Legal empowerment approach through community paralegal
Approximately four hundred thousand camp based Bihari Urdu Speaking Bangladeshis are living in 116 Camps in Bangladesh. They are Bangladeshi citizens according to 2003 and 2008 high court judgments. Currently they are passing their life in daily struggle because they are mostly engage in informal sector like barber, butcher, rikshapuller and handicraft worker. After the high court judgments there are no any significant changes in their life. They are citizens and voter without any benefits. Considering the deprivation and sufferings of the Biharis caused by lack of full access to citizenship rights, CoM has been running since June 2013 a paralegal project entitled “Empowering Linguistic Minority to Realize Citizenship Rights in Bangladesh” in partnership with Nagorik Uddyog supported by Namati Inc. USA.
The project has the following objectives
# To build an effective model in using legal empowerment approaches, specifically community-based paralegals, to facilitate the acquisition and use of identity documents to gain access to rights and opportunities as part of the core content of citizenship;
# To gather robust evidence on the relationship between identity documentation and statelessness, including the current discriminatory government practice that may contribute to an ongoing lack of effective exercise of citizenship, despite the possession of identity documents;
#To encourage the use of this evidence in litigation and national or international advocacy efforts regarding access to effective citizenship rights by the Urdu-speaking Bangladeshis, if necessary.
What is the Work of the Paralegals
Paralegals do every day door-to-door visit and organize community group meeting and community forum. At paralegal centers, paralegals provide information about the law, prepare application documents in the paralegal center, and accompany the clients to the government office to apply and follow up on delays in processing, or denials, of the application. Every day, paralegals are doing outreach activities inside the Camp. During the outreach activities, they disseminate the message of the 2008 High Court of Bangladesh judgment, and the importance and uses of the civil documentation like birth certificate, national identity card, passport, trade license and other services. Every day, the paralegals visit at least five houses in their rotational weekly plan. The paralegals interacted so far with 8,620 Camp dwellers through their daily outreach activities. CoM has been providing paralegal support through six community- based paralegal centers in Dhaka (Mirpur and Mohammadpur), Mymensingh, Khulna, Chittagong and Syedpur. Camp dwellers and others who have questions on or need for legal support come to the paralegal centers. Fifteen youth are assigned as community-based paralegals to provide knowledge on law and government information to the community people and give skills training on negotiation, community education, organizing and advocacy to enable them to seek concrete solutions to instances of injustice. In addition, serving as dynamic “frontline” of justice service providers, paralegals focus on empowerment. They are not only working to resolve legal issues but also to build the people’s capacity to deal with problems related with access to justice in the future.
Legal Education
Paralegals organize community group meetings and community legal forums every month. They invite ten to fifteen women, men, boys and girls to attend the community group meeting where they learn about the 2008 High Court judgment and how it ended the statelessness of the Biharis. They discuss also the importance and uses of the civil documentations in their daily life.
Legal Empowerment for Women and Youth groups
The CoM established a pro bono legal empowerment women’s group in 2014 in the six centers. Forty women attend a monthly session to enhance their legal knowledge that they disseminate to their neighbors. They also help the paralegals do outreach work, organizing community group meeting and community legal forum. In the same way, CoM has pro bono youth group in the six centers. They are helping the paralegals organize meeting and forum and also assisting the camp dwellers to obtain civil documentations like the paid paralegals. The establishment of these two pro bono groups is one way of making the paralegal project sustainable. When support from donors of the paralegal project ends, these pro bono women and youth will help the camp dwellers in the documentation needs.
Pre-school
ESD project focus on education and skill development of camp based Bihari-Urdu Speaking Bangladeshi community. We have 14 pre-schools in Dhaka, Borga, Saidpur, and Khulna and in Chittagong. We also provide monthly fellowship to the camp students from class six to masters. We have skill development program for the camp youth to become a skilled labor and come out from poverty line.
Every baby begins to learn language sounds before they're even born. The camp kids start speaking with Urdu language so that they have to face problem in the Bengali medium primary school with the Bengali language. Council of Minorities has started a preschool in MCC Bihari Camp in Mirpur section – 11 in 2018 supported by Rotary Club Baridhara. Our pre-school invite 3 to 4 years old kids to learn Bangla language and practicing the schooling behavior. After the one year of pre- schooling they able to attend the Bangla medium school.
CoM operates a preschool specially designed for the Bihari community, providing early childhood education in a safe, inclusive, and culturally sensitive environment. The school focuses on nurturing young mindsthrough play-based learning, preparing them for a brighter academic future.
CoM operates preschools in Dhaka, Adamjee, Chittagong, Khulna, Bogura, and Saidpur, offering early childhood education to under served children. These preschools follow the National Curriculum of Bangladesh, supplemented withEarly Childhood Development resources to build foundational literacy, numeracy, and social skills. With bright, child-friendly classrooms, play areas, and sanitation facilities, these schools create nurturing environments for 764 students (336 boys and 428 girls). Co-curricular activities, including sports, art, music, and family engagement programs, enhance social and emotional development.
