Profile of SKS Foundation

The Genesis

Bharatkhali village, located on the western bank of the Jamuna River in Gaibandha, was the home of the helpless in the remote char. To protect them against injustice, some young people organized themselves and started social work. The youths formed the Hat Bharatkhali Social Welfare Society on 1st December 1987 to give a structure to people's participation. The Hat Bharatkhali Welfare Society has evolved into a development organization- SKS Foundation.

The Organization Today

SKS Foundation is a national non-government organization rooted in Northern Bangladesh. SKS facilitates multi-faceted development programs covering the poor & marginalized focusing on women & children fighting against deprivation and injustice. It has grown more visibly over the last decades with diversity in its mission targeting the deserving people. Thus, SKS has been Striving for a Sustainable Change in collaboration with the development partners and stakeholders.

Vision

A poverty-free society where everyone has access to resources and live with voice, dignity and justice.

Mission Statement

SKS Foundation facilitates improvement of life and livelihood of the poor and excluded by reducing their vulnerabilities, promoting empowerment and improving access to development opportunities and resources. SKS Foundation collaborates with government including local government, private sector, NGOs, networks and donors to ensure sustainable development.

Goal

Quality of life of the poor and excluded groups improved with access to and use of effective and inclusive development opportunity and resources.

Core values

  • Respect
  • Accountability
  • Gender sensitivity
  • Integrity
  • Transparency
  • Professionalism

Core Features

Hard-to-Reach Priority: SKS Foundation is recognized for its unwavering commitment to supporting the excluded & hard-to-reach, including char dwellers, indigenous groups, ultra-poor, and other forms of marginalization.

Innovative Vision: SKS Foundation advances with a forward-thinking approach, committed to growth and diversity through timely actions and creative solutions.

Collaborative Environment: SKS Foundation places staff at the center of its initiatives and fosters a non-bureaucratic culture that promotes a positive working atmosphere for all staff, regardless of gender.

Brand Commitment: SKS Foundation is dedicated to upholding its brand identity and reputation in its self-governance, program operations in partnership, service delivery and resource management.

Sustainable Growth: SKS Foundation prioritizes progressive growth over revolutionary change, adopting an incremental program and organizational development strategy.

Adaptability & Responsiveness: SKS Foundation is flexible in responding to emerging needs & opportunities aligned with its mission and open to change, learning and interaction within the organization.

Holistic Development Approach: SKS Foundation is committed to comprehensive development, maintaining a programmatic focus encompassing social, economic, and environmental dimensions alongside social enterprising.

Strategic Issues, Objectives & Directions at a Glance


Strategic Issues

Strategic Objectives

Strategic Directions

Programmatic Issues

 

 

Social Empowerment

 

 

1. Women Development & Gender Justice

 
  • To keep community women aware & sensitized of their rights and entitlements so that they get access to safe and women-friendly services.

1. Increase awareness of women's rights & entitlements.

2. Advocacy for accessing gender-equity-based services 

2. Child Protection
  • To make families, communities and institutions aware & sensitized to keep the children protected from all forms of violence.

1. Awareness at community and educational institutions 

2. Sensitizing the LGIs and law enforcement agencies

3. Addressing Inclusivity 

 
  • To ensure all sects of people get access to basic services & facilities without discrimination. 

1. Ensure access to basic services & facilities by all sects of people

2. Connecting people with service providers

4. Peace & Harmony in Family & Community

 
  • To mobilize community people to build social peace and exercise freedom. 

1. Community sensitization on social bonding

2. Awareness against drugs and domestic violence

5. Governance & Accountability 

 
  • To keep people aware of and create demands for their rights and entitlements and make duty-bearers accountable. 

1.Community & stakeholder awareness on demanding their rights & entitlements.

Economic Development

 

 

1. Expansion of Microfinance Program
  • To ensure access to financial services for the targeted people for improved livelihood.

1. Horizontal and vertical growth

2. Introduce innovative products and digitization

3. Increase financial capacity by building equity and securing low-cost lending

2. Technical & Vocational Education
  • To enhance the skills of the target communities especially the youth groups as a productive workforce by providing employable technical skills.

