SKS Foundation works with the poor communities in order to improve socio-economic status, promote gender equality and bring positive changes in the society through close collaboration with government line departments, local government and administration, civil societies, NGOs, private sectors, development partners and other stakeholders.

মানবাধিকার ও সামাজিক ন্যায়বিচার উন্নীত করা যেখানে দারিদ্র্য মুক্ত সমাজ, স্থানীয় ক্ষমতা নির্মিত, অপনীত লিঙ্গ বৈষম্য ও জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন দুর্বলতা কমে যায়.

A poverty free society where human rights and social justice be promoted,local capacity built, eliminated gender discrimination and reduced climate change vulnerability.

The Undaunted Development Journey

Started in the Northern Bangladesh

The Regional Context

Over the past decades, the northern region, which is the home of SKS Foundation, has experienced certain degree of social, economic and political transformation with regard to development. Despite some visible improvement in school enrolment; women participation in income generation; local government system; agricultural activities and farm produce; vegetation coverage; communication network and so on, the region still remains poor, vulnerable and relatively backward. Absolute number of people living below the poverty line continues to be higher compared to national average. The region, particularly in terms of poverty reduction, did not progress as much as expected due to multiple factors.

The overall context of the region represents a mixed trend. Agricultural growth with crop diversification in the region continues; while farmers continue to suffer income losses due to market erosion and trade manipulations. Women leadership in political arena including local government increased over the years with lack of leadership skills and competence. The lean season crises in the north has reduced but not eliminated. Magnitude of the employment crisis in the region continues to draw attention of all concerned without being virtually addressed with sustainable long-term solution.

Since Bangladesh remains vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change impact, the northern region is on the top of the list in terms of flood and other climate induced risks. Dispite some improvement in the drought situation in the recent years, the region is increasingly experiencing climate change impact in several front. Annual rainfall is getting erratic with wide annual variation in moonsoon precipitation. Global environmental effect, especially changes in the Himalayan region has influenced the erratic change in weather pattern in northern Bangladesh.

Natural disaster, especially flood in the upstream, is a huge deterrent affecting the rural livelihood almost every year in the region and consequently holding the region’s economy, which is largely based on agriculture, back from rolling up. Consequence of flood can’t be avoided due to geographical location, which constitutes the getway of the main rivers emanating in the Himalayan region further up in the north. River erosion in the region is recurring. The region experienced some greening over the last few decades with massive tree plantation which has become increasingly popular.

Gender discrimination in general has reduced, but violence against women still continues. The region is blessed with good communal peace and harmony, better than other regions in the country. Char dwellers still suffer exclusion and deprived of essential government services; while wage exploitation continues for the landless and ethnic minority in the region. The exploitation is more acute for women.