Scholarship Distribution
The Ahmad Family Foundation’s Fellowship programs in Dhaka,Chittagong, Khulna, Bogura, and Saidpur provide vital financial assistance to. Approximately 200 students annually. Covering tuition, and stipends, these fellowships enable students to pursue high school, college, university, and technical education. Many recipients have become successful professionals, contributing to their communities and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Professional Computer Course
Now we are living in age of digitalization. Computer and technology is most important part of this global job market. In 2021 we have piloting a professional Computer course with two students from Geneva Camp and Adamjee camp. Geneva Camp student, Mohammad Sojib has completed 3 month course on Video editing from Daffodil Skill Institution and now he is doing as freelancer video editor. Another student from Adamjee Camp, Sonu Islam has completed a 3 months course on graphic designing and after his course he got a job in Adamjee EPZ. Now both of them are empowered and earning a good amount of money and helping their families.
CoM also provide English Spoken Training and Computer Basic Training to the 10 camp living students to improve their skill and participate in the present jo market.
Computer and Laptop Distribution
CoM had distributed 3 Desktop to the 3 camp living students to continue their Diploma in Computer Science with the suupport of Setara Hasan and also distributed 10 Laptops to the University students for their skill improvement with the help of The Ahmad Family Foundation.
National Annual Youth Minority Leadership Summit
Since 2011, CoM has been organizing the National Urdu-speaking Youth Leadership Summit by inviting sixty Urdu-speaking youth from all the camps in Bangladesh. They attend three days of residential training on minority rights, leadership, community activism, personal skill development, and rights to housing, health and education. In March 2016, CoM hosted for the first time the three-day National Minority Youth Leadership Summit with the participation of seventy youth from different minority and indigenous groups of Bangladesh. Every year this summit gathers a group of youth from different minority and indigenous group and build their capacity to realize the community activism and encourage to become a community leader and resolve the existing community problem.
This leadership summit is a pioneering initiative of the Council of Minorities. It is the first ever minority leadership summit in Bangladesh that has been organized annually since 2011. It was first introduced by Mr. Khalid Hussain, Executive Director of the Council of Minorities & Ms. Hannah Sholder, a community development and affordable housing specialist based in the USA in 2011, after Ms. Sholder finished her Fulbright Scholarship in Bangladesh through which she studied the land rights situation and housing conditions of the camp-dwelling Urdu-speaking community. The first year the Summit was just introduced for the camp-dwelling youth in Mohammadpur neighborhood of Dhaka (which Ms. Sholder conducted her research), as a way to empower the youth to become leaders in their community’s development and less dependent on foreign aid. Over the next few the Summit was extended to camp-dwelling youth from wider Dhaka, then from across the country.
Objectives of the Summit:
● To identify high potential individuals from marginalized communities and preparing them to become leaders in their community’s development.
● To build a network of support between the youth to help strengthen their communities’ campaigns for equity, justice and human rights.
Advocacy
CoM is basically human rights and advocacy based organization. We do advocacy nationally and internationally on the issues of the minorities and indigenous community of Bangladesh. So far we have done so many advocacies on the issues of minorities and indigenous community.
CoM has an advocacy unit focusing on the different issues related to access to justice, citizenship and civil documentation. CoM has organized different strategic advocacy activities on the draft Bangladesh Citizenship Bill currently being considered at the Bangladesh Parliament. If passed by the Parliament, the Bangladesh Citizenship Bill will replace the 1951 Citizenship Act. The provisions in the Bill will create new situations of statelessness and perpetuate statelessness for some populations. CoM has organized a workshop, a roundtable, a press conference and a live radio show as advocacy strategies on the draft citizenship bill.
RESEARCH
Research component is one of the most important parts of CoM. We do research in different issues and try to find out the gaps and then we start advocacy on the issues. So far we have done many researches on Bihari camp dwellers and national minorities in Bangladesh.
CoM is implemented a research project on minority profile mapping in twenty districts within the five divisions in Bangladesh. This project is supported by the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee- BRAC, Human Rights and Legal Aid Services (BRAC-HRLS) department. Through this research project, CoM maps the different types of minorities in the twenty districts and the issues related to access to justice.
Land Rights (Community Led Development)
CoM land rights project focus on the Bihari-Urdu Speaking Camp community. After 2008 Bihari camp community recognized as Bangladeshi citizens. Since 1972 Biharis are living in 116 camps all over in Bangladesh. Now they are Bangladeshi citizens but their living condition is inhuman. Under the community led development project CoM has started working on land rights issues of the Geneva Camp and Adamjee camp residents. So far we have completed our 3rd phase. Firstly we have conducted focus group discussion in both camps and try to find out the way and choice of permanent rehabilitation of these two camps residents and then we have conducted household survey in both camps to find out the actual families inside the camps. In our 4th phase of community led development project we are going to establish community based organization CBOs and then the CBOs will start advocacy with government for their permanent rehabilitation in Bangladesh.
This project’s ultimate goal is to help the camp-dwelling Urdu-speaking community in Bangladesh secure their land rights and upgrade their housing and infrastructure. Starting in late 2019, our first phase included focus groups of youth, women and camp officials to hear their baseline thoughts about these issues, and begin some basic social and physical mapping of the camps. In 2020, during Phase II we expanded on these efforts by conducting a formal household census and establishing a support network of block leaders and project advisors. This preparatory work will continue into Phase III, in 2021, where we report the findings of our survey back to the community in block meetings and discuss their ideas further, work on detailing our geo-referenced maps of the camp housing and infrastructure, and initiate small projects to demonstrate the success of community-led development.
