Proshika (Proshika Centre for

Human Development Human development may refer to: * Development of the human body * Developmental psychology * Human development (economics) * Human Development Index, an index used to rank countries by level of human development * Human evolution, the prehistoric ...

) is a

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

-based organization. It was founded in 1976 by Dr. Qazi Faruque Ahmed. Proshika promotes self-reliance among the poor through a network of local organizations. Major emphasis is placed on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

health education Health education is a profession of educating people about health. Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health, as well as sexual and r ...

disaster management Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

, and

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

. 12 million have been trained by Proshika.

History

Dr. Qazi Faruque Ahmed established Proshika in 1977. Dr. Qazi Faruque Ahmed established Proshika to train and

educate Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and increase social empowerment. Muhammad Yahiya, one of the founders of Proshika, later left the NGO to establish Centre for Development Innovation and Practices. The name comes from the Bengali words for training (''proshikkhan)'', education (''shikkha)'', and work (''kaj''). It's headquarters in Mirpur were designed by Mubasshar Hussain. The NGO had a 30 member general body which elects a nine member governing body. On 19 April 2004, Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, laid siege to Proshikha headquarters demanding that the government cancel their NGO registration. They were led S. A. Khaleque, the local member of parliament and Ahsanullah Hassan, Mirpur Ward six Commissioner. The next day workers of Proshika were arrested by law enforcement agents. Bangladesh Nationalist Party government, which had come to power in 2001 had restricted foreign donations to Proshika. Dr. Qazi Faruque Ahmed and David William Biswas of the NGO were arrested by Bangladesh Police in May 2004. On 24 May 2009, Dr. Qazi Faruque Ahmed was replaced as chairman of Proshikha by the governing body and replaced with M. A. Wadud. The decision was upheld by the High Court of Bangladesh on 10 August. Dr. Qazi Faruque Ahmed was sentenced to one month imprisonment in January 2018 for violating the 2009 High court verdict. He was told to had over the Proshika building in Mirpur to officials of Proshika and its new chairman advocate M. A. Wadud. Ahmed had taken over the office building of the NGO through force and hired thugs. Empowerment through Law of the Common People organized a Human Rights school for law school students from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal at the Proshika HRDC, Koitta,

Manikganj District Manikganj ( bn, মানিকগঞ্জ ) is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division, In 1845 AD it was at first declared as a sub-division. It was at first, under Faridpur district (Faridpur Zila) then it was in ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em Organizations established in 1976 Non-profit organisations based in Bangladesh Economic development organizations Microfinance organizations Poverty-related organizations Community development organizations