Haor Rural Development Programme, Khaliajuri, Bangladesh
The haor area in North Eastern Bangladesh is a remote and difficult area which is submerged for almost half the year and villages become ‘islands’ during this flooding period.
The Haor Rural Development Project in Khaliajuri is a good example of the creation of a CBO (community-based organisation) federation, sometimes referred to as an "institution of the poor". The development of forms of organisation which the poor find appropriate and relevant to their needs and aspirations is strong in certain parts of the world (South Asia, the Philippines, and Latin America for example) but remains surprisingly weak in many others. This case study serves to show one possibility in the formation and strengthening of an ‘organisation of the poor' which others may wish to follow. While there remain issues and difficulties, the case study shows how much can be achieved, especially in terms of genuine empowerment, through this form of programme and should help others to outline another alternative in programme design.
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