A Discussion with Jyoti Gomes, Project Coordinator for Livelihood Promotion, Caritas, Dhaka, Bangladesh
With: Jyoti Gomes Berkley Center Profile
June 11, 2014
Background:
As
part of the Education and Social Justice Fellowship, in June 2014 student
Kendra Layton interviewed Jyoti Gomes, project coordinator of livelihood promotion for Caritas Bangladesh. As coordinator, Jyoti Gomes oversees many
projects ranging from food security to drug prevention to climate change
adaptation. In this interview, he reflects on the relationship of Caritas with
the government, signs of people’s empowerment through Caritas’ projects, and
the effects of migration on Bangladesh today.
How
long have you been in this position?
As coordinator I have been here the last 12 years, but in different disciplines. First I was involved in pre-primary and primary educational programs. Then I worked for the Development Extension of Education Program. This was the biggest project of Caritas Bangladesh and ran for 30 years. There was a huge number of staff numbers in 51 sub-districts throughout the country.
What did that program entail?
It was with the rural, poor people and marginalized farmers. The objective was to empower and make them aware of their rights and dignity through capacity building and education. Caritas organized people through federations at the upazila, regional, and national levels. We still have these federations. Some are running well, but some have died. It is like a life cycle.
What are the cycles of the projects of Caritas? What happens after they end?
Throughout these projects people become involved and participate in different activities. They benefit in many ways such as becoming aware and educated. They build skills and knowledge. In this way, people are not in their previous condition. There is always a change. The present Bangladesh is not like the Bangladesh of 2000. A lot of women are working in the garments factories, but 20 years back, this would not have been possible. Now there is gender parity in primary schools, and this is a great achievement. When I was a student in school, in my class boys were the majority. Now it is almost equal.
What would you say are some of the other changes you have seen?
Parents have grown in their motivation and willingness towards educating their children. Now they realize the importance. Education can build one’s future. It can bring better living standards and condition. All the parents, even in rural areas, are becoming aware about this. Parents of children with disabilities are also becoming aware they should not hide them. Sometimes they do so because of the local culture making them feel shame or guilt. They are made to believe their children cannot do anything, so they do not want to invest anything in them. Now we find this mentality is being changed, not only by NGOs, but by other stakeholders in civil society. They all have a positive contribution to change the mentality of people.
What is the relationship like between Caritas and the government?
It is a big question, but in a nutshell I can say, in the context of Bangladesh, Caritas has a very good reputation at the government level because of our transparency, communication, and openness. This exists at all levels: local, regional, and national. Before starting any program, we disseminate the message to the local government authorities. We organize a meeting and dialogue with the government and other stakeholders. We clearly inform who we are and what we intend to do for whom, and we speak about the allocation of budgets. Even at the level of planning, we involve people.
Another aspect is that Caritas Bangladesh has been here since the time of East Pakistan. During and after the Liberation War, we served people in the country and out of the country. Some of our people became refugees across Indian borders, and Caritas was there. After the devastation cyclone of 1970, we were also there. At the time it was Catholic Organization for Relief and Rehabilitation. I think we always try to inform government and stakeholders, direct beneficiaries, what we are going to do, and we ensure their participation.
Earlier you spoke about empowerment. How would you say you work to empower through the projects?
I can give you an example. We facilitated the growth of the federations. If you visit rural areas, you can see their existence. Some are running very well, some died. But there is an indication people are empowered. People can talk to others, raise their voices, and bargain. They can demand access to government services, resources, and facilities. Now they can easily contact their public representatives like the upazila chairman and raise their demands. Caritas works with poor people who do not have access to government resources, but now there are many examples of indigenous people and children in hard-to-reach areas getting access to educational facilities like stipends and books.
Could you tell me more about the International Catholic Conference on Migration you attended?
Migration is a large issue in Bangladesh. Foreign remittances contribute greatly to the national GDP. At the moment, 7.7 million Bangladeshi migrants are working in overseas countries. Over 50 percent are in the Gulf countries. The Catholic forum covered the globe and around 100 people were there. We talked about challenges of migrants and refugees and what is the role of the Catholic Church to serve these people. It is an issue of life and death. Many people are dying in the sea and the desert. In our border with India, there are people fighting. We ask ourselves, how can we make people aware of how to follow legal processes and systems? As an NGO we have a job to make people aware of this so they do not fall into trafficking. Sometimes they have no belongings, and they go with a dream to build up a future. Entering a new place, there is no job, and people become helpless. They return, but they do not have anything. It is a critical issue.
What are the main projects under livelihood promotion?
We have two food security projects funded by Catholic Relief Services. One is for mothers who work in garment factories. Another is for children with disabilities in Sylhet, the tea garden area. Another project is called Protesta for drug prevention through a community approach. We do not serve the drug addicts in a center; rather, we involve parents and community people in a support network. Another project is related to climate change and adaptation through enhancement of indigenous knowledge and technology. Finally, we have three projects related to both internal and external migration.
The creation of these projects—do they come from all levels?