After catalyzing the community, we will formally establish a community development corporation (such as a community land trust) to negotiate and facilitate the transfer of land title to the community residents, as well as lead the upgrading efforts. These later phases will be primarily funded by the residents or specific funds set up for land acquisition.
Van & Rickshaw Distribution
With the support of The Ahmad Family Foundation a total number of 28 rickshaws and 18 vans have been distributed among the youth of the camp who used to earn their living by renting rickshaws and vans to keep their livelihood and improve their standard of living.
Sewing Machine Distribution
Now we are living in age of digitalization. Computer and technology is most important part of this global job market. In 2021 we have piloting a professional Computer course with two students from Geneva Camp and Adamjee camp. Geneva Camp student, Mohammad Sojib has completed 3 month course on Video editing from Daffodil Skill Institution and now he is doing as freelancer video editor. Another student from Adamjee Camp, Sonu Islam has completed a 3 months course on graphic designing and after his course he got a job in Adamjee EPZ. Now both of them are empowered and earning a good amount of money and helping their families.
HEALTH
Everyone has the right to health. Entitlements include access to adequate health care facilities and services, as well as appropriate State measures in relation to the socio-economic determinants of health, such as food, water and sanitation, safe and health working conditions, housing, and poverty. The right to health for all people means that everyone should have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without suffering financial hardship. When people are marginalized or face stigma or discrimination, their physical and mental health suffers. Discrimination in health care is unacceptable and is a major barrier to development.
The Ahmad Family Foundation (AFF) runs Weekly Health Clinics in Bogura, Khulna, Chittagong, and Adamjee to support underprivileged camp dwellers in maintaining their health. These clinics provide essential medical checkups, preventive care, and awareness sessions to promote healthier living. In addition, AFF distributes free medicines to poor and needy people, ensuring that financial hardship does not prevent them from receiving treatment. Through these initiatives, AFF is working to improve community well-being and reduce health inequalities among marginalized groups.
The Ahmed Family Foundation (AFF) is committed to improving the health and well-being of underprivileged communities by providing free medicine support. Many families living in camps and marginalized areas cannot afford essential medicines, which puts their health at serious risk. Through this initiative, AFF ensures that poor patients receive the treatment they need without financial burden. By supplying necessary medicines along with healthcare guidance, AFF not only helps people recover from illnesses but also promotes long-term community health and resilience. This ongoing support reflects AFF’s dedication to reducing health inequalities and building a healthier future for disadvantaged groups.
The Ahmed Family Foundation (AFF) operates the Model Clinic to provide vital health support for the residents of Geneva Camp. Around 5,550 to 6,000 families live in this camp, and they benefit from the clinic’s medical services, treatment, and healthcare guidance. This initiative plays a crucial role in ensuring accessible and affordable healthcare for one of the most underprivileged communities. Different type of service provide by Al Falah Model Clinic. like
- Health Check Up
- Vaccination
- Polio vaccine
- Circumcision
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Water Access
The Foundation installs clean and sustainable water sources such as deep tube wells, solar-powered pumps, or filtration systems in areas lacking safe drinking water. This ensures families, especially women and children, don’t have to walk long distances to fetch water and are protected from waterborne diseases.
Sanitation
To combat open defecation and poor waste disposal, the Foundation constructs hygienic toilet facilities in schools, refugee camps, and rural homes. These are designed to be eco-friendly, safe, and accessible for all, including women and people with disabilities.
Hygiene
Through community workshops, schools, and outreach programs, the Foundation promotes hygiene education, including proper handwashing, menstrual hygiene, and safe water storage practices. The aim is to instill lasting behavioral change to improve overall public health
Emergency Food Distribution at Bihari Camps in Bangladesh
Approximately four hundred thousand camp based Bihari Urdu Speaking Bangladeshis are living in 116 Camps in Bangladesh. They are Bangladeshi citizens according to 2003 and 2008 high court judgments. Currently they are passing their life in daily struggle because they are mostly engage in informal sector like barber, butcher, rikshapuller and handicraft worker. After the Covid19 effect and lockdown in the country camp dwellers are unable to go out for work and maintain their 3 times meals for their families. Day by day camp dwellers situation is going to worst and they are passing their life without 3 times meal. Even most of camp dwellers are living under poverty line and having 3 to 4 kids in a family. We had supported food support 5,170 families to survive in this crisis situation and helped 2,515 camp dwellers to get Covid-19 vaccination.
Legal empowerment approach through community paralegal
Approximately four hundred thousand camp based Bihari Urdu Speaking Bangladeshis are living in 116 Camps in Bangladesh. They are Bangladeshi citizens according to 2003 and 2008 high court judgments. Currently they are passing their life in daily struggle because they are mostly engage in informal sector like barber, butcher, rikshapuller and handicraft worker. After the high court judgments there are no any significant changes in their life. They are citizens and voter without any benefits. Considering the deprivation and sufferings of the Biharis caused by lack of full access to citizenship rights, CoM has been running since June 2013 a paralegal project entitled “Empowering Linguistic Minority to Realize Citizenship Rights in Bangladesh” in partnership with Nagorik Uddyog supported by Namati Inc. USA.
