Basic Information of the Organization

Basic Information of the organization

Name and address of the organization:

Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS)
House No. 374/3, Road No 19 Nirala R/A, Khulna- 9100, Bangladesh
Telephone: + 88 041 721123, Mob: + 88-01712 868004
email: <> <
Skype name: beds20111
Webpage: (under develop)

Date of incorporation: 26 July 2010

History:

Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS) is a unique organization that exists to help save the endangered coastal region and to develop an atmosphere of cooperation and partnership among stakeholders with different perspectives. Established in 2010, BEDS is a non-profit, non-government, research and implementation organization. BEDS was formed to focus on a variety of interrelated problem, including global warming, natural disaster, accelerated human population growth, species/wildlife extinctions/biodiversity destructions, habitat loss, food crises, farming, fisheries, education, health, nutrition, and unemployment etc.

Organization

・Membership: 40

・Staff:

Objective of the organization

Vision:

Preserve the local ecological balance and to improve socio-economic conditions for the poor

Mission:

Establish sustainable environmental protection, wildlife/biodiversity conservation and to develop

ex-situ conservation, education, health and nutrition through awareness,

capacity-building and research activities

Objectives:

1. Preserve natural treasures;
2. Conserve biodiversity;
3. Reduce or mitigate the impact of climate change and advance disaster risk reduction strategies;
4. Establish human rights through good governance; and
5. Expand women’s empowerment and equitable development for women.

Fundamental principles:

1.Conserve nature and sustain the environment;

2. Help the poor, ultra poor, underprivileged and affected communities;

3.Create equity in a corruption-free society to promote national development;

4.Promote initiatives for the Sundarbans and to improve biodiversity conservation; and

5.Safeguard nature for future generations to enjoy.

Strategic directions:

1.Ensure the participation of local communities;

2.Develop associated sister organizations; and

3.Establish partnerships, collaborations and networking with government and non-government and other national and international agencies, as well as with community based organizations (CBOs), research institutes, and universities.

Thematic areas:

1.Sustainable Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Management

2.Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation

3.Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction

4.Human Rights and Good Governance

5.Gender and Development

Legal status:

Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS) was registered by NGO Affairs Bureau, Prime Minister Office, Government of Bangladesh and Department of Social Services, Government of Bangladesh.

Working area: Bangladesh

Record of activities in general and in the country where the project is proposed

List of Current Programmes/Projects:

Project Title: Solar Lamp support for 1000 coastal families

Background information:

Climate change is a global issue for sustainable development. Bangladesh is one the most victims of climate change due to its geographical location. Khulna, the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh, has been identified as one of the 15 most climate change vulnerable cities of the world (IIED, 2009)[1]. Khulna frequently suffers from hydro-meteorological and climatic disasters due to its natural setting close to the Bay of Bengal. The world largest mangrove Sundarbans is situated in this area plays vital role for life and livelihood dynamics of the coastal people of Bangladesh. Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat are three most vulnerable coastal cities of Bangladesh to climate change. Future projections indicate that it would be further affected by salinity intrusion and sea level rise due to climate change (ADB, 2010)[2]. During recent past, two havoc climatic disasters (Cyclone Supar Cyclone Sidr, 2007 and Cyclone Aila, 2009) had totally washout the existing water supply and sanitation facilities in these areas, particularly at the remote upazillas, (sub-district) Dacope, Shyamnagar and Mongla.

Sundarbans Mangrove flagship ecosystem is the natural safeguard and livelihood support for most climate vulnerable coastal communities of Bangladesh. The Sundarbans mangrove dominated Ganges Delta - a complex ecosystem comprising one of the largest single tract of mangrove forests the world. The Sundarbans is shared between two neighbouring countries, Bangladesh (62%) and India (38%). Sundarbans is UNESCO declared World Heritage (WH) site and internationally significant as a RAMSAR site. The Government of Bangladesh has declared the Sundarbans as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) besides Sundarbans Reserved Forests (SRF). Sundarbans is unique ecosystems for its endemic biodiversity. Bengal tiger is the images for Bangladesh but remain in Sundarbans ecosystem only. Livelihoods of at least 0.5 million Sundarbans stakeholders depends on Sundarbans wood, fish, shrimp, thatch, crab, shell, oyster, honey, wax and other resources. They are called bouali (wood and thatch cutter), mouali (honey extractor) and jellay (fish and crab catcher)

Sundarbans coastal communities are most climate vulnerable and poor. they are generally use the keroshin lamp at night but they try to complete their all of work during day light because they are not financial solvency to regular use keroshin lamp, most of the Sundarbans coastal families completed their dinner after the evening time. They used the fuel lantern for only their emergency times because the keroshin prize is so high. Their children education, professional work and domestic works were hampered after the evening. After the evening times most of Sundarbans stakeholders families live into the dark. So day by day their poverty going to increase and they are going poor to ultra poor, ultra poor to super ultra poor due to scarcity of electricity. Some time the stakeholders families faced big problem from firing by the Keroshin Lamp so they lost all of their domestic resources.

