PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Through the last three decades, LUSTRE has been implementing different development programmes with efficiency and commitment. LUSTRE management is confident in handling and undertakings projects utilizing wholehearted efforts and provides inputs from the organizational management. We welcome donors/development partners to visit our organization.
Telemedicine Service
‘Human Health Helpline (HHH)’ is a Telemedicine system. Telemedicine is a specialist medical treatment advice service, where doctors and patients can talk face-to-face, and the doctor prescribes themselves to be eliminated through video conferencing. In Bangladesh, telemedicine services play a very effective and important role in improving the health care of people in remote areas. LUSTRE wants to give support with the help of HHH to all the poor people who cannot pay for their treatment in 11 upazilas in Naogaon district and six upazilas in Natore district. In Bangladesh there are thousands of people who die from unknown diseases every year, HHH wants to help them and save them.
LUSTRE Thalassemia Blood Bank
Every organization carries its own identity by working with a different type of activities that initiates to run for a long way. LUSTRE is not beyond that. The devastating Thalassemia disease and the helpless patient community pushing us to find helping hands for their dreamy future. LUSTRE started its journey with the Thalassemia issue and got rapid response from national and international organizations to work on it. Before starting other development activities LUSTRE was working as Blood Bank. At present there are 200 Thalassemia patients found in Natore district, but LUSTRE provided support on 80 patients only.
Maternity Allowances program for Poor Mother
In comparison with other districts, the rural area of Natore is especially very poor and vulnerable due to inundation in each and every year. 50 percent hard core poor families selling their labour in agro-based works due to lack of own cultivable land. A person has only working scope in the period of irrigation and remains unemployed for the rest of the period. Women are severely suffering from a work crisis in the dull season. With assistance from the government of Bangladesh, LUSTRE is providing skill training to the women. A total of 3,664 women received Life Skill training from the organization at 24 Unions in three upazilas.
Climate Change Adaptation Project
Poor and vulnerable people are particularly affected by climate change impacts, such as floods, droughts and other extreme weather events. For decades, LUSTRE has worked to help share knowledge developed by local communities, academics and project managers so that communities can better cope with climate change. Many communities that are vulnerable to climate change impacts have been dealing with climate variability for decades and have a wealth of knowledge about how to adapt. Community-based adaptation to climate change focuses on empowering communities to use their own knowledge and decision-making processes to take action. LUSTRE works to help support many communities as they adapt to climate change and the extreme weather events it brings. We do this by supporting communities and experts that offer climate change adaptation training, advocacy and capacity building. Community-based adaptation (CBA) to climate change focuses on empowering communities to use their own knowledge and decision-making processes to take action.
Village Sanitation Centre (VSC)
Safe drinking water and Hygienic Sanitation practice can ensure sound health. Access to safe water is a human right. It is a fact that ensuring safe, sweet and drinkable water is not available in all the areas of the country. Millions of people in Bangladesh still do not have easy access to safe water due to prevalence of many challenges in water, declination of ground water level, surface water pollution etc. Corresponding the proclamation of UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG), Bangladesh Govt. has taken steps to address the issue aiming to ensure safe water and sanitation coverage by 2015 and declared the month of October in each year shall be observed as Sanitation month. NGO Forum a pioneering Organization working in the Watsan sector for the last 3 decades with partner NGO’s for addressing problems of watsan issues in order to ensure safe water supply and improve hygienic latrines. LUSTRE is one of the partner NGOs in Natore district working since 1998 for water and sanitation coverage and improvement of Health hygienic condition of the rural people.
Food Security for Sustainable Household Livelihood Project (FoSHoL)
Food security is the one and only forthcoming challenge of Bangladesh105 Farmer group have been formed for LUSTRE-CARE FoSHoL project, funded by The European commission to have an impact on 4725 food insecure farm household to increase their farm production income by 20% from the baseline in 3 upazilas. The formed group has been targeted to increase its capacity to shape it as a formal group. The project facilitates the establishment of Nursery, Rice Demonstration plot (BRRI Dhan-28 and 29), Ideal homestead gardening, Fruit tree improvement, Tree Promotion, establishing small scale poultry farms at the household level. The project facilitated linkage between farmers groups and mainstream service providers like DAE, DLS DoF, BADC, BMDA, BRRI and BARI.
