I have seen those things too in a Groups/Blogs, very sad and shocking.

But wish for the best and if any mismanagement conducted, lots of authority are active now….. as a general people I appreciate the initiative.

Good thinking and wishing.

Shaahid

There are many libraries in B’desh. And there are many boats in B’desh. But there is a raging controversy on the question if there are some libraries functioning in boats in B’desh. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a few other international agencies believe not only that there are such libraries but that they are functioning so well that they gave them awards and recognition. A group of journalists who visited the region say that they have not found much evidence. Now the agency that had won the awards has sent a legal notice to a journalist and his newspaper.

But so far the agencies that gave the award - including the Gates Foundation - have not come up with a statement. We do not know if they had made any investigation. It is only proper that they come up with a statement. Either they should say that the awards were given only after proper scrutiny and present evidence to show that the project really exists and that is really doing well. Or they should come up with a statement that they were misled in the first place and the the award was a mistake. Too many awards [and many of them given without proper scrutiny of the applicants and their claims] can only have deleterious consequences.

In the field of ICT-enabled development, this has happened time and again. International awards were given to people for bridging the digital divide, but the project on the basis of which such awards were given have ended up in utter failure.

Subbiah Arunachalam

Thanks for your mail to the voice mail. I am not agree with your comments, you should think all NGOs are not same, If somebody has some fault, it will not be same for all. Al time some government people blame NGOs, but they do not think what their roles? This is not real picture. Real picture is some so call NGOs who is come from ex government officials, business men, or family member of high government officials are making NGO businiess and the so called government officials are involved in this nasty business.

I raed the story in daily star magazine, If you think when daily star published it is it all the journalsit were blind? They collect information from fields. What steps taken from UNO at respective areas.

We have seen some of Bangladeshis who are live in our society they are alaways publicise negative news for Bangladesh. This is their culture. We have more good news in NGOs. In last flood rehabilitation progremme, you seen only the NGOs, no others agencies were there.

So, I request not blame in general, be specific and think why?

Thanks,
S M Nazer Hossain
Chairperson ADAB Chittagong

Thanks for your nice comments about Shidulai Swanirvar Sangstha, an NGO of Bangladesh.

Its the real picture of this NGO’s. We can call this is the NGO business in our developing countries. Maximum NGO’s are doing their business like Shidulai Swanirvar Sangstha. They are very much experienced in publicity of their work and excellent in reporting to increase their business with the help of Journalists/ News Papers. The News Papers and Journalist should verify before publishing any such news. NGO’s are very much efficient about writing and documentation of their activities. Before selection for giving any Prize, I think UNEP should verify in future about the programme of the NGO’s by local UNDP, Bangladesh. So that they can see the real picture.

I hope UNEP should re-think about awarding this Prize to Shidulai Swanirvar Sangstha, an NGO of Bangladesh.

With best regards and Eid Mubarak to you all.

kawsar
………… ……… ……… ……… ……… ……… ……… ……… ..
…….
Md. Kawsarul Alam Sarker
FAO of the United Nations: NFPCSP-GCP/BGD/ 034/MUL
Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU)
Khaddaya Bhaban (Ground Floor)
16 Abdul Ghani Road, Dhaka-1000
Bangladesh
Tel-(88)-0172- 0343867

http://www.prothom- alo.com/archive/ news_details_ home.php? dt=2007-09- 28&issue_
id=385&nid=MTA3Mzc=

Although investigating report published in the Daily
Ittefaq & the Daily Star already went against the NGO.

http://www.ittefaq. com/get.php? d=07/08/20/ w/n_zmtqxv

http://www.thedaily star.net/ magazine/ 2007/09/04/ follow.htm

We people living here also confused like you. Who can
tell us the true?

Kind regards.

Tridip Chakraborty

I remember a mail at BanglaIT last 23rd that shows how our media is tied up with profit monger ownerships (Source: http://www.digitaldivide.net/articles/view.php?ArticleID=520) and therefore, lacks reliability. Now the Washington Post news proves that media can also manipulate/misdirect other media as well !

Anyway, my hats off to Shidhulai. The Civil Society (NGO community), International Aid Agencies, Bangladesh Government and the Media Vanguards have pathetically failed to establish either side of the coin, that whatever the reality of SSS is, if it?s positive or negative.

We are left but on our own now?..

Debobroto

At the same time I saw news in Washigton post, this Bangladeshi NGO received prize from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for its significant contribution to the management of the environment in Bangladesh. As a Bangladeshi, I am very much happy to saw the news.

After that another National Daily Newspaper the Daily Star published a follow-up report on 28 September, 2007 titled ‘Behind the
Scenes’ regarding Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha. This is the link of the daily star news:
http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2007/09/04/follow.htm

Reading the daily star report I am really shocked. Now I am fully confused about the NGO and its activities. I heard recently Daily Prothom-alo published news in favour of the activities of the NGO. At the same time daily star published a follow-up report, which was opposite of prothom-alo report.

For your attention I give you another two links of published report about this NGO:
http://www.ittefaq.com/get.php?d=07/08/20/w/n_zmtqxv
http://www.theindependent-bd.com/archive.details.php?nd=2007-08-17&nid=53619
I hope some one come and tell the truth about this NGO and other NGO’s like this. If there is anything wrong behind the NGO’s activities in Bangladesh, every one should have to speak out.

Best Regards,
Ronamica Akhter
New York, USA

Ms. Jeunesse Park of South Africa and Bangladeshi NGO Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha are the co-winners of the UNEP Sasakawa Prize 2007, a $200,000 prize awarded yearly to individuals or institutions who have made a substantial contribution to the protection and management of the environment.

Abul Hasanat Mohammed Rezwan, Shidhulai Executive Director, noted that the prize will help his organization “provide clean solar-powered lighting and educate thousands of people on literacy, sustainable farming and climate change”, as well as promote “self-reliance for hundreds of villages in Bangladesh”.

The UNEP Sasakawa Prize acts as an incentive for environmental efforts that are sustainable and replicable in the long-term. It recognizes innovation, groundbreaking research and ideas, and extraordinary grassroots initiatives from around the world. The candidates’ scope of activities is associated with the environmental theme of the year, which in 2007 is climate change.