Bangladesh Association for Social Advancement (BASA) is a non-governmental organization devoted to promoting the socio-economic conditions of the poorer section of the community in Bangladesh since its inception in 1991. BASA works in diversified fields of sustainable development. Major focus areas of work are microfinance, water and sanitation, renewable energy, carbon reduction and generation of green energy, climate change and environment, bi-product recycling, waste management, education, pure honey processing and marketing, capacity building for disadvantaged communities through IGA training, and empowerment of the poor, especially women, through the provision of diversified microfinance products, matching with the demand and skills of different status of poverty and trades.
Contact Information
BASA is implementing several projects in various districts in Bangladesh, including a project with ICS (Improved Cook Stoves) since 2007. As of December 27,2011 BASA installed 6673 (Six thousand six hundred seventy three) domestic improved cook stove and 27 commercial improved cook stoves in its project area. There are some improved cook stoves also installed at tea stalls in the local marketplace.
The installation process is going on at different BASA intervention areas. The special feature of BASA ICS program is that it is implementing the program among some tribal communities in the country. The area is surrounded by forest and these people are living in the forest area. The immediate impact of such cook stoves is the reduction of fuel wood from green forest and carbon reduction is also increased.
Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas
We have experienced a lot of social & cultural barriers while implementing these projects. People are habituated to old cultural norms. It is difficult to break certain practices, but BASA is working to make the user comfortable with the new technologies. Again BASA is creating a belief about the importance of clean technologies such as ICS & biogas. Local inhabitants were not familiar with the terms climate change, carbon reduction, and bad effects on health due to traditional cook stoves, but after the intervention of BASA, these tribal communities also become aware of the above mentioned terms and they are now demanding to get such improved cook stoves.
BASA has a market policy of its own. BASA is making its position with ICS among beneficiaries, giving them incentives, taking minimum contribution for ownership, giving them real life examples of the benefits of ICS, etc. Marketing policy is that BASA micro finance employees motivate people to take ICS and create demand among community people.
Rural people usually place less importance on designing the kitchen. At the same time most of clients of rural areas are poor, so they are not quite able to standardize the technology, but we are trying to implement technology standardization in our project area.
BASA monitors all of its projects with field level manpower. BASA has micro finance branches in project areas. As they have thousands of beneficiaries in the area and they are suppose to meet with them once a week, it is easy to monitor the ICS activities regularly.
Relevant Publications or Studies
1. Annual report
Our Contribution to the Partnership
1. BASA can share experience working with ICS in tribal areas and other remote places of the country. 2. Can contribute 3. BASA can replicate technologies to other places of the country as well as abroad.
