Social Welfare and Community Development

Goal One: Social Welfare and Community Development (SWCD)

Sectoral Summary and Highlights

Social welfare and community development is one of the six goals of Caritas Strategic Plan, which intends to achieve an objective that reads Improvement of the Quality of Life of the Extremely Poor and of the Vulnerable Communities. Two strategic objectives are set out to contribute to achieve the goal which are – (1) Creation of Employment and Promotion of Income, Food Security and Improving Housing Condition of the Extremely Poor and the Vulnerable Communities; and (2) Improvement of Socio-Economic Condition and Dignity of the Extremely Poor and Vulnerable Communities. The focus areas/interventions under the Goal include livelihood promotion and economic development of extreme poor and poor communities; Inclusive development & social reintegration; safe migration; early childhood development; promotion of housing condition; protection of street children; psycho-social care; and establishment of justice and peace.

With funding support from 12 benevolent funding partners, a total of 21 diversified projects were implemented in order to contribute to achieve the above two strategic objectives. The SWCD was more strengthened with four new projects during the reporting period. The SWCD sector has gone through some innovations in the approach of community mobilization which include: replication of community based harm and risk reduction approach in city area from the semi-urban areas through Prochesta and SMILE Projects;  Introduction of Inclusive Community Development Approach merging  three components (Disability, Drugs and Elderly Citizen) into one through SDDB; and also revitalizing  the approaches of individual, family, ego network and community in different harm and risk reduction projects.

The projects under the goal were implemented in 249 upazila (sub-districts) of 49 districts. A total of 992 staff members were involved in execution of the planned activities. Out of the total staff members, 167 (women-72) were regular, 820 (Women-530) were volunteers and five were contractual. A total of 408,569 people go benefits of the projects either directly or indirectly. 72,101 (women- 35,807) people were direct while 336,468 (188,494 women) people were indirect program participants.