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ChangeMaker: Society for Social and Economic Development, is a local NGO, devoted to set up a development framework to encourage a pattern-setting system to strengthen and engage the civil society organizations, Private Sector Enterprises, Government Agencies, Educational and Research Institutes in the mainstream Human, Social and Economic Development. ChangeMaker’s objective is to address the urgent and critical issues of the community in an integrated way and provide an enabling environment to encourage participation of the target community to take the programs on their own. The key focus of ChangeMaker is to incrementally link the current development programs to a meaningful market driven process, which can serve as a vehicle for effective social and economic development for a wider cross-section of the community – man-women, privileged and marginalized.

As a non-profit social change organization ChangeMaker carries out initiatives for sustainable human, social and economic development through:

► Promotion of Market Development focusing specially on the building competitive advantage of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for growth and profitability;
► Enhance Governance in the GO and NGO activities;
► Encourage people’s participation in the development process;
► Brining Gender Equity in all sphere of social, political and economic activities;
► Promoting application of ICT for Human, Social and Economic Development,
► Addressing sustainable environmental issues, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies through appropriate sharing and piloting of projects, sharing of information, experiences and best practices
► Ensuring productive development of Children and Youth,
► Development Capacity of Local Partners

ChangeMaker is currently working in the following areas:

1. Agriculture: Promotion of Sustainable Value-Added Agriculture focusing on increasing profitability and productivity of the marginalized Small Holders
2. Environment: Promotion of Sustainable Environment through trapping Green House Gases, Waste Treatment and Recycling, Wetlands Conservation, Promotion of Appropriate Renewable Energy, Environmental Education, Assessments of interventions and their potential impacts on Environmental (EIA).
3. Global Warming, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Development and promotion of adaptation and mitigation strategies (coping mechanisms) to reduce adverse effects of Global Warming and Climate Change including variability and extreme events. Awareness and capacity building, policy advocacy, networking and knowledge sharing.

4. Water and Sanitation: Developing access to safe and clean Water through Wise Use of Water, Ground Water conservation, Treatment of Waste Water and Sustainable Water Management and Delivery Provisions.

5. Governance: Enhance Governance in all the development activities of Government and Non-Government Organizations through information sharing and increase transparency and accountability through participation of people. Promoting Participation of People in Government Decision Making through e-Shangshad (ePaliament) and (Union Thatha Kendra (Local government Information Center)

6. Gender: Mainstreaming women in business and economic ventures with required assistance and linkage with market systems, formation ‘Women Business Entrepreneurs Association’

7. Youth and Children: Child Rights and Protection, Creating of enabling environment for implantation of Children issues at the grassroots level, Access to education to hard-to-reach children (working children and children in remote chars/island) through mobile and floating schools. Engaging Youths for productive Social Progress, Promotion of Internship and volunteerism for social and economic development, and Leadership skills development.

8. Promotion of Tourism for Poverty Reduction: Developing service quality standard and code of conduct, developing confidence of the tourists on the service providers, linking SMEs with the tourist industry, capacity building of the SMEs and Tourist service providers to meet the demand of the tourists, organizing a forum for advocacy, creating provisions for critical services (event organizing, security, ICT, etc.) for the industry, promotion and marketing assistance, attracting new investment.

9. Peace and Security: Enchasing culture of peace through conflict resolution methods, social harmony, promoting value system and morality of children and youth. As well as international norms governing the transfer and use of small arms and light weapons and States’ obligation to prevent patterns of abuse by private individuals, regulation of private ownership and use of firearms, arms transfer using brokers as per UN PoA and convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons; rehabilitation of arms victims/survivors.

10. Trade, Economy and Market Competitiveness of SMEs: Creating access to marketing and communication services, market linkage, capacity building, access to finance and technology, quality standardization, exploring export potentials, assessment of WTO and post-MFA regulation, pro-poor enterprises development, ,

11. ICT, Knowledge Networking and Right to Information: Participation in the government decision making through eShangshad, market information and B2B linkage, Trade Promotion and Export Linkage, eCommerce for enhanced growth of SMEs, education resources and knowledge sharing through HatBazaar.net.

12. Poverty Monitoring for the Achievement MDG and PRSP goals: Monitoring and assessing the progress of MDG and PRSP, monitoring and assessing poverty reduction strategies of development interventions,

13. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Socially Responsible Business (SRB): Awareness creation, capacity building, encouragement, policy advocacy, adoption of best practices, engaging consumers. Promotion of “StarEnterprise” campaign to link profitability and growth of enterprises practicing CSR/SRB.

