Welfare Committee Report
Submitted by Anowara Ahmed
amahmed40@hotmail.com

Chairperson, Welfare Committee

During the six months from April to September 2002, the UNWA Welfare Committee supported ten projects, disbursing funds ranging from Tk 10,000 to Tk 75,000 depending on the nature and need of each project. (See the September WOMUN for brief descriptions of the ten projects.)

The Welfare Committee, comprising of eight members, usually meets every months and a team of committee members visits projects two or three times a month. The committee discusses and selects projects based on the guidelines, which include the following:

­The project should benefit destitute women and children and aim at improving conditions in slum areas and the standard of living of families and small groups.

­The project should be within or near Dhaka, so that it is easily accessible by UNWA members for fact finding and monitoring visits.

­The maximum amount granted to an organization is Tk 75,000.

­Food, other consumables, staff salaries and rentals cannot be funded. The financial assistance should not promote onward dependence.

­An organization to be supported must have internal controls to ensure proper use of the funds.

­The same project can be supported for a maximum of three consecutive years, provided that the project will become self-supporting after the assistance.

After selecting a project, the Committee proposes it to the UNWA Executive Board that meets once a month. Upon approval of the Board, the Committee arranges to fund the project from the UNWA resources.

In October, the Committee members visited the Blue Sisters Primary Healthcare Clinic. Sister Amelia, a Korean Sister, and her colleagues, live in the Bada slum to help mothers and children at this clinic and in a nearby school. The Committee will make another visit and would like to propose funding the activities of these Sisters.

I would like to thank all the members of the Committee for their untiring help and the UNWA Board for its support and guidance. On behalf of the Welfare Committee, I thank all UNWA members for their interest in and support for our activities.