Ethnic Community Development Organization-ECDO launched Support to Indigenous Peoples in Plain Land-SIPPL project from 1^st July 2011 with support from Oxfam GB. ECDO already completed another project Anagrasar Gono Unnayan Project with Oxfam GB which had been started in 2007 for the period of three years. After successfully completion of that project, ECDO started the above mentioned project with Oxfam GB for the period of 1^st July 2011 to 31^st March 2014.

The main objectives of the second phase project is to develop Capacities of adibashi population at different level and local Community Based Organization-CBO’s are enhance to enable to claim their rights and entitlements from government and different service providers. And in the education sector School System strengthened for ensuring the Adibashi children have greater access to bi-lingual pre-primary education and formal education provided by NGOs and Government respectively. And the last objective is to strengthening the Women leadership to protect women rights and ending violence against women in our society. This project will be implemented in three Upozellas (Sub-district) of Sylhet district where different indigenous peoples are concentrated.

The main activities of this project is to recruit indigenous teachers at Government primary school for the convenient of indigenous children to received their lesson with the help of their mother tongue teachers, organizing School Management Committee (SMC) meeting, meeting with parents, organizing training, seminar and meeting with different stakeholder including local government representatives for ensuring the rights of local indigenous groups.

Ethnic Community Development Organization-ECDO launched Development Initiative to Promote Transforming Youth and Adolescents – DIPTYA project from 1st July 2011 with support from Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF). It is a pilot project for ECDO with MJF. After one year capacity building trainings ECDO & MJF have an agreement for this pilot project. ECDO will arrange trainings on Income Generating Activities (IGA) for one hundred participants. All participants will be within the age limit of 15-24. The main objective of this project is 1. to develop skill for improving their socio economic status through income generating activities of young and adolescents, 2. to enhance the awareness on human rights and RTI of young and adolescents.

 Among these 100 participants 60 participants will select from women and 40 from men. They will also be ensuring about the awareness on the act of Right to Information and Women Rights as well as IGA training. ECDO will select most of the project participants from indigenous community. This project will be end on 31 March 2011 as per our agreement. It is extendable subject to our proper and quality implementation of the project.

On 9th March, 2011Wednesday speakers urged the government to formulate an appropriate policy to face the adverse impacts of climate change and global warming. They also stressed the need for strong alliance of the Least Developing Countries (LDCs) to keep up the pressure on developed nations to reduce carbon dioxide emission.
Bangladesh would be the worst victim of global climate changes and the food and health security of the citizens would become more vulnerable because of natural disaster caused by climate change, the speakers said at a workshop on ‘Divisional-level sharing workshop on Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation’. The event was organised jointly by local NGO Ethnic Community Development Organization (ECDO), VARD, RWDO, SSS and Shrimangal Foundation and finance by Concern Bangladesh at the Sylhet District Council auditorium. Addressing the workshop as Chief Guest, City Mayor Mr. Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran said the government would not allow any polluting industry and has already made it mandatory for state-owned units to set up waste management devices. He said the new industrial policy will encourage environment-friendly industrialisation.
“We must demand compensation from developed countries for damages we are facing because of their acts,” he added. The mayor also said the government is continuing its efforts at international forums to realise compensation for victims of climate change. Executive Director of ECDO Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh delivered the welcome speech. Presided over by VARD Director Mr. Shahid Uddin Mahmud, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Sylhet Sadar Mr. Enamul Habib, Deputy Director of Environment Department Md. Zillur Rahman, Vice-Chairman of Companygonj Upazila Ms. Nasrin Jahan Fatema, Md. Abdul Hamid, Head, Organizational Development & Education Unit Concern Universal Bangladesh also spoke at the workshop. A presentation was made by Mr. Masud Rana Asst. Project Manager of Concern  Universal.  Ms. Sabrin Sultana Project officer of Concern Universal was also present in that workshop.

Program related media link;

The Daily Independant: http://theindependentbd.com/paper-edition/metropolitan/dhaka/38236-focus-on-global-warming.html

The Human Rights Day is observed on the 10th December every year. On this day in 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). To mark the Human Rights Day, Ethnic Community Development Organization (ECDO) organized a program on the 10th December, 2010 in Sylhet. This year the Human Rights Day is dedicated to the Human Rights Defenders who play a vital in the fight against discrimination. The theme of this year’s international celebration is Human Rights Defenders Taking Action to End Discrimination.