By incorporating the new approaches to increasing engagement, understanding and commitment from a wide variety of sectors of society, ChangeMaker hopes to help the social change efforts adopt new strategies to survive and thrive, thereby increasing their prospects of being broad-based and durable enough to affect significant and lasting social, economic, and business improvements

Organization Name & Address:

ChangeMaker: Society for Social and Economic Development

Head Office: House 8, Road 13 (new), Suite F3, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1209
Tel- 9126784; 8159970, fax- +(880-2) 8110254

Project Office: Bogra; Rangpur, Chokoria/Cox’s Bazaar, Jessore

LEGAL ENTITY
A non-profit organization registered under the Registrar of Joint Stock Company and Firms in Bangladesh under the Societies Act XXI of 1860

VISION
Accelerate sustainable social, economic and human development by Initiating and managing changes
MISSION
To improve the competitive advantage of the development change agents (community, NGO, private sector, and government) to address the social, economic and business challenges of today and tomorrow.

Our Strategic Objectives

• To promote SMEs
• To develop capacities of local NGOs
• To promote gender equity
• To promote good governance
• To promote environmental conservation
• To develop capacities of local government institutions
• To develop Information Communication Technology and Knowledge Networking
• To promote Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility
• To conduct qualitative, quantitative research, studies subsector analysis, market assessments

Our Strengths

• Expert professional team working for mobilizing and field operation in Bogra, Rangpur, Naogoan, Chakaria/Cox’s Bazaar, Faridpur.
• Partnership with national and international NGOs, private sectors, government departments and different stakeholders.
• Extensive experience in enterprises development programs
• Strong committee and advisory board
• Expertise in research, analysis, reporting planning, Microsoft certified software and hard ware engineer, Mechanical Engineer Information communication development expert, Business graduates.
• Presently implementing on information services “hatbazaar.net” for the information sharing between SMES, different stakeholders and farmers through unique and innovative interventions strategy (cost-effective and sustainable).
• Strong network with expertise at home and abroad
• Strategic alliances with donor and society through our unique facilitation.

Market Oriented Livelihood program:
ChangeMaker focused on continues development of the value added agriculture. ChangeMaker’s one of many initiatives is to establish economic opportunities to the marginalized people, particularly the women and minority groups through Pro-Poor Economic Development through Group Enterprise (EDGE) initiative. The initiative is designed to empower the rural poor, and provide opportunities for economic self-sufficiency, and provide support to build their capacities to make full use of the economic opportunities. ChangeMaker believes that with appropriate supports, services and opportunities, the project would ensure a rapid and effective improvement in the quality of micro entrepreneurship in terms of capacity and access to mainstream market.

The broader objective of this initiative is to provide opportunities and access to sustainable income generation to the poorest of the poor and the marginalized section of the community. The project plans to provide assistance in developing appropriate infrastructure, technical and financial assistance to the marginalized community to take-up, design, implement and eventually manage relatively larger business enterprises with improved technology and wider market access specially export market.

Developing competitive advantages of MSMEs to increase the contribution to the economic development:

Marketing Service especially Design and Advertising Service is considered as a critical element for the progress and growth of enterprises. It plays an important role in the process by which an economic system guided by responsive to the common good contributes to human and economic development. ChangeMaker in association with SwissContact/ Katalyst is implementing a program to develop appropriate marketing services for the rural SMEs to expand their market and enhance growth and profitability. The program is implemented in Bogra and Jessore (northern and southern districts of Bangladesh respectively.

Corporate Social Responsibility:
To demonstrate socially responsible business indicators through developing safe accommodation, health and vocational training facilities for the female garment workers in the selected RMG factory clients working area in Dhaka using sustainable business-like principles. The task is to develop appropriate, sustainable and safe facilities for providing safe accommodation to the female garment workers and design and implement interventions.

ChangeMaker mandated to enhance the socially responsible private sector in Bangladesh by improving the capacity of private sector markets, with particular focus on micro-small-medium enterprises (MSME), in achieving growth and competitiveness particularly in the post MFA and WTO era.

Climate Change and Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction:

► ChangeMaker’s proposal for disaster risk reduction includes community and private sector integration in the process. Developing capacity of community and engaging the community in developing and analyzing vulnerability and resource map of community is critical entry point designing a sustainable disaster risk reduction program. The proposition includes:

► Developing a vulnerability and resource map to identify the most vulnerable area, shelter, and tracking system, security provisions available resources, safeguarding indication, etc. In this regard GPS tracking system can also enhance the capacity of the rescue team to located in time and provide assistance.

► Developing the capacity of the community on risk management, how to access to data and its usage, likely damages of properties, water management and integrating non residential people for disaster preparedness.

