About VORD

How did it start?

The full name of VORD is “Voluntary Organization for Rural Development”.  In the year 1987, VORD was initiated by a   band of educated youth who were engaged in doing traditional social works.    Gradually in the year 1989   in its journey to provide services in a more effective and efficient manner VORD established itself as a local NGO.

Legal status  

VORD is registered under following government ministries and departments of Bangladesh

·         Department of Social Welfare

·         Ministry of Health and Family Planning

·         Foreign Donation Registration under NGO affairs Bureau

·         Registration  for   the operation of  Micro Credit and Finance

Vision, Theory of change, Mission & Strategy 

Vision: VORD envisions a   society where all members living in peace and harmony in terms of relational, material, and psychological wellbeing.

Theory of change: VORD believe   that the deficit of relational, material and psychological well-being in human society is fundamentally caused by individualistic constructions  which separates self-from others ;      eventually generates greediness thus conflict, dominations and injustice. Further VORD believe that there is no universal, standard and static meaning of well-being     but multiple meanings   are   created by the local social cultures; continuously    constructed and reconstructed though on-going relational interaction processes.  Application of any standard paradigm of development and social change; not only fails to  involve  infinite    and  multiple  relationships in developed analysis and actions but also creates  subject-object relationships between  the communities and the development professionals.   People’s centred development requires a shift in focus from building individual capacities to what we can do together, to genuine participation of the people and interaction, to space for multiplicity, for local creativity and different ways of learning, a learning culture that encourages the community and the change agents/workers to be co-learners and co-constructors, working together towards opening new possibilities. This is only possible through a non subject-object way of relating. Despite talks and emphasis on the principles of participation, most development approaches conceptualize stakeholders as autonomous change entities, so that the unit of analysis and actions are targeted toward those entities. This conceptualization not only establishes subject-object relationship but also promote individualistic construction in which one party tries to promote the independence of another.

VORD put forward that people’s self development cannot be achieved by the thought and  action of others but self-help. Again,   Instead of entities, bringing interaction processes (which construct and reconstruct entities) as both unit of analysis and locus of change is fundamental in the promotion of genuine people’s centered development.

Mission: The mission of VORD is to promote self-help in development and social change through transforming subject-object relational processes into non subject-object.

Strategies: In relation to its mission   VORD applies following strategies:

• Centre   discourse of cooperative  interactions processes as both unit of analysis an locus of social change;
• promotion of positive, local  innovations, and opening up  possibilities
• facilitating participation  and multiple creativity;
•  facilitate local communities and their organizations to manage project cycle by themselves   involving  multi-stakeholders participation process;
• advocating self-help   strategies though networking  and partnership with  other  government and non-governmental organizations/ forums  at  local, national and international

 

Project locations

VORD works in     Pangsa and Kalukahal Upazilla (Sub district)   of Rajbari District  in Bangladesh.  Large  parts of Pangsa and Kalukhali Upzilla is    the   river Padma  basin      and significant portion of population is char ( river bed  ) dwellers.

Staff and volunteers

At present VORD has a total of 33   paid   staff members  and volunteers. As a community based NGO most of its general council members live in project communities and whenever needed and if relevant then individual general members are engaged in voluntary services and provide  their support to  the assigned field staff of VORD.