The project has the following objectives
# To build an effective model in using legal empowerment approaches, specifically community-based paralegals, to facilitate the acquisition and use of identity documents to gain access to rights and opportunities as part of the core content of citizenship;
# To gather robust evidence on the relationship between identity documentation and statelessness, including the current discriminatory government practice that may contribute to an ongoing lack of effective exercise of citizenship, despite the possession of identity documents;
#To encourage the use of this evidence in litigation and national or international advocacy efforts regarding access to effective citizenship rights by the Urdu-speaking Bangladeshis, if necessary.
What is the Work of the Paralegals
Paralegals do every day door-to-door visit and organize community group meeting and community forum. At paralegal centers, paralegals provide information about the law, prepare application documents in the paralegal center, and accompany the clients to the government office to apply and follow up on delays in processing, or denials, of the application. Every day, paralegals are doing outreach activities inside the Camp. During the outreach activities, they disseminate the message of the 2008 High Court of Bangladesh judgment, and the importance and uses of the civil documentation like birth certificate, national identity card, passport, trade license and other services. Every day, the paralegals visit at least five houses in their rotational weekly plan. The paralegals interacted so far with 8,620 Camp dwellers through their daily outreach activities. CoM has been providing paralegal support through six community- based paralegal centers in Dhaka (Mirpur and Mohammadpur), Mymensingh, Khulna, Chittagong and Syedpur. Camp dwellers and others who have questions on or need for legal support come to the paralegal centers. Fifteen youth are assigned as community-based paralegals to provide knowledge on law and government information to the community people and give skills training on negotiation, community education, organizing and advocacy to enable them to seek concrete solutions to instances of injustice. In addition, serving as dynamic “frontline” of justice service providers, paralegals focus on empowerment. They are not only working to resolve legal issues but also to build the people’s capacity to deal with problems related with access to justice in the future.
Legal Education
Paralegals organize community group meetings and community legal forums every month. They invite ten to fifteen women, men, boys and girls to attend the community group meeting where they learn about the 2008 High Court judgment and how it ended the statelessness of the Biharis. They discuss also the importance and uses of the civil documentations in their daily life.
Legal Empowerment for Women and Youth groups
The CoM established a pro bono legal empowerment women’s group in 2014 in the six centers. Forty women attend a monthly session to enhance their legal knowledge that they disseminate to their neighbors. They also help the paralegals do outreach work, organizing community group meeting and community legal forum. In the same way, CoM has pro bono youth group in the six centers. They are helping the paralegals organize meeting and forum and also assisting the camp dwellers to obtain civil documentations like the paid paralegals. The establishment of these two pro bono groups is one way of making the paralegal project sustainable. When support from donors of the paralegal project ends, these pro bono women and youth will help the camp dwellers in the documentation needs.
Legal empowerment approach through community paralegal
Approximately four hundred thousand camp based Bihari Urdu Speaking Bangladeshis are living in 116 Camps in Bangladesh. They are Bangladeshi citizens according to 2003 and 2008 high court judgments. Currently they are passing their life in daily struggle because they are mostly engage in informal sector like barber, butcher, rikshapuller and handicraft worker. After the high court judgments there are no any significant changes in their life. They are citizens and voter without any benefits. Considering the deprivation and sufferings of the Biharis caused by lack of full access to citizenship rights, CoM has been running since June 2013 a paralegal project entitled “Empowering Linguistic Minority to Realize Citizenship Rights in Bangladesh” in partnership with Nagorik Uddyog supported by Namati Inc. USA.
The project has the following objectives
# To build an effective model in using legal empowerment approaches, specifically community-based paralegals, to facilitate the acquisition and use of identity documents to gain access to rights and opportunities as part of the core content of citizenship;
# To gather robust evidence on the relationship between identity documentation and statelessness, including the current discriminatory government practice that may contribute to an ongoing lack of effective exercise of citizenship, despite the possession of identity documents;
#To encourage the use of this evidence in litigation and national or international advocacy efforts regarding access to effective citizenship rights by the Urdu-speaking Bangladeshis, if necessary.
What is the Work of the Paralegals
Paralegals do every day door-to-door visit and organize community group meeting and community forum. At paralegal centers, paralegals provide information about the law, prepare application documents in the paralegal center, and accompany the clients to the government office to apply and follow up on delays in processing, or denials, of the application. Every day, paralegals are doing outreach activities inside the Camp. During the outreach activities, they disseminate the message of the 2008 High Court of Bangladesh judgment, and the importance and uses of the civil documentation like birth certificate, national identity card, passport, trade license and other services. Every day, the paralegals visit at least five houses in their rotational weekly plan. The paralegals interacted so far with 8,620 Camp dwellers through their daily outreach activities. CoM has been providing paralegal support through six community- based paralegal centers in Dhaka (Mirpur and Mohammadpur), Mymensingh, Khulna, Chittagong and Syedpur. Camp dwellers and others who have questions on or need for legal support come to the paralegal centers. Fifteen youth are assigned as community-based paralegals to provide knowledge on law and government information to the community people and give skills training on negotiation, community education, organizing and advocacy to enable them to seek concrete solutions to instances of injustice. In addition, serving as dynamic “frontline” of justice service providers, paralegals focus on empowerment. They are not only working to resolve legal issues but also to build the people’s capacity to deal with problems related with access to justice in the future.