► Increasing provision for safe guarding private sector SMEs to help community recover socio and economic risk and vulnerability through the services of SMEs

► Developing a community forum to mobilize resources, develop awareness creation and provide capacity building to the community as well as coordinate and collaborate with various other agencies working on the disaster risk reduction issues.

Partnership and Networking:
ChangeMaker has developed extensive partnership with the NGOs and community in different disaster prone areas – primarily in the southern coastal areas (Cox’s Bazaar, Noakhali, Barisal, Patuakhali, Khulna) and Jamuna Char areas (Sirajgonj and Kurigram)

Expertise:
ChangeMaker has a pool of highly expert people on:

1. Market and Enterprise Development:
► Subsector and Value Chain Studies
► Designing sustainable and market driven interventions for the growth of SMEs
► Developing and implementing Performance Monitoring Framework

2. Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Issues which include:
►Trained community based disaster risk reduction expert from World Bank Institute and Environmental collaborative INDAI and Expert program designing technical advisor to do Community Risk Assessment
► Community mobilization, Awareness Building, Training and Capacity

3. Information and Communication Technology (ICT):
► Information Communication Technology experts for complete computer solution including Software development, Database design, Web Portal development, GIS mapping, GPS tracking, etc.
► Advocacy and Social Mobilization:
► Policy research, media advocacy, networking, lobbying and social mobilization.

5. Research, Studies and Assessments:
► Social and economic research, Market studies, Feasibility studies, Survey, etc.

6. Monitoring and Evaluation:
► Monitoring and Impact Assessments of programs and projects
► PRA, FGD, social mapping

7. Capacity Building and Facilitation/Moderation:
► Capacity building training programs
► Facilitation and Moderation of events

Affiliation
ChangeMaker as a not-for-profit organization affiliated with following organizations/agencies:
 

Experiences:

Monitoring and Evaluation

1. Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO): Developed strategies and programs interventions to discourage and eventually stop production, sales and use of all non-biodegradable polyethylene and plastic commodities in the country and simultaneously providing eco-friendly alternatives from local raw materials (jute, cotton, paper, cane, and bamboo products) in partnership with the private sector. Developed strategies for building Second Generation Environmental Leaders by integrating schools, private sector, and government and non-government organizations

2. Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for the Physically Vulnerable (SARPV): Consultant for designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of programs funded by Caritas-Netherlands – CBR; AEM/Cornell University/CYMIIT – Rickets.

3. Independent Verification of Codes of Conduct (Sweden): Independent verification for compliance of Codes of Conduct in formal and non-formal sectors with emphasis on Garments Sector. Monitoring and evaluation, study and design of program for implementation of uniform code of conduct

4. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC): Monitoring of Poverty Alleviation activities of SDC Partners in Bangladesh

5. SaferWorld/South Asia Partnership (SAP): Monitoring of Small Arms and Light Weapons in South Asia as per the UN Program of Action

6. South Asia Partnership (SAP) Bangladesh: Program evaluation of Relief & Reconstruction interventions of SAP Bangladesh in Sirajgonj

7. NGO Forum: Evaluation of Advocacy program of NGO Forum

8. Oxfam (GB): Program Evaluation and Strategic Planning exercise of Gram Bikash Kendra with emphasis on program sustainability, advocacy, and program management

9. CORAID/Caritas-Netherlands: Evaluation of "CBO and Social integration of Persons with Disability (PwDs)" of Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for the Physically Vulnerable (SARPV)

10. MISEREOR (Germany)/Caritas-B: Program evaluation of their partner NGO, Community Development Library (CDL)

11. Independent Verification of Codes of Conduct (Sweden): Independent verification for compliance of Codes of Conduct in formal and non-formal sectors with emphasis on Garments Sector. Monitoring and evaluation, study and design of program for implementation of uniform code of conduct

12. Community Development Library (CDL): Consultancy for designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects sponsored by UNDP/MoEF – Sustainable Environment Management Program SEMP); UNICEF – Knowledge Networking, Facts for Life, Meena, Early Childhood Development (ECD); Bangladesh Freedom Foundation – Disability and Development

13. Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for the Physically Vulnerable (SARPV): Consultancy for designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of programs funded by Caritas-Netherlands – CBR; AEM/Cornell University/CYMIIT – Rickets

14. Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) / SIDA: Program Consultancy, strategic planning, research and documentation, monitoring & evaluation, and capacity building

15. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA): Identification and Evaluation of Trade and Business Associations and Business Promoters, preparing a Catalogue of Business Promoters - Trade Associations, Cooperatives and NGOs Involved in Business in association with BASC and CIPROCO

Project, Training and Research Experience

16. South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF)/IFC/World Bank: Conducted bicycle spare parts subsector analysis focusing on supply and value chain analysis to identify competitive advantage, cost leadership, product differentiation.

