Rupantar focuses all its initiatives under five programmatic areas as follows:
A. Democracy & Political Empowerment
B. Peace & Tolerance
C. Disaster Management & Climate change adaptation
D. Children & Youth Rights
E.Popular Media & Folk Theatre
DEMOCRACY & POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT:
Rupantar Strengthening local governance is a central government priority and various legislations have been enacted or reformed to this end, which presents opportunities for organizations working on strengthening governance and social accountability. The 2009 Pourashava Act provides for people’s participation and involvement in planning and budgeting. More importantly, this legislative reform has enabled local citizens to have their say in the UP affairs more directly thus creating a formal basis for institutionalizing social accountability within UP governance. LEBs are not too aware of their roles and do not always recognize an advantage in operating with increased transparency. Citizens are not sufficiently informed and organized to engage with UPs in participatory planning and budgeting. Citizens also continue to have difficulties accessing resources and services of various line departments, CSOs and private sector service providers. The participation and representation of the poor and women remains unsatisfactory. In exploiting this opportunity, it is important to ensure that the voices of the poor and poor women in particular, are heard. Rupantar has been executing a total of 4projects in 8 districts (Khulna,Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jashore, Chuadanga, Pabna, Barishal & Pirozpur) to achieve the above objective with the grant support of Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation & Democracy International.
PEACE & TOLERANCE:
PEACE is not merely the absence of war. It is much more than that since peace means harmony. More people from different nations, cultures, religions and lifestyles are working together and living in the same neighborhoods than ever before. Tolerance of each other’s’ differences is a very important key to keeping peace among co-workers and neighbors.
As the time advances, countries with inclusive and accountable governments and fair and predictable legal systems have delivered infinitely more on the promise of development. And it’s not just a question of aggregate, long-term progress. Indeed, social progress taken in aggregate does not necessarily mean inclusive and sustainable development. Without specific attention to political and legal inclusion, it will be impossible to realize the aspirations of the sustainable development to end the tyranny of poverty and protect our planet for future generations. At this time, Peace and tolerance and sensitizing community to safe migration are the key to ensuring that progress and prosperity are widely shared, and that those most in need can claim and exercise their rights as global citizens.
Taken together, justice, rule of law and accountable and inclusive institutions are the linchpin of shared social progress and our ability to realize human flourishing. The success of all the UN declared Sustainable Development Goals rests on ensuring that the full potential of UN declared Goal 16 – Peace and Justice to catalyze social transformation is unlocked.
To contribute in achieving this, envisioning a violence free society fostering peace and harmony has appeared as the first and foremost priority. It has turned out one of the foremost duty of us to clearly inculcate every individual in the way of exploring their own respective faiths in peace building.
With the learning from the experience, it has been clearly stated that tolerance needs to be cultivated inclusively and spontaneously from individual to group and gradually to community. When the space for promotion and practice through self-criticism is enabled, the resilient community will be able to endure opponents’ provocative behavior and response with calm and re-assessing attitude. Resilience, the positive cycle of endurance and resistance against extremism led conflict and violence needs to be developed spontaneously within the community to get rid of this alarming threat.
Rupantar has been executing a total of 4 projects in 5 Districts (Khulna, Satkhira, Rajshahi, Dhaka, & Chapai-Nawabganj) to achieve the above objective with the grant support of GCERF & USAID’s Obirodh- Road to Tolerance Program.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION:
Rupantar is germinated at south-west coastal belt adjacent of world’s largest mangrove the Shundarban with the mandate of environmental sustainability. Moreover, these larger communities are in vulnerable situation due to rapid change of climates. Frequent and several forms of disasters destroy the sanitation structures. Furthermore, the communities have also less attention on this issue due to engage in fulfilling more fundamental needs. Scarcity of safe drinking water is one of the vital issues of these coastal belt communities. Considering these Rupantar has indented to operating projects in the reporting period in Koyra and Dacope Upazila at Khulna district, Assasuni Upazila at Satkhira district and Shyamnagar Upazila at Satkhira district focusing WASH and climate change.
CHILDREN & YOUTH RIGHTS:
Child protection and development a precentral to the mandate of Rupantar. It plans to develop an intervention that informs adolescents and adults on child development with a strong focus on adolescence from a rights perspective. Rupantar undertakes advocacy for change of social attitudes and norms, strengthened capacity of the community to respond towards child protection and the establishment of protective mechanisms against child abuse, violence, exploitation and child rights violations.