📖 Our Story

The Bangladesh Famine of 1974 had a profound impact on the nation's population, which killed 1.5 million people, and millions suffered from extreme poverty, hunger, and displacement. The famine served as a wake-up call for the founder, Zakir Hossain Miraz, and other like-minded youth individuals, who realized that traditional forms of aid were insufficient to address the long-term needs of marginalized populations. They understood that the focus needed to shift from temporary relief to sustainable development that would empower communities, especially youth and women, and help them break free from the cycle of poverty. 

This led to the establishment of CBDP, which started its operations in 1978 with its own resources with a vision to build a society where everyone, especially youth and women has the equal opportunity to realize their full potential and live with hope, dignity, and resilience, and on a mission to foster community-based solutions for poverty alleviation, disaster, education, healthcare, and bring social justice with ever-lasting reach. 

CBDP was founded on the principles of grassroots development, where local self-help communities, especially youth and women, would play an active role in identifying their needs and designing solutions. By involving community members in decision-making processes, CBDP sought to build self-reliance and ensure that the development initiatives were not only impactful but also culturally and contextually relevant. Over the years, CBDP has grown to become a trusted organization, working with marginalized coastal populations to address their needs. 

Today, CBDP continues to work towards a more equitable society, equipping individuals, especially youth and women, with the tools needed to empower them to lift themselves out of vulnerability. The organization's legacy stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of its founders, who were inspired by the suffering of their people to create lasting change for future generations.

🎯 Vision & Mission

Vision:

A society free of inequality, where every individual—regardless of gender, age, or background—can live with hope, dignity, and resilience.

Mission:

To empower marginalized communities, particularly women and youth, by enhancing access to services, fostering entrepreneurship, and strengthening social cohesion through participatory, innovative, and sustainable development practices. 

🏆 Key Achievements

• Over 40 years of grassroots impact in one of Bangladesh’s most vulnerable coastal regions.
• Strengthened women’s leadership in community governance, disaster management, and entrepreneurship.
• Youth-led advocacy platforms established for social accountability, digital inclusion, and democratic participation.
• Inclusive livelihood initiatives that improved household income and reduced economic dependency.
• Ecosystem protection and sustainable fisheries through community-led conservation projects.
• Built strong partnerships with local government, NGOs, donors, and media for accountability and transparency.

🎯 Goals and Objectives

Goal 1. Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation: Strengthen Humanitarian Response and Community Resilience to Save Lives and Resources from Disasters.

Objectives:

• Strengthen Humanitarian Responses through a Well-Trained Volunteer Pool. 
• Reduce loss and damage from disasters through community-based early warning systems.
• Promote Anticipatory Action Program to Reduce Impacts of Predictable Disasters.
• Enhance resilience to Combat Climate Change and its Impacts through an adoption program.
• Protection and Development of the Environment and Ecosystem by promoting eco-friendly practices.

Goal 2. Poverty Alleviation and Economic Empowerment: Eradicate Poverty and Uplift the Dignity of Vulnerable Coastal Communities, including Persons with Disabilities, Disadvantaged Children, and Socially Excluded Communities. 

Objectives:

• Increase the Income of disadvantaged communities through IGA activities with IC model.
• Create and support self-help groups (SHGs) focused on savings, micro-enterprises, and livelihood development by promoting the Impact Circle model. 
• Provide vocational training and seed funding to individuals, especially youth.

Goal 3. Education, Skill Development and Employment Creation: Promote Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education, Knowledge-Based and Technologically-Oriented Market-Driven Skill Development for Job Creation.

Objectives:

• Promote quality Education for all school-aged children.
• Ensure Access to Vocational and Technical Education for school-dropped-out youths and adults from disadvantaged communities.
• Ensure decent employment opportunities for the graduate trainees. 

Goal 4. Healthcare and Nutrition: Promote Health Care, Nutrition and Education for a Healthy Life and Wellbeing.

Objectives:

• Strengthen access to universal healthcare services through advocacy. 
• Improving nutrition through nutrition-specific interventions for mothers, children, adolescents and elderly people.
• Strengthen Pro-Life, Reproductive Health Education and Natural Family Planning.
• Quality and Equitable Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
• Strengthen Food Security and Nutrition of Vulnerable and Marginalized Communities.
• Optimize the food value chain through infrastructure, technology innovation, capacity building in compliance with food safety standards and regulations.

Goal 5. Ensure Social Justice and Inclusion: Ensure rights, gender equality, and child protection in all operational communities.

Objectives:

• Conduct Awareness Campaigns on rights, gender equality, and child protection. 
• Support Victims of social injustice or domestic abuse and ensure justice. 
• Ensure Participation of Vulnerable Communities in decision-making and leadership.
• Ensure good governance, social justice, and empowerment of vulnerable communities.

Goal 6. Institutional Development and Sustainability: Ensure Institutional Development and Capacity Strengthening.

Objectives:

• Promotion of Financial Sustainability.
• Ensure sustainability of service delivery.
• Effective and functional organization.

🔗 Governance Structure

Advisory council:

 To extend the necessary advice to the executive committee and the general council, the advisory body tries to promote the smooth functioning of the organizational operations within the framework. 

General council:

CBDP has 21 21-member general council for long-term planning and policymaking. This general body holds the supreme authority of the organization. This general body meets once a year. It also undertakes the monitoring and coordinating role of the organization.

The General Members approve the following matters in the Annual General Meeting:

• Yearly Budget
• Annual Report
• Yearly Work Plan
• Audit Report
• Approve the decision taken by the Executive Committee  

Every year Annual General Meeting is conducted among them to discuss last year’s activities, accounts, success, and areas of improvement. The members approve the Annual Report, Audit Report, Yearly work plan, and other issues. The Annual General Meeting was held in this reporting period.

Executive Council:

A seven-member Executive Council is elected by and among the general body. CBDP has a 7-member executive committee for long-term planning and policymaking. The executive council is responsible for overall management and policymaking, including the recruitment of the Executive Director, financial matters, and organizational guideline planning. The executive committee meets quarterly and discusses different administrative and financial, and program issues. The chairperson, treasurer and the Executive Director are the signatory members of the financial transactions.

Legal Entity

Department of Social Welfare 

108/78    (Year: 1978)

Department of Women's Affairs 

247/07    (Year: 2007)

NGO Affairs Bureau

3384     (Year: 2023)

Tax Identification Number 

726047380437

VAT Identification Number

006928963-0808