The projects fall under the strategic direction of Caritas Bangladesh. The projects mainly come from the regional office, and they vary from region to region. For example, the migration issue is very large for Sylhet and Dhaka. The issues mostly come from the local people in the regional areas where we work. They say, “We have this problem, and we face these difficulties. Can you help us?” The regional office takes note of the biggest issues, and they prepare the initial plan. From the national office we facilitate the global project.
As coordinator I have been here the last 12 years, but in different disciplines. First I was involved in pre-primary and primary educational programs. Then I worked for the Development Extension of Education Program. This was the biggest project of Caritas Bangladesh and ran for 30 years. There was a huge number of staff numbers in 51 sub-districts throughout the country.
What did that program entail?
It was with the rural, poor people and marginalized farmers. The objective was to empower and make them aware of their rights and dignity through capacity building and education. Caritas organized people through federations at the upazila, regional, and national levels. We still have these federations. Some are running well, but some have died. It is like a life cycle.
What are the cycles of the projects of Caritas? What happens after they end?
Throughout these projects people become involved and participate in different activities. They benefit in many ways such as becoming aware and educated. They build skills and knowledge. In this way, people are not in their previous condition. There is always a change. The present Bangladesh is not like the Bangladesh of 2000. A lot of women are working in the garments factories, but 20 years back, this would not have been possible. Now there is gender parity in primary schools, and this is a great achievement. When I was a student in school, in my class boys were the majority. Now it is almost equal.
What would you say are some of the other changes you have seen?
Parents have grown in their motivation and willingness towards educating their children. Now they realize the importance. Education can build one’s future. It can bring better living standards and condition. All the parents, even in rural areas, are becoming aware about this. Parents of children with disabilities are also becoming aware they should not hide them. Sometimes they do so because of the local culture making them feel shame or guilt. They are made to believe their children cannot do anything, so they do not want to invest anything in them. Now we find this mentality is being changed, not only by NGOs, but by other stakeholders in civil society. They all have a positive contribution to change the mentality of people.
What is the relationship like between Caritas and the government?
It is a big question, but in a nutshell I can say, in the context of Bangladesh, Caritas has a very good reputation at the government level because of our transparency, communication, and openness. This exists at all levels: local, regional, and national. Before starting any program, we disseminate the message to the local government authorities. We organize a meeting and dialogue with the government and other stakeholders. We clearly inform who we are and what we intend to do for whom, and we speak about the allocation of budgets. Even at the level of planning, we involve people.
Another aspect is that Caritas Bangladesh has been here since the time of East Pakistan. During and after the Liberation War, we served people in the country and out of the country. Some of our people became refugees across Indian borders, and Caritas was there. After the devastation cyclone of 1970, we were also there. At the time it was Catholic Organization for Relief and Rehabilitation. I think we always try to inform government and stakeholders, direct beneficiaries, what we are going to do, and we ensure their participation.
Earlier you spoke about empowerment. How would you say you work to empower through the projects?
I can give you an example. We facilitated the growth of the federations. If you visit rural areas, you can see their existence. Some are running very well, some died. But there is an indication people are empowered. People can talk to others, raise their voices, and bargain. They can demand access to government services, resources, and facilities. Now they can easily contact their public representatives like the upazila chairman and raise their demands. Caritas works with poor people who do not have access to government resources, but now there are many examples of indigenous people and children in hard-to-reach areas getting access to educational facilities like stipends and books.
Could you tell me more about the International Catholic Conference on Migration you attended?
Migration is a large issue in Bangladesh. Foreign remittances contribute greatly to the national GDP. At the moment, 7.7 million Bangladeshi migrants are working in overseas countries. Over 50 percent are in the Gulf countries. The Catholic forum covered the globe and around 100 people were there. We talked about challenges of migrants and refugees and what is the role of the Catholic Church to serve these people. It is an issue of life and death. Many people are dying in the sea and the desert. In our border with India, there are people fighting. We ask ourselves, how can we make people aware of how to follow legal processes and systems? As an NGO we have a job to make people aware of this so they do not fall into trafficking. Sometimes they have no belongings, and they go with a dream to build up a future. Entering a new place, there is no job, and people become helpless. They return, but they do not have anything. It is a critical issue.
What are the main projects under livelihood promotion?
We have two food security projects funded by Catholic Relief Services. One is for mothers who work in garment factories. Another is for children with disabilities in Sylhet, the tea garden area. Another project is called Protesta for drug prevention through a community approach. We do not serve the drug addicts in a center; rather, we involve parents and community people in a support network. Another project is related to climate change and adaptation through enhancement of indigenous knowledge and technology. Finally, we have three projects related to both internal and external migration.
The creation of these projects—do they come from all levels?
The projects fall under the strategic direction of Caritas Bangladesh. The projects mainly come from the regional office, and they vary from region to region. For example, the migration issue is very large for Sylhet and Dhaka. The issues mostly come from the local people in the regional areas where we work. They say, “We have this problem, and we face these difficulties. Can you help us?” The regional office takes note of the biggest issues, and they prepare the initial plan. From the national office we facilitate the global project.
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