Network and partnership:
Partnership/Donors
MMS has been implementing different types of diversified projects since it’s inception with technical and financial assistance of following funding agencies:
a. Present
- Oxfam-GB
- CLP-DFID
- Actionaid Bangladesh
- CARE Bangladesh
- UNDP
- WFP
- PKSF
- Practical Action
- HKI
- Save the Children UK
- Acid Survivors Foundation
- IRRI &
- EU
b. Previous
- NETZ-Germany
- UNICEF-Bangladesh
- Handicap International
- Islamic Relief
- Dutch Bangla
- MSF Holland
- Canadian High commission
- CDMP
Networking, coordination and collaboration
MMS has strong network and linkage with local government, local administration as well as has membership with other local and national network and development forum. MMS has a strategic partnership with VSO Bangladesh in governance issues and has also membership with ALRD, BDPC, NDC, Disaster Forum and NIRAPOD.
MMS has also strong coordination with upazila and district administration, and has also a member of district disaster management committee-DDMC, district coordination committee-DCC and upazila coordination committee-UCC. All the committee meeting held in either monthly or quarterly basis by the presiding over of deputy commissioner and upazilas nirbahi officer where appropriate.
MMS is holding a unique position than the other organizations working in the Jamuna river basin area due to the following exceptions:
i) Well experienced in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation initiatives
Sirajganj,the main working area of MMS is a most vulnerable and poverty stricken area in the northern part of Bangladesh. It is consisted of 9 Upazilas and 82 unions,, is surrounded by the river Jamuna and the historical Chalan Beel where 6 Upazilas are identified as the most vulnerable in terms of flood and river erosion. 17 unions are completely isolated called island char and another 25 unions are attached chars and hard to reach area. In total 6 upazilas and 42 unions remain as vulnerable areas out of 82 unions with 50% of total population of the district.
MMS grew in 1984 at one of the vulnerable upazila Chawhali in which 80% people live in chars and survive by combating with natural disasters. Since then the organization has been implementing various development projects focusing on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. MMS successfully responded to severe floods of 1988, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and very recently in 2007 in both flood and Sidr affected area with the assistance of Oxfam-GB, CARE Bangladesh, UNICEF, UNDP, and DFID which helped MMS to hold a unique position within community, local administration and funding agencies.
ii) Well equipped in emergency response, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities
MMS is well equipped in emergency response. It has updated contingency plan and rescue facilities. MMS is the pioneering organization in this region in disaster preparedness, management, emergency response and rehabilitation, and as a part of this it updates its contingency plan on regular basis that helps to go in quick response during emergency period. MMS has got 15 evacuation boats to move in emergency upto signal-3, has constructed 6 flood shelters with accommodation of 1200 families along with poultry, cattle and other domestic assets, one boat ambulance and one speed boat. MMS has 375 skilled and dedicated staffs and 700 volunteers to move during disaster management, emergency response and rehabilitation activities. Besides, it has own storage facilities and a strong procurement committee to support in disaster management efforts.
Experienced in working with char dwellers, jamuna and dhaleshawri river basin area
MMS has over 26 years working experience with char dwellers in Jamuna and
Dhaleshari river basin area as well as people’s in chaloon beel. MMS grew in very remotest island of chowhali upazila in Sirajgonj and since then has been working with these vulnerable and underprivileged people for their development.
MMS covered total 96 unions and 13 upailas in 3 districts where 9 upazilas and 45 unions are hard to reach area and island chars along with 50000 char dwellers those who are most vulnerable and poorest of the poor.
Working experience with ultra poor
MMS mission statement is to work with ultra poor, poor, ethnic community and marginal farmers. With a view to since its inception MMS has been working with these distress and under previlileged groups. The 50% of total coverage are ultra poor and marginalized and the rest are poor and marginal farmers out of 162,172 families.
Has well experienced in end domestic violence against women and women empowerment
MMS has over 13 years working experience in end domestic violence against women and since its inception has been working for reducing gender discrimination, alternative leadership development and women empowerment. MMS has enlisted around 78,000 change makers among students, teachers, social elites, CBOs, NGO workers, journalist, housewives and other professionals in our targeted communities. As a result domestic violence against women has reduced as satisfactorily among our targeted communities, increased women mobility, participation in social and political events, increased social dignity, developed alternative leadership among women, 80% of target women are involved in productive activities and the rest 20% developed as micro-entrepreneurs.
Has vast working experience with local government and local administration
MMS has over 20 years working experience with local government and local administration. MMS has been implementing various development projects for last two decades directly with local government and local administration like union and upazila parishad where we implemented Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP) funded by DFID and GoB, SHOUHARDO assisted by CARE Bangladesh, USAID and GoB, Rural Employment Opportunity for Public Assets (REOPA) assisted by UNDP and GoB, Enhancing Resilience (ER) funded by WFP and GoB, Community Based Adaptation with Local Government in Bangladesh (CBA-LG) assisted by ActionAid Bangladesh. MMS has been implementing four different projects in collaboration with 103 local government and local administration where covered 90 unions, and 13 upazilas.
Has extra focus on person with disability and acid victims
Person with disability and acid victims are one of the strategic issues of MMS and both are also the social problems. Sirajgonj is most alarming zone for acid victim and remaining at highest ranking of acid violence in the country. MMS has been implementing Strengthening Psychosocial Services for Survivors of Acid Attack (SPSSAA) with the assistance of ASF and UNICEF since 2008 for reducing acid violence. MMS has taken PWD as cross cutting issue and incorporated in ongoing development projects. During beneficiary selection PWDs are given high priority selecting as target beneficiary in all projects/programmes and provides different types of inputs supports along with assistive devices.
Have skills and technical staff
MMS has 302 skilled and dedicated staffs along with technical expert like agriculture, livestock, engineering, and disaster management. We have total 35 technical staff where 18 agriculturists, 2 DVM, one paramedic and 14 engineers and has also 30 well trained staff for disaster management and climate change adaptation. MMS has also 200 skills volunteers on disaster preparedness and management, emergency rescue and early warning, as well as provide livestock and agriculture services.
Has well reputation and acceptance
MMS has well acceptance within the community and has good reputation to local government, local administration and funding agencies due to it’s participatory and transparent management.
Has own resources (fund and assets)
MMS has income generating programme supported by PKSF, has own HRD center, horticulture, pisci-culture, and beef fattening projects those are it’s own source of income. All these contribute and cover almost 30% of the organizational annual budget.
MMS policies and documents:
MMS is guided by its approved standard policies and guidelines like financial policy, admin policy, human resource management policy, gender policy, child right policy, disaster management guideline, disaster contingency plan and agriculture and livestock guidelines.
Training modules:
MMS has different types of modules developed by the various donors those are applied for skills and capacity building for target beneficiaries and staffs
HRD center:
MMS has own human resource development center with 2 training venue with 70 accommodations and big dinning room with 100 capacities. It is very calm and quiet from where guests can enjoy the river and forest view. In addition, they can enjoy natural beauties and chirping during morning and the evening.