BRAC embraces a holistic approach towards development that is integrated with village organization (VO). To uphold and maintain the integrity and norms of BRAC VOs, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) of BRAC initiated the Enhancing Social Capital (ESC) project in 2010. This study aimed to assess the progress in VO discipline in ESC project areas. We used a quasi-experimental design to understand the achievements of this project. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to collect data from 264 VOs representing experimental and control groups. The findings reveal that experimental VOs were performing better than control ones, particularly in sanitation, family planning, VO discipline, participation in local shalish, etc. The location of VO sometimes constrained project’s staff in attending VO activities in time. Thus, coordination between ESC and micro-finance staff should be improved to achieve ESC project objectives. The study also shows many reasons that induced member dropout from VO. However, VO members’ association with multiple NGOs may lead to dropout as most of them would not afford to pay more than one instalment in a month. The experimental group was found to have higher affiliations with other NGOs compared to the control group. Besides, the experimental group received more training on livelihood issues which brought positive changes in their household condition.
Authors: Islam, Md. Akramul; Khan, Ashrafuzzaman
Type: Report
Year: 2012
