A workshop was organized by ECDO on the importance of bi-lingual education for indigenous children. The workshop was held in a hotel conference hall at Sylhet city chaired by Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh Executive Director of ECDO on 28th November 2011. Community leaders, and influential personalities of indigenous groups in Sylhet area was the key participants of the workshop. As well as members of civil society, teachers and NGO representatives were also present in the workshop. Mr. N M Ziaul Alam, Divisional Commissioner of Sylhet Division was present as Chief Guest in that workshop. Mr. Khan Md. Bilal, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Sylhet, Mr. Abdur Rahman, Divisional Deputy Director of Primary Education department was also present as special guest.

Professor Dr. Faisal Ahmmed of Social Work department, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet presented key paper through multimedia presentation on the importance of bilingual education for indigenous children especially at primary level.  At the beginning of the workshop a presentation was also delivered by Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh about some achievement of community teachers’ recruitment project in government primary schools by ECDO since 2008 at Goainghat Upozela under Sylhet district. In his presentation he showed the gradual progress of indigenous children in the respective schools after recruitment of local indigenous teachers.

Just after this presentation Professor Faisal presented his key paper before the audience. He addressed the difficulties and challenges that are frequently encountered by indigenous children at the time of receiving primary education. Referring research findings he pointed out that mainly due to language barriers many of indigenous children can not continue education or can not learn school lesson properly.  In his presentation he shows why indigenous teacher is important for the better learning of indigenous student.

Mr. N M Ziaul Alam, Chief Guest of the workshop appreciated ECDO’s community teachers’ recruitment project. He ranked ECDO as an excellent organization which is doing very good job for ensuring primary education for indigenous children. Further he comments that the government should replicate ECDO’s model and can recruit indigenous teacher for ensuring quality education as well as to reduce drop-out rate among indigenous children. Mr. Khan Md. Bilal, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Sylhet assured ECDO for any kind of assistance in relation with their education project.  Mr. Abdur Rahaman Especial Guest also appreciated for the initiative taken by ECDO for better education of indigenous children. As a responsible person he showed his commitment to cooperate ECDO for continuing their project. This workshop was organized by ECDO with the support from Oxfam GB under Support to Indigenous Peoples in Plan Land – SIPPL project.

ECDO have celebrated World Indigenous day in Sylhet divisional head quarter on 9^th August 2011. More then ten to fifteen different local indigenous people’s organizations took participate in that day celebration. A colorful rally was arranged on the occasion of that day observation and there were more than one thousand indigenous men and women took participate in the rally bearing placard written to ensure many of their demands to the government. Among many of their demands one of the mentionable demand was to ensure constitutional rights for the indigenous peoples of the country.

After a colorful rally a discussion session was arranged at Central Shaheed Minar Chattar, Sylhet. Many non-indigenous civil society members including a local woman Member of Parliament (MP) of the ruling party Sayeda Jebunnesa Haque, Advocate Emadullah Shahidul Islam President, Sylhet Bar Association and many indigenous leaders took participate in that discussion session. Most of the speakers criticized the present government for not recognize the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples of Bangladesh. And the woman MP Sayeda Jebunnesa Haque committed she will share about the demand of indigenous peoples to Prime minister for her valuable consideration. Mentionable, that the whole program was organized by the ‘World Indigenous Day observation Committee of Sylhet’. It should be mentioned that ECDO was started celebration of World Indigenous Day in Sylhet Divisional head quarter since 2005 and still it is going on.

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 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

Ms. Diana K. Myers Vice President of International Program Leadership, Save the Children USA from Washington DC visited ECDO’s Life Skills Education (LSE) Project in Sylhet on 23^rd October, 2010. During her short visit she was informed by ECDO authority about its running different project activities. She was very delighted to hear & see ECDO activities. She also visited LSE session of young peoples at Doldoli Tea estate near Sylhet city. During her visit she discussed with the participants of young peoples to know their learning & impact of this project at community level. 

At the end of meeting ECDO gave her some publications on indigenous peoples & she thanked to ECDO for giving that publications. Dr. Nizam Uddin Ahmed Director, HIV/AIDS Sector & South Asia Program Advisor, HASAB’s representatives & others were accompanying with her. ECDO authority was very pleased to get her in ECDO office. Mentionable that ECDO organized Master trainers training, Peer educators training, Gate keeper meetings with young peoples guardian, Condom seller training, conducting young peoples Life Skills Education sessions, conducting youth counseling sessions through youth friendly health corner etc. to make aware on HIV/AIDS & STI particularly for young peoples within the age limits of 15-24, since 2008 with support from Save the Children USA through HASAB consortium in Sylhet, Bangladesh. ECDO believes that the activities of this project already have made a good impact at community level.

A Manipuri indigenous women weaver association consists of 25 members formed by ECDO. All of the members are involved with indigenous Manipuri traditional hand loom production. The ECDO’s aim of formation of this women association is are as follows;
• To make a common platform for  Manipuri indigenous women who are involved with hand loom sector.
• Increasing their skills & capacity by providing different kinds of training & other technical support.
• To set up a production & display centre for marketing.
• Providing funding support with the help of from other GO & NGO sectors.
• To create gradually more employment opportunity in this sector also for the rest of other women.
• To uplift the standard of livelihood for Manipuri women through creating income generating activities.

ECDO is seeking cooperation from government and NGO/INGO for ensuring these above mentioned aims of ECDO through providing financial & technical support.