Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) __________________________________________________________

Ans.  Shahjahan Jonoseba Foundation is a development & research organization dedicated to work for creating opportunity for the poor and marginalized people for reducing poverty, increase education, health and other potentials for everyone and bring positive changes through their economic and social empowerment in the society in large scale. Our aim is to establish global leadership in root level development initiatives, human rights and participating to globalization procedure.

 Ans.  Shahjahan Foundation has started it’s journey with objectives of poverty alleviation through increasing economic activities among poor and marginalized people, develop education, health, shelter, human rights and other potentials of life and ensure gender equalities and women empowerment in the society.

Ans.  Major activities of Shahjahan Foundation are as under :

• • • Economic Development & Poverty Reduction
    • Social Mobilization & Development
    • Health and Population Program.
    • Education Development
    • Gender Equality and Women Empowerment
    • Human Rights & Legal Empowerment
    • Disaster Response (Natural & Climate Change)
    • Labour Migration & Trafficking
    • Volunteering & Social Advocacy.
    • Research and Study
    • Training & Skills
    •  Small Finance under Micro Credit

Ans.   SJF releases that 80% of rural families remain poor, as most of the women in rural areas are not involved with any economic activities but doing household works and they have no economic contribution in their families, resulting of which rural women are always neglected in their families and violence on women is a common phenomenon in rural society.

We create economic opportunity for poor and helpless women in urban & rural areas, involve them with such economic activities after making them skilled through training and help them empowered in the society through our following activities :-

• • • Targeting poor, ultra-poor and deprived women, making them involved with economic activities through proper training for improving the economic & social situation and their households.
    • Carrying out holistic approach to development through sustainable model by creating prospects for the most disadvantaged people within the communities to overcome extreme poverty through careful selection.
    • Arrange community discussion, workshop, seminar and other activities for creating awareness among poor and helpless women to increase economic activities for making them economically active &  empowered and raise voice about their legal rights.
    • Create Saving attitude through our specific deposit scheme among the communities by mandatory depositing a certain portion of their regular income, which can ensure their future economic stability.
    • Provide intensive integrated support for skills development, healthcare, education and migration through community mobilization among disadvantaged people to establish economical & social security among them.
    • Conduct Research and Study on poverty reduction and economic development of the country.
      

Ans.   Despite Bangladesh has obtained some progress in primary enrolment and dropout rate in the recent years, it is still far behind to achieve standard education progress comparing to other developing countries in Asia. There are still 17.5 percent population live under poverty line and 80 percent out of this population live in rural areas who have no capabilities of sending their children to school in time due to extreme poverty. On the other hand, there are still insufficient schools and teaching facilities in rural areas comparing to rapid growing population in the country.

Our education program is aiming to increase education facilities to the disadvantaged students left behind from the formal education system and higher education growth in the country, which includes the following :-

a) Regarding improvement of Primary Education :

• • • Creating awareness and impose mandatory among members in the community to enroll their children with primary school in time within their territories and continuing study without break.
    • Where school is far away from locality, children of the members in the community, provides primary education through our own established schools.
    • Where schools are insufficient comparing to population and far away from locality, Setting up Schools in those areas to facilitate disadvantaged students and education growth.
    • Provide routine medical check up, immunization and other health related programs in the education institutions to ensure good health for the students.
    • Conduct Research & Study on development of education quality, standard & facilities in the country.

b) Regarding improvement of Secondary Education :

It has been observed since long that more than 50 percent students after completing primary education do not get admitted at the secondary school and a big percentage of secondary students do not continue their study to S.S.C level due to awareness of the parents and extreme poverty in their families. Government is providing books at secondary level at free of cost for the last several years, but students are to pay tuition fees, which is beyond effort for most of the poor students.