1. Youth skill development for employment generation

2. Partnership and Linkage building with MFIs and Govt. Institutions

3. Entrepreneurship Development

To support the youth grow as entrepreneurs to play a crucial role in meeting industrial & economic needs and alleviating poverty.

1. Financing & Promoting Small & Medium Enterprises (SME)

2. Market Development & Value Chain Creation

Environmental Justice

 

 

1. Environment Conservation
  • To promote environmental conservation targeting an environment-friendly living atmosphere.

1. Awareness on Environmental Conservation

2. Promoting Environmental Protection

2. Addressing Climate Change

 
  • To promote and implement environmental protection and climate change adaptation.

1. Focusing on Resilience and Adaptation 

2. System Strengthening and Collaboration with government, academia and other stakeholders

3. Disaster Risk Reduction

 
  • To promote resilience and strengthen community-led disaster management

1. Promoting Anticipatory Action

2. Strengthening disaster management system

Basic Service Support

 

 

1. Quality Education

 
  • To develop the children, adolescents and youths through a modern, inclusive and equitable quality education to achieve ‘education for all’.

1. Early Childcare and Development (ECCD)

2. Promoting Formal and Non-Formal Education

 

2. Promotion of Health 
  • To mobilize and sensitize the community to maintaining a healthy life by accessing health facilities

1. Promotion of Mother and Child Health

2. Awareness raising and increasing health-seeking behavior 

3. Promotion of WASH
  • To mobilize and sensitize the community to accessing improved WASH facilities.

1. Promoting improved WASH

2. Awareness raising on hygiene and best practices

4. Senior Citizen Care
  • To promote an environment that allows senior citizens to live with safety, security and dignity.

1. Extending Physical and mental health support

2. Safe home and access to social safety net program

Organizational Issues

 

 

1. People

 

- To develop employees as the most important asset of the organization to excel the best.

1. Ensure required facilities

2. Professional staffing

3. Staff capacity development

4. Develop and ensure the exercise of organizational culture

2. Environment-Friendly Organization

 

-To make the organization environment-friendly, where the prevailing beliefs, values, and behaviors prioritize environmental responsibility, sustainability, and conscientious use of resources.

1. Eco-friendly program Promotion

2. Introducing multi-channel  communication

3. Technological adaptation

4. Cost efficiency

3. Organizational Systems Improvement

- To enhance the efficiency of SKS’s work to meet the rising standards in the industry

1. Living Standard Operating Procedure (SoP)

2. Adaptive and participatory  management

3. Digitization and automation

4. Research and Development

5. Improve the Internal control system 

4. Governance

- To improve the governance systems so that everything is compliant in a transparent manner.

1. Making the executive council well informed

2. Putting the necessary reports in public 

3. Developing secondary leadership

5. Finance

- To make the organization equipped to mobilize diverse funding and utilize funds efficiently.

1. Explore diverse funding

2. Maximize resource generation from in-house sources

3. Ensure efficient use of funds

 

Program Intervention

Presently SKS Foundation is engaged in service delivery and rights-based programs for ensuring quality life and livelihoods of the poor and disadvantaged segments of the society covering 29 districts under Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Chattogram, Sylhet, Barishal & Mymensingh division of Bangladesh. The civil society, private & public organizations also remain in close collaboration & strategic partnership in providing quality services responding to the demand of the deserving communities through innovative program interventions.

SKS Foundation has extensive experiences in a range of interventions including livelihoods & food security; agriculture & natural resources management; value chain development & market linkages; human resources development & employment creation; human rights & social protection; women & adolescent girls’ empowerment; health & education; WASH & nutrition; climate change adaptation & disaster risk reduction; financial services support for the poverty-stricken poor & disadvantaged groups; small & marginal farmers focusing the hard-to-reach & unserved rural & urban communities in the char, coastal, flood & drought-prone areas. Thus, SKS has reached to around 5.7 million people in collaboration with development partners and in turn is contributing to the development of Bangladesh.