ISDE Bangladesh is a non-governmental, voluntary, not for profit making, non-religious and development organization. From inception in 1992, it has been implementing various development activities to uplift the socio-economic and cultural condition of the ultra poor, reduce poverty and hunger, and improve health and hygiene conditions. It has given emphases to the development of women and children through awareness raising, access to local resources, strengthening capacity and skills of their organization, and imparting felt-need based problem-solving programs by adopting modern scientific knowledge and techniques.
ISDE Bangladesh has been covering various services for the disadvantaged and under developed community people through giving emphasis to the children and women in southeastern Bangladesh including the Myanmar (Burma) boarder districts Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts. The major activities are self help institution building of poor women & development, awareness raising & motivation, women's income & employment creation, human and skill development training, non-formal education (adult, adolescent & children), nature & environment development & social forestry, prevention of dangerous climate changes, biodiversity management, homestead gardening and nutrition education, primary health and adolescent reproductive health care, safe motherhood care & support, promotion of child rights & development, safe drinking water supply and sanitation, STI/HIV AIDS prevention and education, regenerative agriculture, empowerment of coastal fishing communities, access to justice and good governance, civic education, promotion of volunteerism, youth and community development, disseminating gender concepts and developing social entrepreneur for stopping violence against women, human rights and legal education, democracy and legal education, increase women's participation in the political process, reduce gender discrimination, rights of adivashis & minorities, campaign on stopping illegal use of small arms, peace building and peace education, prevention of trafficking and sexual abuse, consumer education & rights, protection of consumer rights, safe transportation, tobacco control, ICT education and mobilization, integration of people with disabilities in community development, fisheries development & livestock development, arsenic mitigation, sustainable alternative energy resources and improved cookstove use, disaster & risk reduction and early recovery etc.
ISDE Bangladesh's mission is to facilitate socio-economic change in the lives of disadvantaged people, particularly women and children, in southeast Bangladesh through the promotion of income and employment generation activities, health services, education, peace building and awareness raising.
Contact Information
Our Focus
Ultra Poor: Women, those who are destitute, without shelter, without assets & maintain livelihood by begging and also selling labour either in the domestic or open labour market at very nominal wages and fall between 18-50 years age range. Poor: Women who own land less than 0.5 decimal or possess assets less than Tk. 20,000 and earn daily below Tk. 65 and fall between 18-50 years of age. Disabled: Poor women and children, those who are mentally, physically & socially disabled/handicapped. Vulnerable Groups: Women, children & people with low incomes, who lack awareness and are vulnerable for becoming easy victims of HIV/AIDS, STI/STD, communicable diseases and natural calamities and disasters. Seasonal Famine: Poor women and people who are agriculture or fishing based labourers and remain unemployed during off season in a year due to scarcity of work. Micro Entrepreneurs: People who have crossed the poverty line, active traders in the community & acquired proficiency/excellency in trading and fall between 18-50 years of age.
Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas
In rural Bangladesh, women are responsible for collecting and using fuel for energy needs. So women play a key role in decision-making for type of fuel energy and how to use it. The decisions about type of fuel energy use, however, are influenced by many factors such as tradition, convenience, and availability of resources, accessibility to technologies, household income and the role of women in the decision-making process of household expenditure. Households that have greater flexible family income use cleaner fuels such as kerosene as opposed to wood because it is a measure of affluence and prestige. Poorer households use biomass as the main fuel due to the cost of other fuels.
ISDE-BD has used VERC and IFRD developed different types of improved cookstove models. In addition, in rural Bangladesh, traditional cookstoves are generally used for cooking. Conventional cookstoves used in the rural households have low thermal efficiency (around 8%). On the other hand, Improved cookstoves (ICS) have efficiency of about 25%. Although ICS have been developed to improve boiling and evaporation efficiency, a chimney is attached to let out smoke from the kitchen. Thus ICS provides benefits to the households by providing a smoke-free environment inside and outside the house. Development Policy Group (DPG) is involved in measuring air quality of the kitchen in association with ISDE-BD. Marketing campaigns are rigorously being executed throughout the country through network partner organizations. The purpose of the campaign is to increase awareness about the benefits of using improved stoves and possible health risk of traditional cookstove, and where to obtain them. ISDE-BD also trains rural engineers, usually local women, in construction of improved cookstoves. These women then market their services to other households in their vicinity and make improved cookstoves for others.
ISDE Bangladesh lacks technology standardisation for cooking, heating and ventilation. It is not well equipped to measure the stove efficiency and air quality in the kitchen. ISDE Bangladesh's interest in this area is to build the capacity of its staff in technology standardisation for cooking, heating and ventilation.
Internal Audit: ISDE Bangladesh maintains an effective internal control system. The organization has an Internal Audit cell with 2 members. The Internal audit cell members conduct internal audits on a routine basis to monitor the programme and finance activities at Unit level as well as various projects according to the audit manual. Internal Monitoring: Generally Unit Managers supervisor monitors the field level activities of the respective unit locations and simultaneously they are reportable to the respective Programme Coordinator and Project Manager through Executive Director. Field level: Onside monitoring system- Unit Manager, Project Manager, Programme Coordinator, Finance Manager and head office Monitoring Team evaluate the onside monitoring system. Accounts & Finance Dept. and MIS department are involved in offside monitoring activities.
Relevant Publications or Studies
Annual Reports, project reports and concessional papers
Our Contribution to the Partnership
ISDE Bangladesh wishes to contribute to the Partnership in the following ways: 1. To strengthen present ICS network as members 2.To encourage local entrepreneurs to commercialize improved and reliable stoves in Bangladesh, which are adapted to local cooking conditions. 3. To collaborate with other organisations who are pioneers in the design of improved stoves to meet local needs. 4. Participate in inter-institutional/organisational training and research into improved stoves, health risk and exposure assessments using standardised equipment. 5. Provide expertise to needy organisations in the area of indoor air pollution management. 6. Exchange of information and sharing of research findings with partners