Legal Education
Paralegals organize community group meetings and community legal forums every month. They invite ten to fifteen women, men, boys and girls to attend the community group meeting where they learn about the 2008 High Court judgment and how it ended the statelessness of the Biharis. They discuss also the importance and uses of the civil documentations in their daily life.
Legal Empowerment for Women and Youth groups
The CoM established a pro bono legal empowerment women’s group in 2014 in the six centers. Forty women attend a monthly session to enhance their legal knowledge that they disseminate to their neighbors. They also help the paralegals do outreach work, organizing community group meeting and community legal forum. In the same way, CoM has pro bono youth group in the six centers. They are helping the paralegals organize meeting and forum and also assisting the camp dwellers to obtain civil documentations like the paid paralegals. The establishment of these two pro bono groups is one way of making the paralegal project sustainable. When support from donors of the paralegal project ends, these pro bono women and youth will help the camp dwellers in the documentation needs.
Pre-school
ESD project focus on education and skill development of camp based Bihari-Urdu Speaking Bangladeshi community. We have 14 pre-schools in Dhaka, Borga, Saidpur, and Khulna and in Chittagong. We also provide monthly fellowship to the camp students from class six to masters. We have skill development program for the camp youth to become a skilled labor and come out from poverty line.
Every baby begins to learn language sounds before they're even born. The camp kids start speaking with Urdu language so that they have to face problem in the Bengali medium primary school with the Bengali language. Council of Minorities has started a preschool in MCC Bihari Camp in Mirpur section – 11 in 2018 supported by Rotary Club Baridhara. Our pre-school invite 3 to 4 years old kids to learn Bangla language and practicing the schooling behavior. After the one year of pre- schooling they able to attend the Bangla medium school.
CoM operates a preschool specially designed for the Bihari community, providing early childhood education in a safe, inclusive, and culturally sensitive environment. The school focuses on nurturing young mindsthrough play-based learning, preparing them for a brighter academic future.
CoM operates preschools in Dhaka, Adamjee, Chittagong, Khulna, Bogura, and Saidpur, offering early childhood education to under served children. These preschools follow the National Curriculum of Bangladesh, supplemented withEarly Childhood Development resources to build foundational literacy, numeracy, and social skills. With bright, child-friendly classrooms, play areas, and sanitation facilities, these schools create nurturing environments for 764 students (336 boys and 428 girls). Co-curricular activities, including sports, art, music, and family engagement programs, enhance social and emotional development.
Scholarship Distribution
The Ahmad Family Foundation’s Fellowship programs in Dhaka,Chittagong, Khulna, Bogura, and Saidpur provide vital financial assistance to. Approximately 200 students annually. Covering tuition, and stipends, these fellowships enable students to pursue high school, college, university, and technical education. Many recipients have become successful professionals, contributing to their communities and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Professional Computer Course
Now we are living in age of digitalization. Computer and technology is most important part of this global job market. In 2021 we have piloting a professional Computer course with two students from Geneva Camp and Adamjee camp. Geneva Camp student, Mohammad Sojib has completed 3 month course on Video editing from Daffodil Skill Institution and now he is doing as freelancer video editor. Another student from Adamjee Camp, Sonu Islam has completed a 3 months course on graphic designing and after his course he got a job in Adamjee EPZ. Now both of them are empowered and earning a good amount of money and helping their families.
CoM also provide English Spoken Training and Computer Basic Training to the 10 camp living students to improve their skill and participate in the present jo market.
Computer and Laptop Distribution
CoM had distributed 3 Desktop to the 3 camp living students to continue their Diploma in Computer Science with the suupport of Setara Hasan and also distributed 10 Laptops to the University students for their skill improvement with the help of The Ahmad Family Foundation.
National Annual Youth Minority Leadership Summit
Since 2011, CoM has been organizing the National Urdu-speaking Youth Leadership Summit by inviting sixty Urdu-speaking youth from all the camps in Bangladesh. They attend three days of residential training on minority rights, leadership, community activism, personal skill development, and rights to housing, health and education. In March 2016, CoM hosted for the first time the three-day National Minority Youth Leadership Summit with the participation of seventy youth from different minority and indigenous groups of Bangladesh. Every year this summit gathers a group of youth from different minority and indigenous group and build their capacity to realize the community activism and encourage to become a community leader and resolve the existing community problem.
This leadership summit is a pioneering initiative of the Council of Minorities. It is the first ever minority leadership summit in Bangladesh that has been organized annually since 2011. It was first introduced by Mr. Khalid Hussain, Executive Director of the Council of Minorities & Ms. Hannah Sholder, a community development and affordable housing specialist based in the USA in 2011, after Ms. Sholder finished her Fulbright Scholarship in Bangladesh through which she studied the land rights situation and housing conditions of the camp-dwelling Urdu-speaking community. The first year the Summit was just introduced for the camp-dwelling youth in Mohammadpur neighborhood of Dhaka (which Ms. Sholder conducted her research), as a way to empower the youth to become leaders in their community’s development and less dependent on foreign aid. Over the next few the Summit was extended to camp-dwelling youth from wider Dhaka, then from across the country.
