DIPTO Foundation Profile

 

The term ‘Empowerment’ has a deep-rooted meaning, which will be used by DIPTO (which stands for Discipline, Integrity, Productivity, Transparency & Openness , in Bangla the word means  Alokito, Ujjal, Prokashito or Tâjomoy) in accordance with its multidisciplinary interventions. The prime focus of DIPTO is to enlighten the marginalized groups and victims of violence through awareness building, skill development, psycho-social support and employment generation activities, in order to make them self-reliant.

DIPTO is committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and establishing human rights. The major focus of DIPTO is to strengthen the voice, participation, influence and impact on women rights by advocating organizations and movements nationally, regionally and internationally to effectively promote the rights of women.

This Foundation will focus on institutional capacity building for improved access to services, social awareness and mobilization programs for ensuring successful social, political and economic empowerment. Through this advancement of women, employment generation, livelihood support and overall empowerment of marginalized women  and victims of violence will be developed. To achieve this goal, Public Private Partnership (PPP) incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approaches will be taken as one of the strategies. This unique intervention in the social sector will aim at obtaining support through PPP fund from government, private and banking sector. This model will function to provide PPP support for marginalized groups and victims of violence in the community.

 

Vision

 DIPTO’s vision is to facilitate and create values and accountable social system to bring qualitative changes for gender equity and development for the marginalized groups.

 

Mission

The mission of the foundation is to establish institutional mechanisms for improving the access to services and livelihood options through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

 

Rationale

DIPTO, as a Gender Foundation is committed for long term economics sustainable development initiatives. These initiatives have already been piloted as coordinated approach by the Government, private and international agencies. DIPTO’s activities would simultaneously aim to carry forward long term empowerment approach of gender initiatives in Bangladesh through incorporation of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) by using approaches of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). DIPTO will play a facilitating role with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA) focusing on institutionalization of management capacity of registered NGOs, CBOs under the department of Women Affairs (DWA). It will contribute to resource mobilization and information sharing to other development partners.

 

Target Group

The target group of the Foundation is the marginalized women and men of the country. For empowerment and employment generation, the target group will be the violence victims, the survivors and the potential victims. This will be brought under the purview of the Foundation from the various existing facilities to support them for enhancing their position- economically, politically and socially. Apart from that the relevant staff of the NGOs, CBOs (registered under DWA: 16,509) in 64 districts, and network members of the country will be covered as target for the institutional management capacity building aspect.

 

Overall Objective

To bring qualitative changes in establishing gender equity and development.

 

Specific Objectives

1.  DIPTO- A Foundation for Gender and Development will take the initiative to link

     Human Rights and Gender oriented organizations registered under the Department of

     Women Affairs and facilitate to improve their management capacity and mechanism in a

     qualitative manner.

2.  Social awareness and mobilization program for men and women through unique modalities

     on Rights Based Approach for empowering them.

 

3.  The major focus would be on economic empowerment and employment generation

     for the marginalized groups and victims of violence through PPP and CSR.

 

Outcome in line with the objectives

 

Specific Objectives	Expected Outcome
1. DIPTO- A Foundation for Gender and Development will take the initiative to link Human Rights and Gender oriented organizations registered under the Department of Women Affairs and facilitate to improve their management capacity and mechanism in a qualitative manner.	a. Trained 5000 partner organizations on management capacity within 3 years of project period registered under DWA.   b. Established linkage s with partner NGOs around 64 districts of Bangladesh.
2. Social awareness and mobilization program for men and women on Rights Based approach for empowering them.	a. Applied 6 unique modalities for awareness raising programs and mobilized marginalized groups to raise their voices and participate in economic. Social and political fronts.   b. Organized 3 national fairs on social awareness program using 6 unique modalities.
3. The major focus would be on economic empowerment and employment generation for the marginalized groups and victims of violence through PPP and CSR.	a. Trained DIPTO program unit (4 approx) on PPP through CSR.   b. Trained 500 beneficiaries with skill development on different forms and job placement.   c. Established linkages with CSR center and explored different CSR partners (Multinational, BKMEA, BGMEA, Banking sector etc).   d. Established at least 2 low cost relevant factories through CSR.

 

Activities to be undertaken in line with objectives

1.      Institutional capacity building for improved access to services:

 

DIPTO has a plan to conduct a need assessment prior to initiate the capacity building component of the first objective of the Foundation. On the basis of findings of the assessments and its results, a module for training will be developed. DIPTO will provide necessary support and services to the 16,509 registered organizations under DWA in 64 districts of Bangladesh with its in depth knowledge and capacity. Here the Foundation will prepare a priority list and follow on phase wise plan to provide training on program, management and financial capacity building as per the need of the organizations. All the training will be supervised and monitored by the Training Unit of DIPTO. This unit will consist of Research oriented persons, Program Specialists and Financial Management Experts.

 

A Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) will be developed with guidelines, rules and regulations of the Foundation. Relevant staffs and trainers of the Foundation will be trained according to the needs to build up their capacities.

Orientation workshop with relevant stakeholders (Government, Private sector and NGOs) will be organized to inform about the Foundation’s future vision, mission and strategies to carry forward the tasks that has been planned.

