Are you a BRAC staff person aged below 32 years?
Is your organization working on innovative and sustainable projects that will improve urban-slum communities and the lives of young people?
The answer to the 2nd question is definitely a big YES – just have a look at the Urban Activity Table that the Social Innovation Lab is making to catalogue the myriad initiatives by BRAC’s programmes! If the same applies to the first question, then you can win BRAC a $25000 grant and potentially lead a project of your own!
The UN-HABITAT is inviting young development workers based in cities or towns from the developing world to apply for grants of up to USD 25,000. Grants will be targeted to help disadvantaged youth in urban slums bring about positive change in their own lives. Projects promoting gender equality, employment, access to affordable housing and secure land tenure, safer cities and participation in decision making are particularly encouraged. For more information, please visit http://www.glo balyouthdesk.org/YouthFund/YouthFund.aspx.
Slum residents lead a terrible life filled with uncertainty and hardship. Not only do they have a tough time putting food on the table, they don’t even know when the roof over their head may get taken away. Just think about the families in Korail (one ofDhaka’s biggest slums) – the government started to evict thousands from their makeshift wood and bamboo houses without any notice. Imagine the plight of the shell-shocked families as they woke to the sound of bull-dozers tearing down their homes. BRAC Human Rights and Legal Aid Services (BRAC HRLS) has already sent a team there to carry out a ground assessment so that effective help can be provided to the victims. But already, experts within BRAC are raising concerns about the implications of supporting the existence of such slums – local musclemen control slum areas and rent them out, so any steps taken against evictions also serve to protect their interests. This goes to show how truly complicated urban issues can be. Addressing them will take much more thought, discussion and innovative action.
‘Urban’ is one of the most important issues in Bangladesh right now. The power of imagination of young leaders, their ability to analyze issues in the context of their generation and their energetic, fearless way of tackling challenges constitute all the right ingredients to bring about positive change in this area. UN-HABITAT’s initiative offers an exciting window of opportunity. Grab it and make a real difference. Applications open 15th February 2012 and close April 15th 2012. To apply, go to www.unhabitatyouthfund.org
Please drop us a line at innovation@brac.net if you want a copy of the most updated version of the Urban Acitvity Table.
This sounds like an xeleclent and productive discussion as BRAC takes its urban agenda forwards. It also highlights of how important it is for BRAC to keep records of its experiences as it starts working more broadly in urban poverty reduction of what works, as well as what doesn’t. Right across the developing world, the urban poverty’ question is being recognised more, so these lessons will have repercussions both within and outside Bangladesh. I particularly like the trick question, is it harder?’ as the starting point for the discussion, given that this (false) belief is one of the major barriers to great urban programming. The reality is, we don’t really know we think it is, partly because of the numbers, and partly because of a lack of experience. Bangladesh may be experienced and successful in poverty reduction, but this has been strongly rural-focused, and urban programmes are much more recent. Understanding more about what works in urban areas will need both a stronger understanding of urban poverty, and what makes it different to rural poverty, as well as what works/doesn’t work in programme design. As the discussion above discusses, BRAC is well-placed to make important contributions on both the knowledge and programme side!