Ethnic Community Development Organisation (ECDO) hosted a workshop, on ‘Rights on land and forest of indigenous people’, at a Sylhet city hotel on 14th November 2010.
In this workshop the government has been urged to implement Section 97 of Land Act, 1950 to ensure security of land owned by indigenous communities. According to the speakers, indigenous people in the plains face problems such as encroachment, eviction from khas land, harassment by criminals and fake land records, among others. “There is a spiritual relationship between indigenous people and their land but the people are being evicted from their land by various means,” they said.
ECDO executive director Mr. Laksmikanta Singh urged to the government through his well come speech to take necessary steps for ensuring indigenous peoples land rights in the country.
Chairing the inaugural session, Faruk Mahmud Chowdhury, administrator of  The Sylhet Chamber of Commerce & industry Limited & the President of Subidhabanchito Nagorik Adhikar Forum, said ensuring equal rights for all citizens is the government’s responsibility. Further he stressed the need to ensure the rights of indigenous people on plain land.
Sylhet District Bar Association president Emad Ullah Shahidul Islam said only proper implementation of Section 97 of Land Act, 1950 can ensure land owned by indigenous people is not snatched away from them. More he added there are more than 45 ethnic communities who would be added under the current Act.
Among others, journalist Aziz Ahmed Salim, Al Azad, Iqbal Siddique, Sangram Singha, Uzzal Mehdi, Abdul Alim Shah and Mintu Deshowara spoke at the workshop.

Program related media link;
http://www.theindependentbd.com/paper-edition/metropolitan/others/19535-apply-act-to-save-land-of-adivasis.html

http://www.sobujsylhet.com/S_I%20Rokib

A Seminar was held on 15^th April, 2010 on the issue of the importance of primary education in mother tongue for indigenous children. The seminar styled ‘Indigenous children’s primary education in mother tongue: significance and intention’ was organized by the Ethnic Community Development Organization with a support from Oxfam GB under it’s Anagrasar Gonounnayan Project. The seminar was presided over by Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh executive director of the organization. Eminent author and chief of the computer science and engineering department of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Professor Mohammed Zafar Iqbal addressed the seminar as chief guest.
Mr. Enamul Habib, Upozella Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sylhet sadar & Mr. A.K.M Reaz Uddin, District Primary Education Officer (DPEO) were present as special guests. Seminar papers on this topic was present by Professor Dr. Tulshi Kumar Das, Chairman Social Work Department & Dean of social sciences faculty of Sylhet Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

Mr. E. U Shahidul Islam renowned lawyer & the president of Sylhet Bar Association played role as a Moderator in this seminar. Professor Zafor said every child have the rights to study in their own mother tongue. But considering the real situation we should think up to which class we should provide in mother tongue education for indigenous children. Further he said once all indigenous children have to be mainstreaming for ensuring their own development.

Speakers of the seminar stressed the need for teaching the indigenous children in their mother tongue at the primary level so that they could absorb the lessons easily. Mentioning that the children have a natural capacity to learn any language, the speakers said the indigenous children should learn Bangla as the national language side-by-side with their own language so that they do not have to face any difficulty in their professional life.

In the seminar some indigenous leader participants were very angry for the publication with wrong information in some national curriculum books for primary and secondary level about some indigenous communities. They claimed to the concern authority of the government to make amendment this wrong information after discussion with the concern indigenous communities as early as possible.

Besides the chief & special guests other honorable participants were also delivered their valuable speeches. There were Professor Dr. Yasmeen Haque of SUST, Mr. Farukh Mahmud Chowdhury Administrator Sylhet Chambers of Commerce, Professor Dr. Abul Fateh Fattah of Sylhet Madan Mohan College, Mr, Aziz Ahmed Selim Chief editor of The Daily Uttar Purba  & BTV representative of Sylhet, Mr. A K Sheram Chairperson of Bangladesh Manipuri Sahitya Sangsad, Mr. Khoiram Kamini Kumar Singha indigenous teacher, Mr. Khoiram Indrazit Singha Manipuri poet & litterateur have deliver their valuable speeches. At the end of the seminar Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh thanks to all participants to make the seminar successful.

Seminar related media link:-

http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2010/04/04/newsroom.htm
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/apr/17/met.html

ECDO observed International Mother Language Day on 21^st February, 2010. ECDO tributes to the Language Movement martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the mother tongue 58 years ago. ECDO organized a rally on the occasion of this day observation & after rally ECDO laid wreaths at the Sylhet Shaheed Minar and stood in silence for a few moments in remembrance of the martyrs. In the program there were present Executive committee members of the organization & staffs. ECDO observed this International Mother Language Day every year.

Mr. Hans Hoffmeyer Senior Advisor/Programme Coordinator of Project Support Unit-Human Rights and Good Governance of Danida & Mr. MB Akter Program Manager of Oxfam GB, a total five members of visitor team visited ECDO office and its project area at Jaintapur Upozela under Sylhet district for monitoring the progress of Anagrasar Gono Unnayan Prokolpo (A backward community development project) which was started at the end of 2007 with support from Oxfam GB & Danida.

During their field visit they met and discussed with local government representatives and community peoples to know about the immediate impact of this project & for future directions. After field visit they also met with the executive members of ECDO. It should be mentioned that ECDO is implementing this project in the indigenous area to create awareness and ensure capacity building for the local indigenous people’s organization such as; Community Based Organization (CBO), Traditional Social Structure (TSS), and to ensure their rights for education, land and other rights on indigenous issues in the aspect of national and international.

ECDO have already some significant achievements under this project within this short period of time, which is appreciated by different stakeholders and civil society members. One of the mentionable achievements is that after getting different training under this project access of indigenous peoples to the different local government offices increasing gradually. Now they have gained some capacity to bargain about their rights with the local government authorities.