2. Social Awareness and mobilization program:

Social empowerment works through social re-integration and development of services to support marginalized groups at the grass root level of the country and acknowledge their contribution towards the development process of the nation building. Advocacy and lobbying action begins from policymaker level to the grass root level including all stakeholders. Setting up national, regional and international collaboration with the relevant gender and human rights organizations through networking, focus group discussions and awareness raising campaigns. These will be included in the action plan of the Foundation.

Health and safety measures are one of the important issues of marginalized women and victims of violence of the country. To address this, woman’s reproductive health and rights needs to ensure her well-being in her user-friendly environment. Understanding of the concept and clear clarification needs to be done and pattern of her role in the professional and family environment has to be created.

DIPTO’s focus would be to improve and enhance support services including reproductive health and rights, legal assistance, psychological counseling according to the need of the women. Additionally another important outcome is the development of referral network to social services. Attempt would also be made to provide and support improved and appropriate services as well as other social empowerment packages to ensure successful social reintegration.

3.      Political Empowerment:

 

A growing consensus of political empowerment as a necessary condition for sustained economic and social advancement of women. The culture of political empowerment has not been reached up to the understanding stage of the people. Women’s participation in political arena is just a mere show piece. Women are not receiving any space to raise their voice in a more practical manner. Their expression on political views are not heard and always discouraged.

There is a growing consensus of political empowerment as a necessary condition for sustained economic and social advancement of women. National and local level government structure  have attempted to create enabling environment at district, upazila and union levels for providing support to the marginalized groups through different programs, specially by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA). However sufficient knowledge regarding leadership skills and participation and its utilization of opportunities are still limited. Attention would also be given on creating higher numbers of direct entry for women at local government level as well as in the administrative positions. Moreover inclusion of youth is an important element in this process.

This Foundation would also aim at facilitating the women at the grass-root level to occupy formal political space, a potential process towards formation of critical steps towards ensuring social and political empowerment.

 

 

4.  Incorporation of Partnership through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):

The Foundation aims to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities and options to the target groups with the involvement of the Private Sector agencies using CSR approaches. This will be done through, a long-term job training and job placements provided by the employers (BKMEA, BGMEA etc.).

It is now well recognized that the business community, banking sector, multinational companies and other corporate(s) can play vital roles in meeting such challenges through enhanced CSR initiatives.

 

Initiatives to be taken in line with establishing of small enterprise through CSR

1. Environment-friendly shopping bags: Beneficiaries will run the factory and will also be working as worker. The sale procedure will go to the Foundation & products will be sold to different outlets of Agora, Nandan etc, thus ensuring income generation to the involved beneficiaries and at the same time creating an environment friendly item. This will also be beneficial to dispose the biodegradable items easily.

2. Sanitary napkin factory: Through CSR, potential space needs to be located and business plan needs to be developed which is under process. It will be adjacent to the garment factories as it will be easily distributed on the pay day to the garment female workers. This product will be specially made for the garment workers in low cost, so that they will be able to buy it easily. Thus it will support of the garment workers, their peers will be aware and interested to be involved. As a result, this will protect them from STD’s and HIV/AIDS etc. A simple educative flyer will be included in each package.

3. DIPTO Cafes’: Through employment of women who had previously been employed in the various coffee shops which turns into a best practise project of PPP through CSR. This initiative resulted in positive outcome, which provides the foundation to replication and expansion of the model. These coffee shops will be established in the market places, private universities and government spaces.

4. Automatic laundry: A unique initiative has been taken for economic rehabilitation through employment generation in the automatic laundry (for swift wash). This process will cater economic empowerment of victims of sexual exploitation and enhance the quality of skilled labor force for fully mechanized laundry unit in Bangladesh. There will be a comprehensive plan to reintegrate the family as a unit in the factory.

Other corresponding activities

1. Through a Resource Unit within DIPTO, several unique activities will be undertaken.     Research activities on human rights, Violence against Women (VAW), and other human rights violation, will be accomplished.

 

2. Capacity building and skill development for managing market enterprises, planning and technical entrepreneurship.

 

3. Skill development and enterprise creation training and capacity building on different trades (knitwear/garment, biscuit, pharmaceuticals and ceramic etc).

 

Strategies

·         Dialogue and advocacy at GoB level, Private sector and other relevant stakeholders.

·         Raising local funds along with the development partners’ for implementing its activities.

·         Conducting baseline surveys and need assessments for different tasks.

·         Establishing a data base for documentation and information.

·         Set up of the low cost factories for the marginalized women and victims of violence.

·         Collaborate and build partnership with different agencies in order to develop and strengthen network building.

·         Comprehensive plan for re-integration of the victims of violence.

·         Contact print and electronic media for broader publicity and advocacy on various issues.

 

 

 

 

Mechanism for resource mobilization

DIPTO has already started dialogue to explore of resources from the interested development partners. Apart from that some of the CSR ventures have already been taken. Contact established with CSR center for broader collaboration and joint initiatives. DIPTO is exploring other funding agencies such as Banking sector and Multinational companies for raising resources for starting initial activities of DIPTO. A donor mapping has been done to explore further resources to start up the process.

 

DIPTO- A Foundation For Gender and Development has been officially registered with the Joint Stock Company and NGOAB of the Government of Bangladesh. 

 

 

Zh/09.07.2017