Rural Entrepreneurs

Goal & objectives

The goal of ADI is to bring livelihood security of poorer households by involving them in development activities. The specific objectives of ADI are:

To develop rural women’s institution for restoring and protecting their interest that would help establish their rights and realize their role in the society

To help rural community to improve their capacity to avail local resources and available services

To help rural poor communities to develop entrepreneurs

To generate community awareness about environmental degradation and assist them to conservation of natural resources.

How do we manage?

All program activities of ADI are implemented by a team of 20 development workers headed by Chief Executive. The Chief Executive is backed up by an Executive Committee (EC) of 7 members. The EC meets every three months to review program activities and provide necessary inputs for better implementation of the programs. In addition, there is a 7-member Local Management Committee (LC) at the field level to plan, review and assist implementation of project activities.

Whom we are affiliated?

ADI maintains close contacts with various development associations and forum. As an active member, ADI take part in every important meetings, seminars and workshops of CDF (Credit Development Forum), NGO Forum and Micro credit.

Our Partners in Development work :

Canadian CIDA

MISEREOR ,Germany

GTZ(German Technical Cooperation)

ATTP

USAID

IFDC

Department of Fisheries & World Food Program (WFP)

BRAC,Proshika & NGO-Forum

PKSF

Banks & Financial Institutions like: AB Bank,Soanli,Pubali,Mutual Trust Bank

Where we work?

ADI is working in 7 districts (Magura, Faridpur, Norail, Dhaka, Gajipur, Chandpur and Comilla) covering 17 upazilas, 65 unions and 356 villages. Detailed information on ADI working area is presented below:

With whom?

ADI is working with the most vulnerable section of the community, of those women and adolescents are specially prioritized.

ADI Performance at a glimpse (Some of the important interventions ADI has so far performed)

1. Project Name: “Empowerment of Rural Women (ERW)”, Funded by MISEREOR, Germany
Project Duration: October 95 to November 98.
Objective: To educate and empower the disadvantaged rural women through involving them confidently in development activities.

Activities include:

A total of 60 women groups were formed from 23 villages of 6 unions.

Base line status of the project beneficiaries with various perimeters was collected through rapid rural appraisal resource inventory and household census.

Total 536 group members were trained on different subjects.

Credit support of Tk. 2 Lac among 50 poor women.

Legal support provided to the 15 victims.

20 Adult education centers had introduced covering 400 beneficiaries.

2. Project Name: Women in Natural Resource Management”, Funded by Canadian CIDA
Project Duration: January 1995 to February 1997
Objective: Generate community awareness about environmental degradation and conservation of natural resource management.

Activities include :

A natural resource inventory of the project area was done by the project staff

Staff Orientation training was conducted for all the project staff. A total of 717 beneficiaries were trained on various subjects through 30 courses.

Under the school environmental education program’ a total of 971 students were involved in nature conservation activities.

In order to adopt eco-friendly agriculture practices a total of 96 group members & local communities were motivated and assisted to prepare and demonstrate organic pit at a suitable location in their homestead out of every day household wastage.

2000 plant samplings were supplied among the group members. Besides this, 304 group members planted 6784 trees.

4 nurseries were developed by the project beneficiaries and had grown 19,246 saplings of different species of trees.

3. Project Name: Development of Sustainable Aquaculture Practices. Funded by USAID-World Fish Centre
Project Duration: 1999-2005
Objective: To improve technical, social and nutritional status of the pond/ fish farmers and establish sustainable aquaculture practices at the local level.

Activities include :

Baseline survey was conducted in each of the pond to generate baseline description of the state and status of pond and existing productivity.

Total of 3400 ponds were selected and introduced 10 kinds of low cost technology.

A total of 175 Demonstration Farmers Group were formed consisted of 15-20 members each.

All the farmers have trained on 10 different technology of fish culture for two days.

Input support has provided to the pond operators as grant.

Generate mass awareness 91 rallies were organized attended by 15,500 villagers, and 32 cross visit were organized where 484 persons visited from the other areas.

6- Gift seed production pond were demonstrated in the project area.

Fish production was 9-14 kg / dec./year.

4. Project Name: Carp-cum-Prawn culture in Ponds, Funded by USAID (technical assistance from (Proshika-BARC)
Project Duration: 1999-2001
Objective: Transfer the carp-cum-prawn culture technology among the 14 pond operators through demonstrating the technology at selected farmer’s ponds.

Activities include :

Baseline survey was conducted in all the 14 demonstration ponds covering 4.53 acres.

14 Demonstration farmers were trained on carp cum prawn culture.

A total of 33,975 fingerlings were stocked (18,120 were carp fingerlings and 15,855 were prawn post-larvae (juvenile). Farmers were provided with input support to carry out fish culture activities.