Our activities to improve secondary education in the country are as under :

• • • Arranges admission and bear tuition fees for poor and disadvantaged students at secondary level.
    • Arrange Scholarships for talented students to encourage their higher study.
    • Giving Farewell, Certificates and Awards among students after complete education at different levels with brilliant result as encouragement.
    • Provide technical, vocational and other training with special attention to adolescent and youth for their skills development beside study.
    • Arrange tournament, competition and distribute free sports materials in education Institutions for development of sports.
    • Provide routine medical check up, immunization and other health related programs in the education institutions to ensure good health for the students.
    • Conduct Research & Study on development of education quality, standard & facilities in the country.

From the years of experiences, it has been proved that the above steps are efficiently workable for development of education as well as increasing enrolment and reducing dropout at primary and secondary level in Bangladesh.

 Ans.  Higher Education Facilitate program of SJF is for creating awareness and facilities for increasing higher education participants and completion in the country. Creating opportunity for higher education in the country and abroad and striving with the government and like minded international agencies on this issue, is the main objective of this program, which are as under :

• • • Reduce admission fees, tuition fees and other education cost at H.S.C, Degree and Masters level.
    • Creating “Social Corporative Responsibility” among business associations for allocation a certain portion of yearly profit as Scholarships and other encouragement for improving higher education in the country.
    • Working with foreign Universities for increasing scope of study for Bangladeshi students with Scholarships and other facilities.
    • Insist government for providing interest free education loan facilities for higher education in the country and in abroad.
    • Insists government and Business Organizations for making quota for job candidates completed higher education.

Ans.   Bangladesh is still far behind to ensure health service at standard level due to high treatment cost and other limitations. In rural areas where live 73 percent of total population of the country, Doctors, medicine, hospitals, clinics and other health services are still enough insufficient comparing to actual requirements. Overall health situation, such as reproductive health, maternal, child health and nutrition are almost in the same situation like before in all the remote and rural areas.

Our health program is aiming to promote health & nutrition and improve reproductive health, maternal and child health among disadvantaged communities through promotional health services , which consists of the following :-

• • • Establish health centers, community clinics and hospitals for providing health services at lower cost among poor and disadvantaged people in the country.
    • Creating awareness among the communities about first aid, disease protection & control strategy and proper use of birth control instruments.
    • Work with the government and other like minded Organizations on health & population related activities in the country and abroad.
    • Participate in the immunization and  other health development programs of the government.
    • Quick respond in any natural & climate disaster in Bangladesh and other countries by sending medical team, medicine and other support and cooperate the government initiatives in recovery mood.
    • Conduct research & study on health & population and suggest the government improving situation.

Ans.  It is known worldwide that Bangladesh is an over populated country in terms of geographical area and it’s assets. As per BBS survey 2010 population of the country were 150 millions, out of which 73% were live in villages. From the years experiences it is observed that population growth rate in rural areas are almost double than urban areas and this is the main reason of making the country overpopulated.

SJF realizes that high poverty rate in rural areas and absence of awareness are the main causes of abnormal population growth in rural families. Our activities for population control are as under :

• • • Creating awareness among the communities for increasing use of contraceptives among rural women and their proper use.
    • Awareness for Reduce child marriage among rural families.
    • Free distribution of birth control instruments among rural women.
    • Improve reproductive health, maternal and child health in rural areas through promotional health services.
    • Impose mandatory among the members of the community for keeping restricted max 2 (two) children. In each family.

Ans.   Shahjahan Foundation is dedicated to protecting and promoting human rights of the poor and marginalized people and their legal empowerment as well through our Human Rights & Legal Empowerment services throughout the Country.

