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UNWA: Supporting Development Efforts through the Welfare Committee Welfare activities are an important focus of UNWA’s mission. In 2001, 19 voluntary organizations received about Tk. 700,000 in support of education, health and self-help work (see list below). UNWA fundraising events provide the funds for these grants and are the highlight of UNWA activities. All UNWA members and the larger UN community, therefore, contributed to these welfare activities. The Welfare Committee has 11 members. It meets every month and reviews requests. Teams visit project sites to meet with project beneficiaries and staff. The original requests, and the Committee report and recommendations are submitted to the Executive Board for decision about awarding of grants. Committee members put considerable time and effort into these activities, and are dedicated to these activities. This year the Committee tried to improve and streamline its work, and to move from a charity to a development approach. The Committee worked to establish criteria to assess the grant-requests from the point of view of (a) their effectiveness in empowering people, especially women and children, and (b) the organisation’s activities to promote self-reliance and sustainability. Committee members visited many NGO projects, and applied these principles in making recommendations to the Executive Board for funding. The Committee has worked to improve internal and external transparency and accountability. It also established and followed agreed procedures for receiving and assessing proposals and making recommendations to the Executive Board. And members visited projects to monitor the use of funds. The Committee also reported back to UNWA members on the how decisions were made and on project results. The Committee aims to continue to be transparent and collaborative in its work. Project files have also been updated, and a " Project Updating Questionnaire" was sent out to all to the organizations with whom the Committee has contact. This information helps in understanding the needs of the voluntary organizations and to better assess their requests for assistance. Committee members and others involved in this work have found it personally very rewarding. Close interaction with project participants and staff has enabled them to gain new knowledge and insights, and to develop a team spirit. It has also promoted mutual learning between local organizations and UNWA. As local development organizations grow and change, UNWA’s welfare mission and activities also need to change, which is a challenging task. The UN is also moving towards sustainable and rights-based development approach. The Committee invites all members of UNWA to contribute their time, effort and ideas to redefining the welfare mission of the organization, and to assist in this work. As the newly elected Chairperson of the Welfare Committee, I would like express my deep appreciation to all the members and especially the members of the Welfare Committee, for their cooperation, understanding and support. Anowara Ahmed, This article draws on the Welfare Committee’s 2001 annual report which was prepared by Yukiko Kukita, the outgoing chairperson |
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