Practical Action Bangladesh

Practical Action Bangladesh has evolved over time to meet the challenges of poverty, inequality and vulnerability. Deeply committed to helping the poor in Bangladesh, its work on appropriate technology as a means to improve poor peoples livelihoods, has been flexible and responsive to local conditions and needs.

About us

Practical Action (formerly Intermediate Technology Development Group) started working in Bangladesh in the early 1980s in response to requests from a number of prominent national NGOs. It has evolved over time to meet the challenges of poverty, inequality and vulnerability. Deeply committed to helping the poor, its work on appropriate technology as a means to improve poor peoples livelihoods, has been flexible and responsive to local conditions and needs.

In 1990 a Bangladesh country office was formally established with its head office in Dhaka. From 1997, Practical Action Bangladesh began implementing large scale programmes in the technology areas of food production, agro-processing, small enterprise development and light engineering.

Practical Action Bangladesh now works directly and through partners in geographically focused areas with high incidence of poverty. It has now established visible programs in Faridpur, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, and also in Bogra, Gazipur, Dinajpur and Barisal districts. The aim is to ultimately scale up successful experiences and achieve positive impact and change in poor peoples lives throughout the country.

Practical Action Bangladesh, through its programmes works primarily by:

1. developing, upgrading, demonstrating and putting into practice appropriate technology within communities using participatory approaches.
2. giving skills training and extending capacity building support to NGO/GO staff
3. sharing knowledge and disseminating information and research findings among key stakeholders
4. enabling producers and entrepreneurs information and skills for making access to market opportunities and linkages
5. promoting advocacy and influencing for policy change

The country programme is organized into three thematic aims namely

• Reducing Vulnerability
• Markets and Livelihoods
• Infrastructure Services

Office structure

The country program is managed out of the Dhaka office, led by the Country Director, Veena Khaleque. All the aim leaders, programme managers, including a FAP head and a quality assurance manager, are based in Dhaka.

Practical Action Bangladesh has three field offices in Faridpur, Gaibandha and Jamalpur districts and three field centers in Barisal, Dinajpur and Gazipur districts. These are the area of concentration of Practical Action Bangladesh where a number of staff works for supervise and monitor the project work of the organisation.

The Dhaka office maintains liaison with the government, donors, consultants, experts, media, field offices and other relevant individuals and institutions.

Practical Action Bangladesh annual report 2008 (PDF, 6.3Mb)