Objectives of the Summit:
● To identify high potential individuals from marginalized communities and preparing them to become leaders in their community’s development.
● To build a network of support between the youth to help strengthen their communities’ campaigns for equity, justice and human rights.
Legal empowerment approach through community paralegal
Approximately four hundred thousand camp based Bihari Urdu Speaking Bangladeshis are living in 116 Camps in Bangladesh. They are Bangladeshi citizens according to 2003 and 2008 high court judgments. Currently they are passing their life in daily struggle because they are mostly engage in informal sector like barber, butcher, rikshapuller and handicraft worker. After the high court judgments there are no any significant changes in their life. They are citizens and voter without any benefits. Considering the deprivation and sufferings of the Biharis caused by lack of full access to citizenship rights, CoM has been running since June 2013 a paralegal project entitled “Empowering Linguistic Minority to Realize Citizenship Rights in Bangladesh” in partnership with Nagorik Uddyog supported by Namati Inc. USA.
The project has the following objectives
# To build an effective model in using legal empowerment approaches, specifically community-based paralegals, to facilitate the acquisition and use of identity documents to gain access to rights and opportunities as part of the core content of citizenship;
# To gather robust evidence on the relationship between identity documentation and statelessness, including the current discriminatory government practice that may contribute to an ongoing lack of effective exercise of citizenship, despite the possession of identity documents;
#To encourage the use of this evidence in litigation and national or international advocacy efforts regarding access to effective citizenship rights by the Urdu-speaking Bangladeshis, if necessary.
What is the Work of the Paralegals
Paralegals do every day door-to-door visit and organize community group meeting and community forum. At paralegal centers, paralegals provide information about the law, prepare application documents in the paralegal center, and accompany the clients to the government office to apply and follow up on delays in processing, or denials, of the application. Every day, paralegals are doing outreach activities inside the Camp. During the outreach activities, they disseminate the message of the 2008 High Court of Bangladesh judgment, and the importance and uses of the civil documentation like birth certificate, national identity card, passport, trade license and other services. Every day, the paralegals visit at least five houses in their rotational weekly plan. The paralegals interacted so far with 8,620 Camp dwellers through their daily outreach activities. CoM has been providing paralegal support through six community- based paralegal centers in Dhaka (Mirpur and Mohammadpur), Mymensingh, Khulna, Chittagong and Syedpur. Camp dwellers and others who have questions on or need for legal support come to the paralegal centers. Fifteen youth are assigned as community-based paralegals to provide knowledge on law and government information to the community people and give skills training on negotiation, community education, organizing and advocacy to enable them to seek concrete solutions to instances of injustice. In addition, serving as dynamic “frontline” of justice service providers, paralegals focus on empowerment. They are not only working to resolve legal issues but also to build the people’s capacity to deal with problems related with access to justice in the future.
Legal Education
Paralegals organize community group meetings and community legal forums every month. They invite ten to fifteen women, men, boys and girls to attend the community group meeting where they learn about the 2008 High Court judgment and how it ended the statelessness of the Biharis. They discuss also the importance and uses of the civil documentations in their daily life.
Legal Empowerment for Women and Youth groups
The CoM established a pro bono legal empowerment women’s group in 2014 in the six centers. Forty women attend a monthly session to enhance their legal knowledge that they disseminate to their neighbors. They also help the paralegals do outreach work, organizing community group meeting and community legal forum. In the same way, CoM has pro bono youth group in the six centers. They are helping the paralegals organize meeting and forum and also assisting the camp dwellers to obtain civil documentations like the paid paralegals. The establishment of these two pro bono groups is one way of making the paralegal project sustainable. When support from donors of the paralegal project ends, these pro bono women and youth will help the camp dwellers in the documentation needs.
Pre-school
ESD project focus on education and skill development of camp based Bihari-Urdu Speaking Bangladeshi community. We have 14 pre-schools in Dhaka, Borga, Saidpur, and Khulna and in Chittagong. We also provide monthly fellowship to the camp students from class six to masters. We have skill development program for the camp youth to become a skilled labor and come out from poverty line.
Every baby begins to learn language sounds before they're even born. The camp kids start speaking with Urdu language so that they have to face problem in the Bengali medium primary school with the Bengali language. Council of Minorities has started a preschool in MCC Bihari Camp in Mirpur section – 11 in 2018 supported by Rotary Club Baridhara. Our pre-school invite 3 to 4 years old kids to learn Bangla language and practicing the schooling behavior. After the one year of pre- schooling they able to attend the Bangla medium school.
CoM operates a preschool specially designed for the Bihari community, providing early childhood education in a safe, inclusive, and culturally sensitive environment. The school focuses on nurturing young mindsthrough play-based learning, preparing them for a brighter academic future.
