NDBUS becomes New Partner of UPPRP for Urban Poverty Reduction in Dhaka

From now on NDBUS and UPPRP will work in partnership to carry out the UPPRP program in a pilot community and subsequently in other communities as agreed on. An MOU has been signed on November 8, 2009 at Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction Project (www.upprbd.org) Office in Dhaka in presence of UNDP National Coordinator Mr Azhar Ali, UNDP Urban Expert Mr Ashekur Rahman, URBIS Project Adviser and SOSTA Ms Salma A. Shafi, URBIS Coordinator in Dhaka Mr Mehedi Imam.

According to MOU NDBUS will be responsible to:
1.Provide information, perspectives and recommendations to UPPRP on the slum areas of Dhaka that it believes are most deserving of and can most benefit from UPPRP interventions;
2.Share its household member database information on households in the NDBUS recommended communities;
3.Collaborate with UPPRP to conduct household surveys to gather information at the individual and household levels, enhancing knowledge of community issues and conditions, and supporting impact evaluation of the project;
4.Participate in UPPRP training sessions as appropriate;
5.Plan and implement, with UPPRP guidance and support, the formation of primary groups and approximately eight CDCs in the Mirpur area, possibly Rahamat Camp (a Bihari/Bangali community), according to the terms and conditions provided by UPPRP;
6.Implement, upon successful completion of the above, the same in other communities, possibly including those recommended by NDBUS to UPPRP in the meeting on October 10, 2009, attached as Annex 2.
7.NDBUS will typically conduct or be involved in the following activities as noted in the UPPRP process:
a)Socio-economic and other survey of individuals, households and settlements;
b)Formulation of primary groups and organization of CDCs;
c)Physical survey and mapping of existing conditions of social and physical infrastructure in the project areas;
d)Highlight other needs or areas which require development support or intervention;
8.Support socio-economic activities linked to the UPPRP program per mutual agreement between the two parties.

UPPRP will be responsible to:

1.Provide NDBUS with the appropriate training and resources to undertake agreed activities;
2.Bear the cost of the activities under section 7 above;
3.Share process and project evaluation information with NDBUS during the pilot to ensure that “lessons learned” are identified and that NDBUS and UPPRP enhance process and project implementation as it scales up.