About Us – DJS

NTRODUCTION

Dishari is a non-profit, non-political, non-governmental DPO (Disabled Persons Organisation) rooted at Sundarganj Upazila under Gaibandha District working towards the development of underprivileged people especially differently abled children, men and women.

The organisation steamed ahead its journey back in the last of 2001 at Dulal village of Konchibari Union to contribute in rural development. Students and a group of social activists initiated the organisation through some of volunteer activities to make life easier for differently abled people. They are provided support on a random basis in their day to day life as well as during disasters which they need most.

Considering the local situation, Dishari extended to contribute achieving our national vision-2041 called SMART BANGLADESH. Since we know that Smart Citizen is one of the four pillars of this vision, we should count people living at all levels. Differently abled people counted as a large number in our country, so we cannot think of becoming increasingly Smart Citizens by excluding them. We must include differently abled people in development as their skills such as education for children, development of earning skills for adults, daily living as well as improving resilience in disasters.

The major activities of the organisation are rehabilitation center establishment, social and economic empowerment of differently abled people, rights protection, access in services and behavioral changes of society and family towards differently abled children, men and women. The organisation also gives importance on health, hygiene & sanitation activities to stay closed to the underprivileged people especially. Serving as an additional force to sustainable development of deprive, backward, downtrodden, Hard Core Poor (HCP) of the society and assist them to make economically solvent.

BACKGROUND

Geographically, Dishari’s workplace is located in Gaibandha district in northern part of Bangladesh which is known as a deprived and neglected area of the country. Jamuna is one of the three largest rivers that flow through the district making the district most prone to natural disasters especially floods and riverbank erosion. Floods are very common during the monsoon season when roads, dams and crop fields are damaged every year. Riverbank erosion relocates large numbers of people to landless, homeless as well as asset-less rendered people have to migrate in another place for surviving. There are serious direct and indirect impacts of flood and riverbank erosion especially in the east and northern side of the district, on critical sectors such as Society, Agriculture and Food Security, Water and Sanitation, Human Health, Biodiversity, Employment, etc. Besides, the Storms, Cyclone, Downpour, Droughts, Cold-spells are very daily-casual issues in this area. Nowadays the severity of all these disasters is gradually increasing due to the effects of climate change.

More than 60% of people lives below the poverty line. Agriculture and related jobs are the main source of income where 80% of the people are involved in some way. Some of them sales labour in agricultural field and household affairs as well. Most of the arable land can be cultivated twice a year which is completely inadequate earning support to afford a family throughout the year which would be enough for 5-6 months only so; the rest of the time is considered an agricultural Lean Period when a large number of people leave their families in uncertain, insecure situation in this remote village and move to urban areas especially Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, Rangpur to look for another job to overcome this unemployment. The lack of overall employment opportunities exacerbates their grief and suffering more. Faced with such conditions, differently abled persons, children suffer more than others. As their families do not have financial capacity, their sustenance, their needs and physical support always remain incomplete. Mostly they have to suffer in disaster period.

LEGAL STATUS

Authorized Institution	Date	No.
Department of Social Welfare	09/05/2005	Gai/Sundar/963

VISION
Dishari envisions a nation in which all the differently abled people live with freedom and dignity in a barrier-free family and society, and are able to contribute equally to their own and universal development.

MISSION
Dishari means disabled people’s organisation, committed to directly promote disabled people’s knowledge and capacities, rights and access, policy and practice towards disability development etc. We also ensure initiative for enabling them to be effective as equal citizen and to contribute their participation in the development of a nondiscriminatory society.

STRATEGY

Increasing awareness through people’s institution building;
Establishing new school for the deprived and neglected children;
Increasing literacy rate among the poor communities through formal education;
Promoting primary health-care, safe water and sanitation facilities;
Enhancing knowledge and skill through need-based trainings;
Embedding group members in income generating and entrepreneurship development activities;
Increasing awareness on disaster management and preparedness, enhancing capabilities to cope with disaster;

GOAL
Improved socio-economic status of rural vulnerable and disadvantaged poor communities.