Our initiatives in this connection is to create awareness and mobilize communities in the society to raise their voice against injustice, discrimination and exploitation and create environment to ensure equitable justice for the poor and marginalized people, which includes the following :-

• • • Raising awareness among poor and marginalized people of their rights through counseling, legal referrals and capacity building and raise their voice about their legal rights.
    • Provide legal assistance to the victims through our legal team amongst our core areas, such as, violence on women, gender inequalities, labor tracking and violation of human rights etc.
    • Working with like minded institutions engaged with legal aid & human rights development activities.
    • Arrange sessions among targeted group for generating knowledge of their legal rights that are directly impact the lives of vulnerable communities.
    • Arrange workshops, seminar, meeting etc. among civil society, leaders, social workers and policy makers for influencing and promoting human rights  and their legal empowerment in the society.
    • Creating awareness among the communities, influence government and law enforcing agencies to ensure human rights in their activities.
    • Publish observation report on the law & order situation along with legal prescriptions.
    • Improving human rights and law & order situation in the society directly impact on reducing violence on women.

Ans.  Mobilization of social behavior of all levels and helping attitude of the civil society,  policy makers and rich persons for bringing positive changes to disadvantaged population in the society in their economic and livelihood,  is essential beside government initiatives, as it impact directly to increase economic and other opportunities to overcome poverty.

Our initiatives for mobilization in social attitude, create awareness and responsibility among people of all levels for sustainable social development and poverty reduction, are consisted of the following :-

• • • Create awareness among people of all levels in the society to mobilize their attitude to come up with helping mod to bring positive changed in economic and livelihood of disadvantaged people.
    • Increase awareness among business societies for creating “Corporate Social Responsibility” to  contribute towards development of education, health and shelter of the poor and marginalized people.
    • Arrange meeting, seminar etc. to influence policy makers, government and other concerns for increasing training & rehabilitation facilities for making disadvantaged people as an skilled manpower and ensure development of their livelihood.
    • Create awareness among people of all levels to ensure gender equalities, establish women empowerment and reduce violence on women in the society.
    • Create awareness among the communities and influence the government and law enforcing agencies to ensure human rights in their activities.
    • Establish equal opportunity for all in health, education, shelter and other potentials.

Ans.   Shahjahan Foundation strongly believe that social innovation is mandatory for bringing positive changes in the life of extreme poor and helpless people in the society in large scale. Sustainable changes in attitude and behavior of the people of all levels towards social development and initiatives by the government, civil society, policy makers and other professions can enhance opportunity in life and livelihood of the marginalized people. We look for ways to better align our activities with overall strategic priorities for social innovation towards development of economic, health, education and other potentials of marginalized people in the society. Our initiatives in this regard are as under :

• • • Building awareness among women and youth and making them capable to overcome problems.
    • Social mobilization for changing attitude and behavior of the people of all levels towards human rights, gender equalities and social empowerment of women and marginalized people.
    • Creating helping attitude in the society and increase cooperation towards improvement of economic, education, health and other potentials among marginalized people.
    • Sharing knowledge and partnerships for new ideas of innovation.
    • Influence government, civil society, policy makers, media men and other professionals to be an active partner of social innovation.
    • Creating mechanisms for increasing strength among staffs to be an efficient volunteer for social innovation.

Ans.    SJF conducts Research & study on different issues related to Poverty Reduction, development of rural economy, Improvement of Education, Health & population control, Industrialization and Revenue situation of the Country.

Ans.   Main sources of fund of SJF activities are i) Subscriptions & Donations from it’s members and well wishers ii) Income from several projects and funding by  iii) Government ; and iv) Donor Agencies.

 Ans.   Yes, anybody can get involved himself with SJF activities by making a donation of any amount or by sponsoring any of our activities. To know details on this issue, please see the section “ Sponsor any of our Activities” under Get Involved.

Ques. Does SJF assures transparency and accountability in their financial and other activities ? Does it acceptable from the view point of accounting principles and social valuation ?

Ans.  Yes, all financial transactions are recorded by  the SJF finance department leaded by the professional experts confirming transparency and accountability as per International Accounting Standard, which are audited by the external auditor at the year end. Our projects activities are completed under strict guidance of funding agencies, which has obtained much appreciation by the government and Donors.