CoM operates preschools in Dhaka, Adamjee, Chittagong, Khulna, Bogura, and Saidpur, offering early childhood education to under served children. These preschools follow the National Curriculum of Bangladesh, supplemented withEarly Childhood Development resources to build foundational literacy, numeracy, and social skills. With bright, child-friendly classrooms, play areas, and sanitation facilities, these schools create nurturing environments for 764 students (336 boys and 428 girls). Co-curricular activities, including sports, art, music, and family engagement programs, enhance social and emotional development.
Scholarship Distribution
The Ahmad Family Foundation’s Fellowship programs in Dhaka,Chittagong, Khulna, Bogura, and Saidpur provide vital financial assistance to. Approximately 200 students annually. Covering tuition, and stipends, these fellowships enable students to pursue high school, college, university, and technical education. Many recipients have become successful professionals, contributing to their communities and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Professional Computer Course
Now we are living in age of digitalization. Computer and technology is most important part of this global job market. In 2021 we have piloting a professional Computer course with two students from Geneva Camp and Adamjee camp. Geneva Camp student, Mohammad Sojib has completed 3 month course on Video editing from Daffodil Skill Institution and now he is doing as freelancer video editor. Another student from Adamjee Camp, Sonu Islam has completed a 3 months course on graphic designing and after his course he got a job in Adamjee EPZ. Now both of them are empowered and earning a good amount of money and helping their families.
CoM also provide English Spoken Training and Computer Basic Training to the 10 camp living students to improve their skill and participate in the present jo market.
Computer and Laptop Distribution
CoM had distributed 3 Desktop to the 3 camp living students to continue their Diploma in Computer Science with the suupport of Setara Hasan and also distributed 10 Laptops to the University students for their skill improvement with the help of The Ahmad Family Foundation.
National Annual Youth Minority Leadership Summit
Since 2011, CoM has been organizing the National Urdu-speaking Youth Leadership Summit by inviting sixty Urdu-speaking youth from all the camps in Bangladesh. They attend three days of residential training on minority rights, leadership, community activism, personal skill development, and rights to housing, health and education. In March 2016, CoM hosted for the first time the three-day National Minority Youth Leadership Summit with the participation of seventy youth from different minority and indigenous groups of Bangladesh. Every year this summit gathers a group of youth from different minority and indigenous group and build their capacity to realize the community activism and encourage to become a community leader and resolve the existing community problem.
This leadership summit is a pioneering initiative of the Council of Minorities. It is the first ever minority leadership summit in Bangladesh that has been organized annually since 2011. It was first introduced by Mr. Khalid Hussain, Executive Director of the Council of Minorities & Ms. Hannah Sholder, a community development and affordable housing specialist based in the USA in 2011, after Ms. Sholder finished her Fulbright Scholarship in Bangladesh through which she studied the land rights situation and housing conditions of the camp-dwelling Urdu-speaking community. The first year the Summit was just introduced for the camp-dwelling youth in Mohammadpur neighborhood of Dhaka (which Ms. Sholder conducted her research), as a way to empower the youth to become leaders in their community’s development and less dependent on foreign aid. Over the next few the Summit was extended to camp-dwelling youth from wider Dhaka, then from across the country.
Objectives of the Summit:
● To identify high potential individuals from marginalized communities and preparing them to become leaders in their community’s development.
● To build a network of support between the youth to help strengthen their communities’ campaigns for equity, justice and human rights.
Advocacy
CoM is basically human rights and advocacy based organization. We do advocacy nationally and internationally on the issues of the minorities and indigenous community of Bangladesh. So far we have done so many advocacies on the issues of minorities and indigenous community.
CoM has an advocacy unit focusing on the different issues related to access to justice, citizenship and civil documentation. CoM has organized different strategic advocacy activities on the draft Bangladesh Citizenship Bill currently being considered at the Bangladesh Parliament. If passed by the Parliament, the Bangladesh Citizenship Bill will replace the 1951 Citizenship Act. The provisions in the Bill will create new situations of statelessness and perpetuate statelessness for some populations. CoM has organized a workshop, a roundtable, a press conference and a live radio show as advocacy strategies on the draft citizenship bill.
RESEARCH
Research component is one of the most important parts of CoM. We do research in different issues and try to find out the gaps and then we start advocacy on the issues. So far we have done many researches on Bihari camp dwellers and national minorities in Bangladesh.
CoM is implemented a research project on minority profile mapping in twenty districts within the five divisions in Bangladesh. This project is supported by the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee- BRAC, Human Rights and Legal Aid Services (BRAC-HRLS) department. Through this research project, CoM maps the different types of minorities in the twenty districts and the issues related to access to justice.
Land Rights (Community Led Development)
CoM land rights project focus on the Bihari-Urdu Speaking Camp community. After 2008 Bihari camp community recognized as Bangladeshi citizens. Since 1972 Biharis are living in 116 camps all over in Bangladesh. Now they are Bangladeshi citizens but their living condition is inhuman. Under the community led development project CoM has started working on land rights issues of the Geneva Camp and Adamjee camp residents. So far we have completed our 3rd phase. Firstly we have conducted focus group discussion in both camps and try to find out the way and choice of permanent rehabilitation of these two camps residents and then we have conducted household survey in both camps to find out the actual families inside the camps. In our 4th phase of community led development project we are going to establish community based organization CBOs and then the CBOs will start advocacy with government for their permanent rehabilitation in Bangladesh.
