Press release

The Delegation of the European Commission to Bangladesh has signed a contract worth 2,564,000 euro (approx US $3,094,482) with the NGO PRIP Trust for the implementation of the project “Small Initiative by Local Innovative NGOs (SMILING) Project.” The Project will be implemented over a period of five years.

Mr. Esko Kentrschynskyj, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Bangladesh and Mrs. Aroma Dutta, Executive Director, PRIP Trust signed the contract on behalf of their respective organizations at a ceremony held in Dhaka on 21 December 2003.

The SMILING Project aims at enhancing the capacity of small, locally based NGOs involved in the implementation of small-scale initiatives at grassroots level in the areas of health, education, water supply, sanitation and environmental protection. The Project will target small NGOs in 90 upazilas in 11 districts in the country.

PRIP Trust will support the NGOs by providing technical training and capacity building to facilitate implementation of the projects. This will include sectoral competency training as well as technical assistance and training projects in project implementation skills.

Within existing funding mechanisms, small NGOs have limited access to the resources of major donors. However, small NGOs have the advantage of working directly at grassroots level and it is expected that the SMILING Project will have a sustainable impact on the daily lives of the rural poor, especially women and female-headed households in the target districts.

The European Commission (EC), echoing the Government of Bangladesh policies stated in its interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, recognizes the particular contribution of NGOs in Bangladesh to the overall social development of the country. With some 40 percent of the EC’s overall aid to Bangladesh channeled through NGOs, the EC has significantly contributed to the growth and strengthening of the NGO sector in Bangladesh in poverty alleviation activities with special emphasis on women.