SEVA MANABIK UNNAYAN KENDRA

SEVA Manabik Unnayan Kendra (SEVA Human Development Center). SEVA, which stands for Service and Educational Voluntary Agency, came into being on the 10th of February 1986 to serve underprivileged community members. As a not-for-profit humanitarian organization, it has provided integrated development services to helpless, needy and powerless women and men to strength their decision making capacity, enhance their leadership skills, create employment opportunities and promote sustainable development by augmenting income generation. To achieve these objectives, SEVA plays the role of a facilitator. The vision of the organization is to ensure a gender-friendly democratic society, which will be socially just, economically productive, and environmentally sound, and in which underprivileged people from all spheres of life can achieve self-sustenance. SEVA MUK is a registered development organization under the Directorate of the Social Welfare Service Department and is also registered with the NGO Affairs Bureau for the purpose of receiving foreign donations per the corresponding Act of 1978.

Vision [top]

To achieve a happy, prosperous society free of social inequality, exploitation and sexual discrimination.

Mission [top]

• To develop processes for poverty alleviation.
  
• To reduce unemployment and promote empowerment of women.
  
• To optimize use of local resources and promote institutions for sustainable development.
  
• To promote environmental conservation, including programs for afforestation and improvements in sanitation.
  
• To raise consciousness about the importance of education.
  
• To develop human resources for legal aid in support of democratic rights.
  
• To alleviate poverty through education about sustainable development.
  
• To promote primary health care provision.
  
• To facilitate education, networking and interventions related to gender issues.
  
  

Goal [top]

Social equality and empowerment of women.

Objective [top]

The primary objective of SEVA is to improve the socio-economic condition of targeted beneficiaries by expanding their decision-making capacities and making optimal use of local resources.

Specific objectives [top]

• To eliminate illiteracy through educational programs
  
• To establish local development funds benefiting targeted populations
  
• To do away with gender disparities
  
• To contribute to organization building by the beneficiaries
  
• To promote consciousness-raising and development of human resources
  
• To improve the health status of women and children

Values [top]

• To improve the health status of women and children
• Gender equality
• Secularism
• Faith in human resources
• Honesty and justice
• Cultural development
• Peace and prosperity
• Transparency everywhere
• Accountability
• Reciprocal respect and cooperation
• Ecological balance for the environment
• Innovation and creditability
• Respect for women in all activities
• Self-reliance/sustainability
• Practices of democracy in all spheres of life

Programs and Activities [top]

• Non-formal primary education (NFPE)
  
• Post-literacy and continuous education human development (PLCEHD)
  
• Adolescent Development Program (ADP)
  
• Hard to reach (working) children
  

Gender knowledge networking and human rights intervention in Bangladesh project.

• Action research
  
• Networking
  
• Advocacy
  

Housing Project

• Implementation of government rural housing project funded by Bangladesh Bank.
  

Environment Pollution Control, social afforestation, nursery development project.

Aquaculture Program:

• Pond culture
  
• Fresh and open water aquaculture
  
• Cages culture
  

Health Program

• Primary health care
  
• Arsenic-safe water
  
• Rural sanitation development
  

Alternative Agricultural program:

• Vegetable production
  
• Seed production and preservation
  
• Demonstrations of approved agricultural technologies
  

Domestic rearing

• Poulty rearing
  
• Goat and cow rearing
  
• Cattle fattering
  

Community Development program

• Mobilization of village groups and societies
  
• Group fund mobilization and utilization
  
• SEVA Somity Central federation
  
• RLF for IGAs.
  

Human rights awareness program

• Women and children trafficking
  
• Protection of women from violence
  
• Development of minority communities
  
• Elimination of police violence against remanded persons
  

Training

• Human development
  
• Skill development
  

Micro-scale good governance

• Women organization development
  
• Rights and empowerment
  
• Community mobilization
  
• Advocacy
  

Disaster mitigation, relief and rehabilitation

• Awareness building
  
• Financial support
  

Relief and rehabilitation of victims’ families

Rehabilitation of the disabled

Observance of national and international theme days

Research, evaluation, monitoring and reporting

SEVA programs to identify and utilize local resources [top]

• Arrangement of necessary credit facilities
  
• Conduct of social action research
  
• Provision of technical and financial support for income generation activities
  
• Promotion of agriculture, forestry, livestock, environment, and sanitation programs
  
• Encouragement of GO-NGO and NGO-NGO coordination and cooperation
  
• Capacity building of federation and village societies
  
• Promotion of participatory planning for beneficiaries
  
• Promotion of micro-scale good governance
  
• Disaster management, rehabilitation, and resettlement work
  
• Consensus raising for minority community development
  
• Establishment of democracy through voters’ education about good governance.
  
• Mobilization of a family fund for housing shelter program.
  

Management [top]

SEVA has a two-tier structure: every three years, twenty-one general members are elected, seven of whom are empowered by the general membership to serve as an Executive Committee. This committee exercises its powers and functions through the Executive Director who is appointed as Chief Executive and is responsible for supervision of all project components on behalf of the Executive Committee. The SEVA Executive Committee meets every three months.

Legal Status [top]

SEVA is registered by the following government departments/directorates to conduct socio-economic development activities:

1. Social Service Department, Registration No. COM-203/87 dated 18.10.87 Comilla.

2. NGO Affairs Bureau, Registration No. DSS/FDO/R-357 dated 30.01.90 Dhaka.

3. Youth Department, Registration No. JUA/COM/JUS-178, date 29.08.99, Comilla.

[Major (Rt.) Nawab Miah Mojumder, President, SEVA Manabik Unnayan Kendra]

[Md. Salauddin Ahmed, Executive Director, SEVA Manabik Unnayan Kendra]

Cooperation with other entities [top]

• Forum and Net Member
  
• ADAB
  
• CCHRB
  
• BARDS
  
• MAC SOCITY
  
• BRCT
  
• CDF
  
• KHAN FOUNDATION
  
• FEMA
  
• SHIKASHOP
  
• CAB
  
• BIHR
  
• BDPC
  
• BADF
  
  

Donor and Partner Committee [top]

• USCC-B
  
• MCC
  
• BLAST
  
• FOREST DEPARTMENT
  
• BANGLADESH BANK
  
• CARE
  
• DNFE
  
• BRAC
  
• NGO FORUM
  
• ATSEC
  
• WORLDFISH CENTER
  
• BARD
  
• NCBP

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