Disaster Preparedness Programme
Bangladesh is regularly hit by natural disasters that compound on the abilities of the already struggling poorer communities to survive. LUSTRE always tries to provide assistance in these cases and several members of staff have undergone disaster preparedness training. Every year we distribute warm clothing and blankets in winter to women and children in Natore, Pabna, Bogra and Naogaon with assistance from various donors such as SDC-IC, MCC, NGO-Forum, ‘Art of living’ and other agencies. We also carried out some relief work using our own funds, to help the victims of the floods in the greater Chalanbil area. We are currently working in the drought prone area to help the people there prepare for possible future disasters and to improve their livelihoods
Water and Sanitation
Safe drinking water and Hygienic Sanitation practice is the initial project of LUSTRE that can ensure sound health of the disadvantaged community. The organization believes access to safe water is a human right. It is a fact that ensuring safe, sweet and drinkable water is not available in all the areas of its jurisdiction due to poverty and climate impact. Millions of people in the North-West still do not have easy access to safe water due to prevalence of many challenges in water, declination of ground water level, surface water pollution etc. Corresponding to the proclamation of UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG), LUSTRE has taken steps to address the issue aiming to ensure safe water and sanitation coverage by 2015.
Safe Water Supply Project for Drinking and Irrigation (FoSHoL)
Naogaon, Chapai Nawabgonj and Rajshahi district are the extreme Barendra track where water crisis remains for about 8 months. Thousands of people suffer much in collecting drinking water. Hundreds of families collect water even from 1 KM. far. Cultivation seriously hampers timely Irrigation. The source of water is only under surface water. Family members of those areas become worried during January to July to ensure water for homestead use, Animals and irrigations. Considering the above conditions LUSTRE undertook a pipeline project to supply drinking and irrigation water at Ramkura and Piprul village of Niamatpur upazila in Naogaon district.
Blood Group Database
LUSTRE has initiated a project to create a database of the blood type of an entire population in Dighapatia Union. The database will be available to medical facilities at the village, union and district level to assist those who want to donate or require blood. LUSTRE has been working with Thalassemia patients, HIV/AIDS and STD related public health issues for many years and is licensed by the government to perform blood screening tests and transfusions. Through its long experience in this field, it believes that the existence of such a database can reduce life threatening delays and problems that occur due to inadequate blood supply or information related gaps.
HIV Awareness and Prevention
Health is our initial focus area and we have operated a number of successful drop-in-centres across the jurisdiction offering a range of health and recreational facilities as well as training and information on HIV/AIDS and STI risks and reduction. We employ peer educators from the relevant target groups to ensure that we reach the maximum number of people and to help us build up trust and respect in that community. We complement our work with advocacy and awareness raising activities within civil society and the wider community to help reduce the stigma faced by these groups. A projects on HIV/AIDS prevention with different risk groups (e.g. sex workers including MSM, drug users) is being implemented in 06 districts throughout the northwest region of Bangladesh.
Eco-friendly Bricks and Housing
Eco-friendly bricks in the form of concrete blocks are gaining popularity in Bangladesh as a means to mitigate the environmental damage caused by conventional brick manufacturing. House Building Research Institute (HBRI), a component of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, has been working for over 40 years to develop a substitute for conventional bricks in the construction industry. HBRI researchers said the main challenges are raising the awareness of people about eco-friendly bricks, as relatively few people know that these can result in both lower construction costs and reduced environmental impact.
Poverty Alleviation
One of the oldest initiatives of its kind in Natore District, our microfinance operations began in 1996. We provide access to financial services to the poor, who are unable to obtain credit from mainstream banks due to lack of necessary assets and referrals. Our borrowers, most of whom are women, use these loans to engage in various income generating activities to improve their socio-economic status. Initially limited to encouraging self-employment, our Microfinance Programme has progressively moved towards supporting small enterprise development. This broadening of focus stems from a growing recognition of the multiplier effects of enterprises through employment generation, as well as backward and forward linkages with many economic activities.
Human Rights, Legal Awareness Education and Legal Aid Partnership Programme
It is seen that the poor and underprivileged people are deceived and exploited by the rich and powerful classes of people from their legal rights and claim to their property and possessions. On the other hand, the masculine dominance takes panache in their rights and claim over famine folk who suffer bitter experience of injustice, dowry, polygamy and pre-mature marriage enduring torture and their husband’s raping. Almost everywhere in society the above scenarios are prevalent to sneer at civic consciousness. The oppressed people cannot cope with the oppressors due to poverty, destitution and illiteracy. Observing the above conditions, LUSTRE came forward for standing by the side of oppressed and deprived women for providing legal shelter and legal aid to the sufferers having the programmatic support.
Vulnerable Group Development (VGD)
In comparison with other districts, the rural area of Natore is especially very poor and vulnerable due to inundation in each and every year. 50 percent hard core poor families selling their labour in agro-based works due to lack of own cultivable land. A person has only working scope in the period of irrigation and remains unemployed for the rest of the period. Women are severely suffering from a work crisis in the dull season. With assistance from the government of Bangladesh, LUSTRE is providing skill training for IGA to the women. A total of 15,050 women received Life Skill and IGA training and 13,025 women received micro credit support from the organization at 49 Unions in eight upazilas.