This project’s ultimate goal is to help the camp-dwelling Urdu-speaking community in Bangladesh secure their land rights and upgrade their housing and infrastructure. Starting in late 2019, our first phase included focus groups of youth, women and camp officials to hear their baseline thoughts about these issues, and begin some basic social and physical mapping of the camps. In 2020, during Phase II we expanded on these efforts by conducting a formal household census and establishing a support network of block leaders and project advisors. This preparatory work will continue into Phase III, in 2021, where we report the findings of our survey back to the community in block meetings and discuss their ideas further, work on detailing our geo-referenced maps of the camp housing and infrastructure, and initiate small projects to demonstrate the success of community-led development.
After catalyzing the community, we will formally establish a community development corporation (such as a community land trust) to negotiate and facilitate the transfer of land title to the community residents, as well as lead the upgrading efforts. These later phases will be primarily funded by the residents or specific funds set up for land acquisition.
Van & Rickshaw Distribution
With the support of The Ahmad Family Foundation a total number of 28 rickshaws and 18 vans have been distributed among the youth of the camp who used to earn their living by renting rickshaws and vans to keep their livelihood and improve their standard of living.
Sewing Machine Distribution
Now we are living in age of digitalization. Computer and technology is most important part of this global job market. In 2021 we have piloting a professional Computer course with two students from Geneva Camp and Adamjee camp. Geneva Camp student, Mohammad Sojib has completed 3 month course on Video editing from Daffodil Skill Institution and now he is doing as freelancer video editor. Another student from Adamjee Camp, Sonu Islam has completed a 3 months course on graphic designing and after his course he got a job in Adamjee EPZ. Now both of them are empowered and earning a good amount of money and helping their families.
HEALTH
Everyone has the right to health. Entitlements include access to adequate health care facilities and services, as well as appropriate State measures in relation to the socio-economic determinants of health, such as food, water and sanitation, safe and health working conditions, housing, and poverty. The right to health for all people means that everyone should have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without suffering financial hardship. When people are marginalized or face stigma or discrimination, their physical and mental health suffers. Discrimination in health care is unacceptable and is a major barrier to development.
The Ahmad Family Foundation (AFF) runs Weekly Health Clinics in Bogura, Khulna, Chittagong, and Adamjee to support underprivileged camp dwellers in maintaining their health. These clinics provide essential medical checkups, preventive care, and awareness sessions to promote healthier living. In addition, AFF distributes free medicines to poor and needy people, ensuring that financial hardship does not prevent them from receiving treatment. Through these initiatives, AFF is working to improve community well-being and reduce health inequalities among marginalized groups.
The Ahmed Family Foundation (AFF) is committed to improving the health and well-being of underprivileged communities by providing free medicine support. Many families living in camps and marginalized areas cannot afford essential medicines, which puts their health at serious risk. Through this initiative, AFF ensures that poor patients receive the treatment they need without financial burden. By supplying necessary medicines along with healthcare guidance, AFF not only helps people recover from illnesses but also promotes long-term community health and resilience. This ongoing support reflects AFF’s dedication to reducing health inequalities and building a healthier future for disadvantaged groups.
The Ahmed Family Foundation (AFF) operates the Model Clinic to provide vital health support for the residents of Geneva Camp. Around 5,550 to 6,000 families live in this camp, and they benefit from the clinic’s medical services, treatment, and healthcare guidance. This initiative plays a crucial role in ensuring accessible and affordable healthcare for one of the most underprivileged communities. Different type of service provide by Al Falah Model Clinic. like
- Health Check Up
- Vaccination
- Polio vaccine
- Circumcision
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Water Access
The Foundation installs clean and sustainable water sources such as deep tube wells, solar-powered pumps, or filtration systems in areas lacking safe drinking water. This ensures families, especially women and children, don’t have to walk long distances to fetch water and are protected from waterborne diseases.
Sanitation
To combat open defecation and poor waste disposal, the Foundation constructs hygienic toilet facilities in schools, refugee camps, and rural homes. These are designed to be eco-friendly, safe, and accessible for all, including women and people with disabilities.
Hygiene
Through community workshops, schools, and outreach programs, the Foundation promotes hygiene education, including proper handwashing, menstrual hygiene, and safe water storage practices. The aim is to instill lasting behavioral change to improve overall public health
Emergency Food Distribution at Bihari Camps in Bangladesh
Approximately four hundred thousand camp based Bihari Urdu Speaking Bangladeshis are living in 116 Camps in Bangladesh. They are Bangladeshi citizens according to 2003 and 2008 high court judgments. Currently they are passing their life in daily struggle because they are mostly engage in informal sector like barber, butcher, rikshapuller and handicraft worker. After the Covid19 effect and lockdown in the country camp dwellers are unable to go out for work and maintain their 3 times meals for their families. Day by day camp dwellers situation is going to worst and they are passing their life without 3 times meal. Even most of camp dwellers are living under poverty line and having 3 to 4 kids in a family. We had supported food support 5,170 families to survive in this crisis situation and helped 2,515 camp dwellers to get Covid-19 vaccination.