CORE PROGRAMME AREAS & STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

1. QUALITY EDUCATION

This programme area is aimed to contribute to ensure the quality education and creating learning opportunities for all. In order to achieve this objective, ZKS will focus on, but not limited to, the following:

• Promote civil society platforms/building alliances/networks at local, district and national level to raise issues related to quality education (i.e. right to education, act against corruption etc)
• Conduct research/action research and advocacy on the following issues
  • Recruit subject based teachers and maintain students verses teachers ratio in remote primary schools
  • Ensuring quality education based on national indicators
  • Effective implementation of MLE in primary level
  • Promotion and revitalization of indigenous education system
  • Effective functioning of the School Management Committees (SMC)
  • Publish yearly education watch reports of CHT
• Providing technical and financial support for establishment primary schools in remote areas and implementation of MLE (i.e. teachers trainings) in partnership with education department;
• Provide technical education for developing skilled and creativity of unemployed youth and women (including produce skilled labours for factories and other sectors i.e. garments)
• Behavioral change of the parents to change the family environment for the adolescent and youth to improve the quality education;

2. SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD

This programme area is aimed to contribute to achieve well-being of the grassroots communities by providing all possible technical and financial supports and advocacy assistance. In order to achieve this objective, ZKS will focus on, but not limited to, the following:

• Sensitize and provide necessary support to the disadvantaged village communities for effective use of their land and other resources (i.e. for homestead gardening) and sustainable income generation related activities to improve their livelihood and wellbeing;
• Provide support to the new and existing entrepreneurs (especially youth and women) to develop and expend their initiatives (including establishment of market linkages) for generating rural employment;
• Contribute to the development of local tourism through promoting environment friendly and culturally sensitive eco-tourism and community based tourism. The capacity enhancement of tourist guides, develop partnership with Rangamati Science and Technology University on the issue of tourism and use of information technologies for the poor and marginalized are among other key initiatives;
• Strengthen the linkages between service receivers and service providers through enhancing the capacities of traditional and peoples representatives (i.e. basic orientations), strengthening the relationship with Headmen Association, UP forums, and related organizations and establishing the feedback mechanism for service providers;
• Facilitate inclusive budgeting and budget disclosures sessions with local government authorities;
• Developing an information hubs for general people on access to services;
• Conduct research and advocacy in order to improve the livelihood opportunities for the poor people;

3. GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING

This programme is aimed to contribute to ensure good health and wellbeing of all peoples of Khagrachhari hill district. In order to achieve this objective, ZKS will focus on, but not limited to, the following:

• Promote the right to access to sexual and reproductive health services to the youth and women in the CHT and providing support for ensuring the services to the remote areas through information dissemination and education, and with other reproductive health related programmes;
• Sensitize the village peoples about the negative consequences of the child marriage to the health and society;
• Provide support to ensure access to quality and essential primary health-care services and access to essential medicines and vaccines for all in the remote villages;
• Take necessary programmes on behavioral change of the parents to change the family environment for the adolescent and youth;
• Take programmes/activities to engage adolescent and youth in education and cultural activities to prevent drug addiction related activities/stopping drug addiction;

4. CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT

This programme is aimed to contribute to take action to combat climate change and its impacts through enhancing the capacities of the community for climate change adaptation and mitigation. In order to achieve this objective, ZKS will focus on, but not limited to, the following:

• Undertake research and advocacy initiatives on sustainable agriculture, food security and climate-friendly livelihood and support the communities to achieve food sovereignty;
• Provide support to the communities to develop and implement their climate change adaptation and mitigation plans, including disaster risk preparedness, management and rehabilitation;
• Support to enhance the capacities of the communities for managing the forest ecosystems and achieving traditional sustainable forest-related livelihoods and innovations;
• Provide necessary support to protect important sources of water and biodiversity areas including promote and revitalize the village common forests;
• Promote and revitalize the traditional knowledge and practices beneficial to the environment and climate change i.e. sustainable hill cultivation model;
• Promote climate friendly appropriate technologies to combat climate change.

Source: ZKS Strategic Plan 2021-2030