ISDEBD.org

History of Establishment: 
Naturally Cox’s Bazar is one of most resourceful and beautiful and largest sea beach in the world. Geographically it is different with any other part of the country. The reasons are, it is mixed with coastal, hill and plain land. The illiteracy rate is very low, high rate of school dropout, high rate of population growth and maternal morbidity and mortality, poor nutrition status, sanitation and health status is very poor than other part of the country. However, it is very resourceful and national tourism and healthy city of the country. The different nature of the geographical situation all the resource and asset hold by the a few persons and most of the people are haveless. The moneylenders have been exploiting and tortured many ways to the poor and haveless. The imbalance situation and social injustice was made huge number of questions for the collage going student Mr. S. M Nazer Hossain. He tried to assists poor people in his native village, but after one year the initiatives was stopped by the conspiracy of local elite and landlords. His initiatives were started through establishment of local branch of Jatio Tarun Sangha (JTS) a national youth organization. He never stops his mission and he was trying to continue his efforts to assist most needy people through collective efforts. In 1987 the efforts become another shape of institutionalization process and Adhymapayee Samaj Uunyan Sangstha (ASUS) was established with broader aspect. The effort was highly appreciated by the renowned physician, social worker and National Professor and Founder of University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC) Dr. Nurul Islam and Dr. M A Sukur from Mowlabi Bazar. When Dr. Nurul Islam was visited Cox’s Bazar he meets with Mr. Nazer and his team and given guidance and encouragement. It has conducted a number of anti smoking and drug campaign activities and after 1991 devastating cyclone’s relief and rehabilitation program the community demanding for continuous services, ASUS become moved to Samannita Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (SSUP). After successful implementation of the few activities, there is created a felt need to develop a professional development organization, which more specialized and development oriented. The process were become institutionalization by the gradual run of ASUS, SSUP, JTS various activities and finally 1st November 1992 on the occasion of National Youth Day of Bangladesh by the active initiation of some devoted development workers and researchers Integrated Social Development Effort (ISDE) Bangladesh was began its steps to participate the process of build up illiteracy, hunger and poverty free society just society.

Background Information: 
Integrated Social Development Effort (ISDE) Bangladesh is a local non-governmental, non-political, non-religious, voluntary, social development organization working in the southeastern part of Bangladesh, including Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Rangamati, Kagrachari and Bandarban hill districts. ISDE Bangladesh was established in 1992, with the initiation of some like-minded social workers to serve the socio economically depressed & backward groups in the southeastern part of Bangladesh. It seeks to create self-sustaining rural communities through process of battling against rural drawback and the social economic energizing of the poor; such a process involves a number of suitable social and economic activities. ISDE Bangladesh is instrument in assisting the poor in working for their own developments instead of being the passive receive of it.

ISDE Bangladesh grew to its present level by responding to the needs of the people. From 1993 ISDE started moving to a more exhaustive approach with resources and financial assistance from a number of development partners. ISDE Bangladesh has been gradually expanding its activities in more remote and neglected areas of the country.

Mission Statement

Our Vision: 
ISDE Bangladesh aspires to create a poverty and hunger-free, just society of educated, socio-economically developed and environmentally-friendly people.

Our Mission:
To facilitate socio-economic change in the lives of disadvantaged people, particularly women and children, in the southeast of Bangladesh through the promotion of income and employment generation activities, health services, education and awareness raising.

Strategies:

• Building confidence, hope and self-reliance among the disadvantaged and deprived people through organization building.
• Increasing knowledge, raising awareness levels and changing behavioral practices through education, motivation and training.
• Ensuring sustainable development through mainstreaming gender equity at organization and community levels.
• Developing maternal and child health status through primary health services and nutrition education.
• Creating income earning and self-employment generation opportunities by providing technical assistance and credit.
• Developing environmental equilibrium through social forestation and regenerative agriculture.
• Promoting the universal Child Rights Convention (CRC) through awareness raising, education and rehabilitation.
• Carrying out disaster preparedness and management activities to reduce the effects of natural disaster and lower the number of deaths caused by disaster.

Our Philosophy:
By involving the people in the development of basic facilities and encouraging and monitoring them, enhancing and increasing their confidence in their own abilities, their development can be truly sustainable.

Methodology: 
By organizing the poor women into groups, they function as instruments for collective action, self-reliance, unity and solidarity. The process of building institutions involves developing knowledgeable and motivated workers who can act as change agents and conduct village based weekly meetings and give training. At these meetings the participants discuss their problems and share information on their needs, tasks, rights and possible solutions. The meeting and training sessions also act as forum for social education.

Economic Improvement: 
If the economic footing of the poor remains weak and infirm they will be unable to face crisis. The basis of building economic foundations is looking for alternatives based on people’s creativeness, economic rights, collective enterprise and the harmonization of participatory production.

Disaster Preparedness:
Disaster preparedness is the cornerstone of any development intervention in coastal Bangladesh. Human lives have to be protected from the changeable furies of nature. Cyclone and the tidal upsurge disrupts normal life and results in incalculable misery. With a little outside help they are more able to master the challenges they face.

Environment:
ISDE Bangladesh focuses on environmental development as a logical sequel to involvement with rural people. Social forestation, preservation of forest resources and environmental education is an important segment of ISDE’s activity package. Specialized programs on environmental regenerative agriculture have been embarked upon and organized according to community needs.

Health:
ISDE Bangladesh is views health services not as charity rendered to people but as a legal right. People are encouraged to get involved in the organization of the services. ISDE Bangladesh’s conviction is family based, combining health and development functions and ensuring peoples’ participation and accountability. Awareness is the basis from where to fire the engine for prevention and treatment.

Gender Equity:
Women make up half of our population. They are the main educators for the children yet make up the majority of the illiterates. Women are usually the last to eat and in times of famine, epidemic or natural disaster, the first to die.

ISDE Bangladesh seeks to uproot gender specific discrimination within the society and equal participation in family and social decision-making process. ISDE’s strategy gives emphasis to organizing women at grass root level to make access to the local resources, mobilization and other normal development streams. It has developed and undertaken various activities for the enhancement of the women and children.