SUPPORT TO NGO FORUM

NGO Forum emerged as an NGO in 1982 in response to the demand expressed by NGOs to improve the water supply and sanitation situation during the ‘International Water Supply and Sanitation Decade’ and was also part of Danida’s WSSPS Phase I in 1999-2005.
Presently NGO Forum is working as an apex networking and service delivery agency of 665 NGOs and Community-bases Organisations (CBOs) and 431 Private Sector Operators( PSOs) that implement Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) programmes to improve water supply and sanitation both in rural and urban areas. Since its emergence, NGO Forum has improved its operational and management capabilities and has gradually extended its outreach covering the whole country through 14 regional offices strategically positioned to provide support to its partners more effectively.

To ensure sustainable community participation, NGO Forum is concentrating on building the capacity of Local Governments Institutions (LGIs) and, with the support of facilitating NGOs, intensively involve them to take a lead role in promoting community-led total sanitation, safe water for all and promoting improved hygiene behaviour among community people.
NGO Forum is providing necessary training to NGOs in order to ensure that it can extend necessary support to LGIs effectively. To respond to water and sanitation demands generated through community mobilisation and motivational campaigns, NGO Forum is furthermore assisting PSOs with capacity building support and start-up funds to produce and supply WatSan hardware at the local level.

The primary focus of this component within the WSSPS Phase II is:

• to strengthening the capacity of LGIs, PSOs and NGOs
• to improveme safe hygiene practices
• to promote community-led total sanitation, and
• to increase coverage of safe water supply services.

The immediate objectives and outputs of the project are:

1. Capacity of all relevant stakeholders strengthened to play the roles required to promote safe hygiene behaviour, hygienic sanitation and safe water supply with emphasis on poor and disadvantaged groups:
• Knowledge, awareness, motivation and skills of Facilitating Non-Governmental Organisations (FNGOs), PSOs, LGIs and relevant stakeholders increased to lead Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), safe hygiene behaviour and safe water supply at community level.
• Knowledge and skills of local theatre/cultural groups enhanced to play catalytic role in promotion of safe water and sanitation and hygiene issues at community level.
• Advocacy & networking with policy-makers and civil society strengthened to facilitate promotion of enabling sectoral policies and relevant issues. 
• Capacity of the PSOs and CBOs to facilitate access to and availability of low-cost appropriate hygienic latrine and safe water option increased.
2. Capacity of NGO Forum enhanced to operate as a Centre of Excellence in the water and sanitation sector: 
• Operation & management capacity of NGO Forum enhanced. 
• Organisational income increased to reduce donor dependency gradually.

The Project is implemented in 350 un-served and underserved unions in 104 Upazilas of 45 districts. Its guiding principles are: (i) human rights and social justice, (ii) poverty focus and empowerment of the disadvantaged poor, (iii) environment, (iv) gender and (v) good governance.

The primary target groups are poor women, men and children, members of LGIs, NGOs/CBOs, PSOs, and sector stakeholders and other sector programme support components.

The overall budget for the project is DKK 43.094 million for a period of five years – January 2006 to December 2010. NGO Forum and Beneficiaries contribute with DKK 2.094 Million while Danida’s contribution accounts for DKK 41 million.

For further details, please visit NGO Forum