Adolescent Education
In comparison with the developed countries, the education status of Bangladesh is significantly less as it is required. Education has been a priority of LUSTRE since 1998. Complementing the Government programme of making the country free from illiteracy it has been implementing various literacy programmes for women and children, including 4 schools in the marginalized community and 15 NFE centres in different rural areas of Natore district.
Primary Health
LUSTRE is committed to the creation of a society where all people have access to and benefit from medical support regardless of status. A number of programmes operate in Natore, Pabna, Bogra, Rajshahi and Naogaon districts. These programmes are closely linked to the beneficiary communities where LUSTRE operates micro-credit programmes. Health Education is an integral part of many of our projects covering subjects such as immunization, nutrition, FP-MCH, personal hygiene and sanitation.
Housing Support
The organization is committed to support the rural homeless people of Natore district. LUSTRE is committed to ensure the basic rights of our beneficiaries. To this end, we provide low interest loans to enable homeless people to purchase a house. This project is assisted by the housing fund of Bangladesh Govt (Bangladesh Bank), which has enabled us to provide over 229 houses to date.
Civic Awareness raising programme
The European Commission awarded project is to empower and strengthen citizens especially the vulnerable groups of people such as women, minorities and disable people through education and awareness raising programs in order to improve their easy access to the electoral process. LUSTRE has worked to improve awareness of citizens about their rights and responsibility in the target areas and enable them to apply their voting rights. An important part of the program is to activate local government representatives, student communities and different rural associations to play an effective role to ensure free and fair elections in the country
HYSAWA project (HYSAWA FUND)
Access to safe water is a human right. It is a fact that ensuring safe, sweet and drinkable water is not available in our working areas. Millions of people in Bangladesh still do not have easy access to safe water due to prevalence of many challenges in water, declination of ground water level, surface water pollution etc. Corresponding the proclamation of UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG), Bangladesh Govt. has taken steps to address the issue aiming to ensure safe water and sanitation coverage by 2020. HYSAWA Fund provided financial assistance through Union Parishad to LUSTRE to cover the hygiene, sanitation and water crisis of 07 Union of Naogaon district and 11 Union of Natore district. The program is ensuring safe and secured water, hygienic latrine installation and finally contributing to change the behavioral pattern of the community.
Awareness Campaign by Folk Song Group
Awareness raising is a prominent feature of much of the work we do. Alongside this, LUSTRE recognizes the importance of culture and heritage to Bangladeshi people and therefore uses this medium for awareness raising to a wide population. We have a well-established folk media group, spreading the word on a wide variety of issues e.g. Safe Blood Transfusion, HIV/AIDS, Anti-Drug, Gender discrimination, Child rights, MSM community and other Civil rights issues. We try to coordinate these activities closely with particular project needs and will continue to do so in the future.
Dwip – art, culture, and heritage promotion programme
‘Dwip’, which means island in Bengali, is a concern of LUSTRE, an art platform that seeks to promote modern and contemporary art and culture by bringing into alignment the arts, curatorial practices and current knowledge on art and society. Based in Dhaka, Dwip gallery is primarily focused on the emerging art scene. Since the beginning of its journey in 2018, Dwip has staged 24 exhibitions. Visitors enjoyed more than 1,500 artworks by 163 artists from all over the country, in different exhibition formats including group shows and solo exhibitions. Dwip has also been instrumental in staging artist talks alongside art exhibitions, which turned it into a new magnet for artists, photographers and art connoisseurs.
Child Development Programme
Shaheed Mamun Child Development Centre was established in the year 2015 in Ramkura village under Niamatpur upazila of Naogoan district. It has been running and financed with LUSTRE’s own fund. Presently, classes from Nursery to Class One are in operation. The number of students is 45 and 3 teachers with 2 other support staff. Side by side the formal education, extracurricular activities such as song, dance, drawing, indoor games and physical exercise are included in the curriculum. There are development programs of the school in future to extend the classes in phases from year to year.
Tales of Taste
Taste doesn’t just start and end only with eating. When and where was eaten, what was eaten, who cooked it, how it was cooked, how it tasted, where it was collected from, who was with them, or why and how everything happened – all these memories accumulate in the mind. Sometimes its place, time, and person becomes more important than the food itself. Sometimes with the disappearance of the place, time, and person, the food or the taste is lost. This ending can be natural, normal, induced, imposed, replaced, or even repelled. The history of food or taste and the history of human life go hand in hand. The ‘Tales of Taste’ is actually some story that is lost and about to be lost from human lifestyle. LUSTRE Dwip, through the EMK Center, Dhaka supported ‘Tales of Taste’ project, has explored the lives of the Chakma people of Bangladesh in the first phase and brought out some of their flavors and memories.
