VOLUME VIISSUE 2July - september 2014My Opinion
Experience of working in social development sector
Mr. Basantakar
Country Manager, Bangladesh
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
My journey in social development sector has been shaped by my personal and professional background and learning from the people at margin. Over three decades, I have seen tremendous changes in professionalism, accountability and discourse on development models. From a relief and development orientation, this sector is now integrating rights based approaches. It has influenced the state to transform programs under civil and political rights. The emphasis on social justice, gender equity and diversity, business model for sustainability and state accountability are dominant development shifts and funding buzzwords. Poor are no longer treated as passive recipients of dole. Muliti-sectoral approaches having community at centre point, multi-stakeholder partnership for a sustainable development, emergence of judiciary and quasi-judicial bodies are now shaping the agenda. A number of high net worth individuals and private foundations dominating the donor environment and asking for a result based management. In India, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is taking its shape. Keeping future generation in mind, this sector is now focussing on nutrition, climate change, peace and stability and sustainable development goals.
All is not well always. There are many conflicts and dilemmas and at times diluted accountability. It is a sector where there is nothing right and nothing wrong. Some people take advantage of this and
many so called leaders share empty promises, exemplify outputs as impacts and run after publicity and visibility, rewards and awards. At times, one may witness powerful semantics, development jargons which can be intriguing. In spite of these, there are many committed activists sacrifice their life, undergo many ordeals in fire and want to see the world changing for future generation. I have seen many people chartering uncharted territories and witnessing resistances and struggle. This sector has worked as a social watch, provided alternative voices and demonstrated many models protecting the interest of future generation.
It is a sector where one sees the reality, facts and truth. It has given me an opportunity to peruse innovation, creativity, risk taking skills and scaling up many islands of excellences. The poverty is a political process and it does not lie in sector. I have learnt over the years that the unequal power relations diluted public accountability and serious issues in gender equity and diversity and inability to access and control over resources are key underling and structural causes of poverty and malnutrition. Hence, a development professional has to find ways and means to address the underlying and structural causes ensure the poor to realise their potential and change in social position of the poor and marginalised. During my journey to capture many unheard voices in free verses; I realised that we need to further explore unheard soft emotions, invest and design programs that has a human touch. A HIV positive woman does not die of HIV but she dies of loneliness, stigma and discrimination. Hence, we need to understand the crisis of soft emotion and lack of care, loneliness, community mental health. It is a sector where you need both participation and professionalism and where passion, empathy, conviction and courage matter.