However, when they go to Sundarbans for harvesting the Sundarbans resources then they stay in Sundarbans at least 15 to 20 days at a time. This time they use keroshin lamp but keroshin lamp is not to viable to use into the Sundarbans due to climatic condition.

Electricity/light scarcity is a big problem for these communities. They are so poor that they could not purchase sufficient keroshin (fuel for lantern) that they needed. Solar-powered lanterns campaign and distribution project is very much effective programme for Sundarbans communities because for their resources harvesting time into the Sundarbans, children education, house work and professional works at night. Solar-powered lanterns are the source of environmental friendly alternative energy that is the indicator of sustainable development for the climate vulnerable communities.

But the Sundarbans communities are not aware about the solar-powered lanterns because Solar-powered lantern is new concept and innovative idea of Bangladesh aspect. So there is an urgent need to introduce and encourage solar-powered lanterns among the Sundarbans coastal communities. Green Asia Grant supported solar-powered lanterns to a village with no electricity programme is perfectly eligible for these Sundarbans coastal climate vulnerable poor communities.

Objective:

1. To create opportunities of without electric facilitiespoor Sundarbans stakeholders families’ children
2. To create professional opportunities at night of poor without electric facilities families.
3. To stop respiratory disease for use of kerosene (oil) lamp
4. To free from worrying about buying kerosene and lorch light battery of Sundarbans families.
5. To reduce the production of greenhouse gas CO2 into the air
6. To fulfill the electric light demand of climate vulnerable Sundarbans families for reducing the risk of natural disaster at night and to reduce tiger attack at night

The main expected outcomes of the project as follows;

1000 Sundarbans non electrified climate vulnerable poor families will get light support for their children education, professional work of stakeholders' families in Sundarbans at night. Their respiratory disease for use of kerosene (oil) lamp will be stopped. They will free from worrying about paying for kerosene, battery purchase, greenhouse gas CO2 production into the air will be reduced al least 2000 families electric light demand will be fulfilled to reduce their vulnerability.

Activities and Action Plan

1. Select 1000 poor Sundarbans stakeholders’ families from non-electrified eight villages of Shyamnagar Upazila (sub-district) under Satkhira district of Bangladesh through structural questionnaires survey, secondary data collection from Forest Department, government of Bangladesh and peoples representative office. We selected our beneficiaries giving priorities on school going children families, Tiger affected families, disable person (differently able) families, old man families and also their lighting cost analysis between income and expenditure.

1. Campaign on importance of solar power lanterns among Sundarbans stakeholders families using leaflet distribution at key public place and school campaign

1. Distribute solar lamp among 1000 sundarbans climate vulnerable families

1. Regular monitoring of supported families (at least one year after solar lamp support)

1. Regular reporting

Project Managers Expected Role

Project manager is one of important person of the proposed project. He will coordinate the field staff/organizer for proper implementation of the project. He will directly involve social survey questionnaires development and family selection process. He will also play an important role to develop the solar-powered lanterns campaign materials (leaflet/pamphlet). He will regular communicate with field organizer and will present all events with solar-powered lanterns distribution.

Arrangements for Evaluation

Evaluation of the impact on using solar-power lanterns is important part of this project. So we will organize a pre and post assessment on Socio economic condition of Sundarbans stakeholder’sfamilies using a structural questionnaires focusing on fuel consumption of economical, environmental aspect. We also regular collect the information eight times during our project period using another questionnaires focusing on how many fuel (Keroshin) have to save, how many time they perfectly use etc.

8. Budget

Main items of the cost are as follows;

$ 15 for purchase one solar lamp including solar panel for one family x 1000 families = $15000

$ 20 for distribution solar lantern set among five families (1000/5= 200 x $10 = $ 2000

$ 25 for regular monitoring, reporting and repairing for five supported families

(1000/5= 200 x $25)= $5000

Total $22000

Noted that We will distribute the solar lantern sets among this project beneficiaries to purchase the Bangladesh market. We don’t use and don’t provide Korea Green Foundation (KGF), Korea supported Solar lantern sets of this project because we are committed with KGF that we will distribute the KGF supported lantern sets among our beneficiaries free of cost and KGF also supported us for monitor, reporting, distribution and others cost to implement the Asia Solar Lamp project in Bangladesh.

1

[1]IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development), (2009). “Climate change and the urban poor: Risk and resilience in 15 of the world’s most vulnerable cities”, London.

[2]Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2010). “Bangladesh: Strengthening the Resilience of the Water Sector in Khulna to Climate Change”, Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report by Institute of Water Modeling, Dhaka, Bangladesh.