17. South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF)/IFC/World Bank: Supervision of three subsector studies – research design, methodology development, data collection instrument design, field supervision, conducting FGDs, data analysis and report writing on supply and value chain analysis of Poultry, Vegetable and Agro Machinery and Tools subsector

18. Katalayst/Swiss Contact: Conducted subsector analysis and market assessment for advertisement services for SMEs in Chittagong.

19. Katalayst/SwissContact: Conducted subsector analysis and market assessment on marketing services for rural SMEs to designing interventions and detail implementations plan (DIP)

20. Katalayst/SwissContact: Conducted research on Child Care Center as the potential intervention for Corporate Social Responsibility in Bangladesh

21. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC): Developed Strategies and Intervention for Sunamganj project. Conducted workshop on “Power Relationship and Causes of Poverty” in Sunamganj using “Future Search” methodology to identify poverty incidence, the various actors and their role in poverty dynamics

22. SwissContact/International Development Enterprises (IDE): Conducted BDS Subsector Analysis and Market Assessment on rural markets focusing on potato, onion, vegetable and fish subsector in Rangpur and Faridpur

23. Department for International Development (DFID), UK / SwissContact: Conducted a BDS Subsector Analysis and Market Assessment study on Agricultural Machinery and Tools Subsector in Bogra, Jessore, and Dinajpur

24. SwissContact/DBSM: Conducted a field research on 13 Sub-sectors and 13 Clusters to identify potential for developing business service markets. The subsectors are: Knitted Fabrics and Knitwear Products, Embroidery, Plastic Hand Molding, Plastic Machine Molding, Paper & Packaging, Electrical Fittings, Domestic Electrical Appliance, Storage & Transport, Veterinary Services, Components of Agricultural Machinery, Steel and Cast Iron Metals, Tanning & Finishing: Leather Tanning & Finishing

25. Department for International Development (DFID), UK: Conducted three BDS Subsector Analysis and Market Assessment on Fine Rice and Dairy subsector in Taragonj (Rangpur), and Chirrirbandar (Dinajpur)

26. SEEP-USA: Conducted BDS Subsector Analysis and Market Assessment on vegetable subsector in Sherpur, Bogra

27. Department for International Development (DFID), UK: Conducted BDS Subsector Analysis and Market Assessment on Dairy subsector in Sherajgong for their project “Making Markets Work for the Poor”

28. Pakistan Literacy Commission/Karachi University/Special Education Foundation: Chief facilitator to conduct Strategic Planning Exercise “Public Private Partnership - Transforming Dreams into Reality” and design a demand driven education model for replication in the country. The objective was to create scopes and opportunities of the partner organizations (governmental schools, colleges, technical centers and polytechnic institute, NGOs, private sector, professionals, parents/community) to participate in the design and implantation of the educational issues. The program was jointly sponsored by Asia Foundation, The Aga Khan Foundation, Faran Education Society, and Sindh Provincial Government with Karachi University and Pakistan Literacy Commission as the lead role

29. Cornell University/CYMMIT/USAID: Conducted a study on “Prevalence of Rickets amongst the Ethnic Groups in Chittagong Hill Tracts, on Bandarban Hill Districts”

30. Kathmandu Environmental Education Program (KEEP): Developed strategic options for integrating environmental education in tourism industry

31. Oxfam (GB): Program Evaluation and Strategic Planning exercise of Gram Bikash Kendra with emphasis on program sustainability, advocacy, and program management

32. Oxfam(GB): Strategic planning exercise of Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for the Physically Vulnerable (SARPV) emphasizing program management; Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR); Resource and Knowledge Center; Human Resource Development; Advocacy and Social Mobilization; and Private Sector Networking.

33. Advocacy Institute, Washington D.C. USA: Consultant and Local Resource for Capacity Building and Strengthening Program for the Social Justice Advocates in Bangladesh

34. CARE Bangladesh: Designed and implemented Health Information System, a computer driven database and provided information management related recommendations for CARE Bangladesh’s strategy and long-term programs for effective communication in health sector.
Experience in ICT

- Design and development of web oriented portals, e-commerce and e-governance site as well as other ICT for Development related issues. www.eshangshad.net

- Promoting SMEs and Linking them with Market System through ICT www.hatbazaar.net

- Training conduction, training materials development, organizing seminars and workshops on ICT related issues

- Cordaid, the Netherlands: Conducted a mission appraisal for ICT applications in poverty reduction. Conducted technical feasibility, policy implication, social and economic impact and financial investment using “Ethnographic Action Research” methodology