Primary level (I) – the RDRS programme focus on grassroots involvement through incorporating members of disadvantaged households (landless and marginal farmers) into Primary Groups will continue though no longer as the dominant focus. The same principle of eligibility for Group Member Households will apply – one adult member aged 18-45 from each defined disadvantaged household (defined as owning less than 1.5 acres or selling labour for more than 90 days per year) incorporated into homogenous (especially same gender) neighbourhood Primary Groups of between 15-25 members. The Primary Groups are intended to be cohesive development instruments, the basic `building blocks’ of social organisation which promote local co-operation and solidarity and also serve as efficient mechanisms for organising development services. Certain opportunities are extended to individuals such as training, but channeled through the group mechanisms; even though different individuals from each group Member Household can participate in different activities since the intention is to promote the empowerment and development of the entire households. The main shift will be to microfinance intervention plus social awareness to this category. Additional interventions will reach out formally and specifically to three other categories which RDRS has worked with in both distant and recent past – the small farmer groups (owning 1.5-3 acres) which is subject to marginalisation; the ultra poor, especially riverine and char dwellers, and tribal/ethnic minorities.

Secondary level (II) – the central thrust of the RDRS Strategy is at Union/Upazila level with interventions to promote and enable the development of Union Federations (with their extensive membership of graduated Secondary Groups). To maintain the evolution that earlier development efforts have put in train, RDRS is obliged to intensify and scale-up development efforts at this level. These emergent community-based organisations (CBOs) represent a promising democratic instrument of civil society, and a collective and organised voice of the disadvantaged. However their further development requires sustained capacity building.

Tertiary level (III) – despite being a leading NGO in the region, with geographically concentrated operations, RDRS’s preoccupation at grassroots and community level has not previously allowed co-ordinated interventions at district or regional level. However, in its 2001-2005 Strategy RDRS plans to develop modest interventions in this higher arena (from district, region and – in limited cases - even national level) particularly in the areas of advocacy, networking and information/media. These interventions should also achieve synergies with its interventions at the lower-levels and promote the move to more sustainable and knowledge-based approaches. This intervention also seeks scaling-up and greater outreach without requiring major growth

Organisational level (IV) – as a localised organisation, RDRS must now focus attention to a greater extent than hitherto on developing its organisational spirit, dynamism, capacity and efficiency. Organisational development will be critical to implement an evolving development programme more effectively and this is an integral part of the RDRS strategy for the next five years.

Institution Building: Sustainable human development, which lies at the heart of the RDRS approach to poverty alleviation and empowerment, requires more than individual efforts, motivation or advancement. The RDRS development programme seeks to empower the individual households which participate but, in the interests of longer-term impact, sustainability (and even cost-effectiveness), is more strongly committed of facilitating the emergence of effective grassroots (and higher level) organisations of the rural poor which may be critical for asserting the rights of their membership in the longer term. Thus while addressing the needs and aspirations of individuals, and tap mobilising their motivations and capabilities, the RDRS development programme will continue to place major emphasis on developing the organisational environment, both as a means to effective development and as an end in itself. Developing Groups, but especially CBOs/Federations by and for the rural poor requires continuing commitment to the central task of capacity-building. RDRS will also expand its linkages and collaboration with local level NGOs and other civil society actors towards the same end.

Social Awareness: Conscientisation and social development has been consistently promoted in RDRS development programmes for the past 20+ years. Although marked progress has been achieved, needs continue to change and social awareness will continue to be vital for promoting positive changes in knowledge, attitude and behaviour among a disadvantaged rural population still characterised by high levels of illiteracy, and social exclusion. Poverty is multidimensional - psychological, behavioural and social as well as economic and political. However Northern Bangladesh now presents a more complex and diverse environment than the past, with new challenges and threats confronted by its poor rural constituents. A more rights-based approach underpins this new initiative - the issues of democratisation and citizenship, women’s rights, new health risks and education opportunities, effective disaster preparedness will assume higher priority than in earlier social awareness generation. RDRS is committed to promoting social awareness in both traditional and new ways – awareness that can be used by the poor in their battle against disempowerment arising from poverty and deprivation, ignorance and exclusion.

Economic Promotion: The lack of access to, or ability to exploit, economic opportunities is a fundamental constraint for the rural poor. Promoting economic opportunity by measures to strengthen rural livelihoods has emerged as a dominant theme in the RDRS programme over the past 5 years and this emphasis will continue further in 2001-2005. This intervention aims at extending and intensifying economic empowerment, which also helps promote the sustainability of other development benefits. Extending economic opportunity will be especially important at grassroots and secondary (federation) levels and in the areas of skills development and microfinance but with limited initiatives to promote improved technology and marketing. This principle extends to RDRS as an organisation. The approach will be to expand coverage and new productive opportunities as well as emphasising improvement of efficiency (and viability) and quality of current endeavors.

Civic engagement: This is a relatively new and challenging outreach which arises logically from Federation intentions to engage in the local political process in order to assert (or defend) rights, to exercise increased civic influence and to gain access to resources. The emergence of a higher-level involvement of the RDRS development programme – especially at secondary and tertiary (regional) levels thus automatically leads RDRS into activities to promote the political empowerment of the disenfranchised, which is itself an sustainability strategy. RDRS will expand support the organisations of the poor to exercise democracy and good governance within their own institutions, and to use their influence to engage and assert those values and a pro-poor agenda in local politics. Civic engagement implies a public role – founded upon good private practice - for the organised poor and their representatives, and increased engagement with local leadership, government services and other civil society actors to advance issues of concern, and to address their development `rights’. Certain new skills and knowledge are required for effective civic engagement, and RDRS will expand its role in governance/leadership development, promoting participation, networking and advocacy, along with audit and legal support. RDRS, as an organisation, also needs to develop its own capacity to support this natural outreach through research, training, network and coalition building and improved information and media involvement application. RDRS will also seek to use its regional geographic presence to support this role and to co-ordinate efforts at union, upazila and district levels and enable a voice for the disadvantaged of the northwest to develop. Intensifying current modest efforts to promote civic engagement carries higher risks.

Gender equity

Democratic, popular participation