareness building, preparedness and management training for the group members and the community people, so far a total 25000 people have been made aware and provided training to 120 group leaders (community volunteer) who are connected with HCB.

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