In the first year average gross Fish production was 5,426 kg/ha/y and the net production was found 5,090 kg/ha/y. While in the second year, average gross production of 4,515 kg/ha/y was obtained and the net production was recorded 4,313 kg/ha/y.

To disseminate the result among the fellow farmers, local community, and Government and non-government organization, 4 field day and 2 workshops were organized during the project period.

5. Project Name: Organic Agriculture through improved Land use practices, Funded by Canadian CIDA
Project Duration: Novembr’1999 October 2001
Objective: To improve the livelihood status of the rural poor households through enhancing their capacity towards sustainable management of local resources.

Activities include :

Total of 60 group members were trained on “organic agriculture”

Total of 30 group members on “nursery development”.

Four rural nursery were developed and the developers were provided with technical and financial (Tk.20,000 each) support by ADI.

A permanent organic farming demonstration plot has been developed by the organization to motivate community people towards practicing environmental friendly organic agriculture method. Eight farmers have been selected to demonstration the organic agriculture method in their land.

Two school education programs have been organized to create awareness about the environmental degradation and the conservation strategy of natural resources among the school students.

Five farmers have been selected and trained on “Paddy fish culture” from 3 villages.

Total of 238 decimal paddy field was cultured.

6. Project Name: Micro Credit Program, Funded by ASA, PKSF, AB-Bank, BRAC Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, Pubali Bank
Project Duration: From 1994 up to now

Objectives :

To eradicate poverty and to increase household income of the rural poor

To provide credit among the group members to reduce dependency on local maney lenders

To stimulate rural- based non- farm activities for the group members/

To create employment opportunity for group members through locally viable small trading

To introduce alternative financial opportunity for the members for their easy access to credit/

To develop the member’s capacities through income generation activities and utilize the local market as a counter -balance against the monopoly of local businessmen.

Activities include :

Total of 18433 group members have been organized into 1471 different micro credit groups

Cumulative loan disbursement is Tk. 728,870,180

Outstanding credit fund is Tk. 94,072,230

Total accumulated cumulative group savings is Tk.100,105,117 and outstanding savings is Tk. 29,053,995

The repayment rate is about 99.5%.

Various skill development training courses have been conducted for the group members viz. Poultry and livestock, hand stitch, tailoring, food processing, nursery development, fish culture.

To enhance group management skills, the organization has been imparting training on “ group management ’ for the group leaders.

Knowledge based issues is being discussed for the livelihood development of the group members.

7. Project Name: “Rural Water and Sanitation”, Funded by NGO Forum for drinking water supply and sanitation.
Project Duration: 1997-2004
Objective: To improve health condition and prevent water born diseases among the rural households

Activities include :

Two rural sanitation centers have been established.

Every year a total of 1200 set of low-cost rings and slabs are being prepared and distributed among the group members and community people in the area by ADI

8. Project Name: Micro Enterprise Project. ”, Funded by PkSF & Arab Bangladesh Bank
Project Duration: Continued
Objective: To enhance the family income of the poor people and involve them more efficiently in small scale micro enterprises based on credit programs.

Activities include :

Up to May 2009 a total Tk. 70, 576, 000 has been disbursed of which outstanding taka is 23,834,177 among 605 beneficiaries.

A total of Tk.4,766,514 has been accumulated as saving-fund by the ME members.

9. Project Name: Cow rearing and beef fattening training program for Livestock development Funded by IFDC (USAID) under STEM grant.
Project Duration: March-August 1999.
Objective: To strengthen the capacity of rural women and to enhance the knowledge on improved livestock rearing,

Activities include :

250 Participants were selected from 20 villages within 5 unit offices. The training was conducted in 9 batches. The content of the training followed the Livestock Training manual provided by ATDP (Agricultural Technology Development Program).

10. Project Name: Dissemination of Improved Cook Stove, Funded by GTZ (German Technical Cooperation)
Project Duration: 26 April 2009 to 31 October 2009
Objective: To popularize the instillation and usage of ICS in ADI’s working area aiming to replace traditional woven that utilize biomass fuel very inefficiently and cause environmental hazards.

Activities include :

Selection of 25 local unemployed young people of the project area

Organize a 5 day long training course on the manufacturing training of ICS and train up 25 people

An exhibition is organized for wider dissemination of ICS, where local people will have the opportunity to see the ICS and to discuss with manufacturers.

Holding meetings with local elities on different aspects of ICS.especially on health and energy savings aspects.

Preparation of promotional materials like leaflets,poster and distribute them among potential customers

Installation of ICS at premises of households and institutions on cash or installment basis

Ensure the quality of ICS and provide after sale services

Provide GTZ necessary technical and financial reports