OBJECTIVES

To develop disabled people’s organisation, social awareness, knowledge and education ensuring enrolment of disabled children in main streaming education.
To improve survival condition of disabled people through improved health care and rehabilitation facilities attainment;
To protect rights of the disabled people and ensure their dignity through changing attitude of the state, service providing organisation, society and family;
To create income and employment opportunities for the handicapped through special training, jobs market creation, access in small entrepreneurship and agriculture sectors.
To reduce sufferings and losses of disaster affected people through rescue works and affording aid support as well as rehabilitation works.

PROGRAMMES

Institution Building and Social Mobilization Program;
Special Support Service and Rehabilitation Program;
Disabled people’s Rights Protection Program;
Income and Employment Generation Program;
Disaster Response Program.

PROGRAM FOCUS

Dishari adopts non-directive, bottom up and people’s participatory development approach and working strategies in implementing its program. It stresses on peoples participation in needs assessment, decision-making, planning, implementation and leadership for making the program socially accepted, people oriented and sustainable. Dishari s staff acts as facilitator to ensure people’s active and conscious participation in development process. Organisation works for the welfare of disable children, women and men through target group approach.

Secondly, the organisation empowers the poor disabled people through education, special training and sharing of experiences, and thirdly, it facilitates to initiate economic activities by entrepreneurship development for regular income to alleviate poverty. The organisation also emphasis economic rights and control over resources through active involvement and participation.

WORKING AREA

Dishari works for the development of Differently Abled People from extremely poor families in 7 Upazilas of Gaibandha district. The organisation generally is working both in urban cities and rural areas in this district targeting extreme poor disabled children, men and women.

Specification of working location is given below.

District	Upazila	Number of Union
Gaibandha	Saghata	10
	Fulchari	07
	Sundarganj	15
	Gobindaganj	17
	Palashbari	10
	Sadullapur	10
	Gaibandha Sadar	13
Total-	07	82

CATEGORY OF RIGHTS HOLDERS

Different categories of disabled people and children in the district are almost listed. However we continue carry out survey to find out if someone is left out.

Among the listed disabled men, women and children, we wants to target maximum coverage of disabled people under the development plan of the organisation though we are very new.

The organisation’s beneficiaries all will be disabled along with their physical ability, income level, land ownership, food etc will be considered.

– All disabled children;

– Disabled with women headed family;

– Extreme poor disabled women and men;

– Disabled with ethnic minority;

– Disabled with needed special medical care or surgery;

– Disabled people with needed physiotherapy or assistive device etc;

– Hard core poor men and women

RIGHTS HOLDERS IN NUMBERS

Number of Group			Number of Group Member
Female	Male	Child & Other	Female	Male	Child & Other
483	79	38	14467	2388	4742

Group Category	No. Group	No. person
Local disabled group	30 groups	650 persons
Women group member	35 (Somity)	750 women
Male group members	15 (Somity)	175 men
Mother & Child For Health	225 (Somity)	4500 People

HUMAN RESOURCE

Status	Male	Female	Total
Permanent	12	20	32
Volunteers	36	97	133
Total-	48	117	165

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

General Council (GC): The General Council (GC) is the highest authorizing body of the organisation in any concern. The committee of Dishari is consisting of 29 members involved from various discipline. The committee member of GC set discussion meeting once a year, sometime in emergency basis. GC is mainly responsible for policy formulation of the organisation. They also analyze organisational budget, expenditure and have a sincere looks whether the organisation are in right truck.

Executive Committee (EC): Dishari has the Executive Committee (EC), which consisted of 07 members elected by the GC for every 02 years. The meeting of executive committee held at least twice in a year. Sometime in emergency basis when need. They are directly involved in implementation process of development activities and provide necessary instructions to organisational capacities. For almost all cases EC is accountable to General Committee.

INFRASTRUCTURE

TRAINING FACILITIES

LOGISTICS AND FACILITIES

Facilities	Number/Quantity	Facilities	Number/Quantity
Office Space	03	Display Board	01
VIPP Board	01	Steel Almirah	01
White Board	02	File Cabinet	02
Own Land (04 decimal)	04 dcm	Rack	02
Fan	04	Secretariat Table	03
Computer & Printer Set	02	Table	01
Motorcycle	01	Computer table	02
Digital Camera	01	Television	01
Handloom	00	Chair	17