Bangla-German Sampreeti (BGS) – Association for Culture and Development is involved in diverse development initiatives and interventions for more than 30 years. This is a national, non-government, non-profit, inter-religious and voluntary development organization which was initiated by a group of economists, writers, scientists, development practitioners and social philanthropists. It came into existence as “Bangla-German Sampreeti” in December 1990 and afterward registered with the Directorate of Social Services and NGO Affairs Bureau in the year 1991 and 1992 respectively. BGS starts its journey with a respond to emergency relief and recovery activities for the most affected communities of coastal areas of Cox’s Bazar district after the devastating cyclone on 29 April 1991. It was subsequently diverted its attention to other development arena and districts.
Vision
The vision of BGS to develop a society where rights of men and women are respected and everyone is able to lead an economically independent and a socially conscious life.
Mission
BGS desires to establish a situation in which people will utilize their inherent capacities to free themselves from economic dependence and practice positive human values that bind them together. They will be aware of their basic rights and positive and progressive socio-cultural values and practice these at all levels.
Goal
The goal of the organization is to poverty reduction and employment generation poor and marginalized families and their by create a society based on justice, equity and self- respect through involvement of poor disadvantaged group of people in various development activities and through creation of awareness about various problem and issues that concern the individuals, the community and the country at large.
Values
BGS desires to establish a situation in which people will utilize their inherent capacities to free themselves from economic dependence and practice positive human values that bind them together. They will be aware of their basic rights and positive and progressive socio-cultural values and practice these at all levels.
Objective
- BGS focuses on Specific socio-economic issues that perpetuate poverty and deprivation and designs significant objectives based on focused programs.
- Development of human resources among the poor and underprivileged people of the community and helping them to utilize their unused potentials to meet human needs.
- Promotion of employment and income generation opportunities for improving the socio-economic condition of the poor and the disadvantaged by providing different types of skills Vocational training.
- Development of unity among the poor people through organization of group activities and organizing them to work united against the factors that perpetuate poverty.
- Promotion of women’s empowerment and their rights to increase the level of their participation in all areas of life.
- Promotion of health and family planning services, mother and child care and development.
- Promotion of Non-formal education and literacy for the illiterate children, adolescents and adults to eradicate illiteracy from the country .
- Promotion of Post Literacy and Continuing Education for the neo-literate and the limited literate people of the country.
- Promotion of water & sanitation system both in rural and urban settings.
- Promotion of inter-cultural and inter-religious understanding among the community people so that social harmony exists.
- Promotion of culture of the marginalized and underprivileged rural communities to equip them with advantages.
- Promotion and preservation of the natural environment.
- Organizing relief and rehabilitation activities in times of natural calamities and disaster.
- Undertaking different programs and activities to bring the differently able people to join the mainstream of social development.
Development Approach
BGS practices integrated and participatory way of implementation of its development activities. Since BGS believes in the progress and betterment of all human being, so it works for the development of community as a whole. It applies both community and target group approaches in its development efforts. But there are certain groups of people in our society that needs special attention. These people are the marginal farmers, day labours, street boys, widows and other excluded group in the society.
Target Communities
The development activities of BGS are designed for the poor and disadvantaged people especially the landless and marginal farmers, the fisherman, the weavers, the potters and day laborers who mostly earn their livelihood from physical labor. We always give importance to ethnic minority; disable people and other disadvantage group in selection of beneficiaries. Community development, disaster response and awareness raising programs like non-formal education, disaster risk reduction, and prevention of drug abuse, environment preservation, and issues relating to community health activities are designed to cover the whole community. Therefore the whole community can be said to be the beneficiaries of such activities. BGS programs are deliberately discriminated in favor of women and girls who constitute more than 75% of the total beneficiaries.