Success story of Women’s Voice and Leadership Bangladesh project

The conference was held under the title of 'Women's Empowerment : Women's Voice and Leadership Bangladesh Project'.

The conference was held on Wednesday (October 9) at the Radisson Blue Water Garden Hotel in the capital.

The conference presented the results of the WVL project funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by the Foundation for People (MJF). The conference showcases the inspiring stories of grassroots women, girls, transgender and transgender people and their stories of adversity, aspirations and success. The WVL project is a global initiative of Global Affairs Canada.

Since March 2019, MJF has been implementing the Women’s Voice and Leadership Bangladesh project, which provided grants to local women's rights organizations (WRO) and is strengthening the capacity of local women’s rights organizations (WRO)/community-based organizations (CBO) to help women, girls, and transgender individuals—especially those who are marginalized and vulnerabe to exercise their rights. MJF in this project has been working with 18 WRO/CBOs and women's networks nationwide through multi-year partnerships. The project activities include: (1) providing multi-year funding to selected local WROs; (2) capacity-building efforts for WROs (3) strengthening networks and alliances among WROs; and (4) rapid response short-term funding for local WROs to integrate various innovative ideas, opportunities, and discrete activities. The project duration was from February 25, 2019, to March 31, 2024, and were implemented across 20 districts.

Shaheen Anam,Executive Director of MJF, defines feminist as everyone who believes in equal human rights. We consider men our allies, we want them in our journey to ensure gender equality. She addresses the advisor, farida by calling her fearless.

The conference was graced by the presence of the Honorable Advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh,Farida Akhter, as the chief guest. Additionally, special guests included Saidur Rahman, Director General (Grade-1) of the NGO Affairs Bureau; Debra Boyce, Chargée d'Affaires of the Canadian Embassy in Bangladesh; and Rasheda K. Choudhury, Executive Director of the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE).

Women from various walks of life shared their stories of resilience, which the chief guest, honorable advisor Farida Akhter, described as "inspiring and powerful." Highlighting the need to bring women from different classes and identities to the forefront, she stated, "If issues are not addressed from various perspectives, simply generalizing 'women's' problems is not enough to eliminate discrimination." She also emphasized the need for balanced nutrition in schools to improve the education and health of female children, an initiative she is working on with the interim government. In her speech, she strongly opposed child marriage and dowry, stating, "Child marriage is a major cause behind human trafficking of women and children, and it must be combated from every corner of the society."

The special guest Md. Saidur Rahman, the Director General (Grade-1) of the NGO Affairs Bureau, whose focused the role of men in women's empowerment. He hightold child marriage is the primary reason behind the decreasing number of women in higher education. He said, "The higher the class, the lower the participation rate of women.He emphasized the importance of preventions.

Rasheda K. Choudhury, began her speech by remembering the women who were injured or killed in anti-discrimination movements. She stated, "Participation and ownership are not the same. Currently, many women are participating, but how much are they truly partnering? We need to understand equality and equity separately. If this is not clear, understanding and ensuring women's empowerment will be difficult."

Debra Boyce, Chargée d'Affaires of the Canadian Embassy in Bangladesh, highlighted in her speech regarding the role of women leaders is extremely important. She emphasized that raising a united voice against discrimination is essential, which we can learn from recent times, she added building a strong resistance against injustice, there is no alternative to raising our voices together.