COAST Trust 1998

Origin, Mission and Objectives

COAST Trust has emerged as an NGO through a nationalized process of Bhola Project of Action Aid Bangladesh since the beginning of 1998. Action Aid is an international NGO working in the island since 1984 in integrated approach of rural development. COAST had taken over all the assets and liabilities of Action Aid Bhola mainland Project during 1998 and it has also taken another one project of Action Aid during 2001 which was situated Charlands of Bhola. Thus COAST has been established herself as an independent organization which is registered with Trustee Act Registration No-64, Date: 24th September 1997 and NGO Affairs Bureau Registration No-1242, Date: 24th February 1998 and later on the registration lastly renewed on 10thJune 2013 for next five years. It is registered with Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA), Bangladesh Bank and no. is 00956-04041-00068, dated November 29, 2007.

After that period COAST Trust expanded its program in Cox’s Bazar District in 2000 with the funding of Stromme Foundation and now it is covering all the upazila of Cox’s Bazar District. Later on it has also expanded its program in other coastal districts of Noakhali, Laxmipur,Feni and Chittagong.

Vision: Fighting for a world of equity and justice where human rights and democracy are social cultures.

COAST mission statement: “COAST Trust organizes strategically important activities related to development which, in turn, will facilitate the sustainable and equitable improvement of life especially of women, children and disadvantaged population of the coastal areas of Bangladesh through their increased participation in the socio-economic, cultural and civic life of the country”.

It has also some values which have been come out after a series of discussion with its all levels of staff members. These are related to Working Approach, Learning Attitude, Human Potentials, Economy, Honor, Culture, People’s Organization, Governance, Accountability, Participation, Gender, Transparency, Information Technology and Bio-diversity.

Objectives:

1. To facilitate and participate in survival strategies of the coastal poor, especially of the women and the disadvantaged population to gain socio-economic sustainability and a better livelihood standard.
2. To support and take necessary steps to mediate initiatives of the poor in realizing their demands on government and other institutions where they have legitimate rights and shares.
3. To initiate projects and activities, also with others, with the aim of protecting and preserving the ecological/natural resources of the Bay of Bengal and related river basins.
4. To promote advocacy, lobby and seek alliances for policy formulations and behavioral changes of relevant organizations and institutions and of the poor and disadvantaged population in the coastal areas.
5. To undertake disaster preparedness and post-disaster rehabilitation programs in the coastal areas.
6. To undertake humanitarian welfare services specially for women and children of disadvantaged and poor families.

2. Governance

The Board of Trustee is the highest policy making body of the organization having meeting at least once in every three months. At present the body consists of 6 members,Ms. Sumsunnahar (Gender Consultant) is the Chairperson, Mr. Minar Mansur (Assistant Editor, The Daily Ittefaq) is the Vice-Chairperson, Mr. ZahirulAlam FCA (Financial Management Specialist Secondary Education Quality & Access Enhancement Project ) as Treasurer,Dr. Tofail Ahmed, Local Government Expert, Dr. Abbas Bhuya, Social Scientist, Ms. Halima Begum (Leader of COAST People’s Organization-Bhola) and Ms. RumaAkter (Leader of COAST People’s Organization-Cox’s Bazar) are the members of the board. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury acts as secretary as well as Executive Director.

COAST Trust believes the Participation, Accountability and Transparency (PAT) in its own governance. It has written manuals on human resource, financial, field operation and audit manuals maintaining internationally accepted standards, which are also being regularly reviewed. It has regular process reporting to local government, to all upper level and also has annual systematic review process interacting with all internal and external stakeholders including beneficiaries. There is a meeting system where all the stakeholders including the staff have the regular scope of participation. COAST has the initiatives to build institution of the poor families i.e., people organization who also has the scope of participation in the COAST decision making process in all level. Thus in all these way, COAST believes that it is a people centred organization.

The accounts and financial systems of the organization are audited by the external audit firm enlisted by the NGO Affairs Bureau in every year. The financial years of 2012 and 2013 have been audited by SF Ahmed & Co. 2014 and 2015 were audited by A. Qasem&Co. The financial year of 2015-16 was also audited by SF Ahmed & Co.All the audit reports can be found in our website i.e. www.coastbd.net which is updated regularly.

COAST has been recertified up to 2018 by HAP for its Accountability and Quality Management with the view of HAP Standard 2010. This is now emerged with CHS Alliance (www.chsalliance.org)

3. Over all Coverage

Coverage on the basis of Region
The present COAST has six regions, i.e., Bhola main land region with the member participants of 31051 poor families in Bhola district, outreach island region in seven small islands of Bay of Bengal in Bhola districtincluding Charkajal and Dashmina areas under Patuakhali district with member participants of 9,655poor families, Cox’s Bazar region in Cox’s Bazar district situated in the south east coastal areas with member participants of 31,523 poor families, Noakhali region with Noakhali, Laxmipur and Feni district with member participants of 20,728 poor families, Chittagong region in Chittagong district situated in the south Chittagong with member participants of 13,918 poor families and newly to Jhalakathi and Barisal as Barisal region with member participants of 2,500 ,

Office, Training and Communication Facilities

All 62 offices as mentioned in above are fully residential for staff and guest, along with small training / meeting facilities. Specially in outreach islands all offices are solar powered, all these offices also has UHF (Ultra high frequency) wireless linkages to central offices and regional offices. There are 5 regional offices situated in Cox’s Bazar, Bhola, Dashmina (Patukhali) town, Noakhali and Chittagong.

Bhola Management and Training Centre is situated in the village Kulsumbag of upazilaCharfassion under Bhola District. There is one Management and Training Centre in Dhaka. All the regional offices, Management Centres are well equipped with email facilities, computer LAN facilities and intercom system and standby power generators.

COAST has 4 training centres with full residential facilities; one is in Charfassion for 40 people. Another one also located in Charfassionupazila especially for income generating training can accommodate 30 people. Third training centre is in Cox’s Bazar town which can accommodate 30 people attached to regional office and the 4th training centre in Dhaka with accommodation facilities of 30 persons.

All the offices and almost around 600 staff have been provided Grameen Phone Business solution facilities with mobile phone for easy communication.

4. Programs

COAST Trust has two types of programs core and non core. The concept has been developed on two premises like (i) the organization will not develop any services which are available among state agencies at local level, rather the organization will mobilize the poor to put and mediate their legitimate claim on those agencies, aiming to facilitate the promotion of responsive and accountable government and ii) all the components of the core programs will run out of the surplus from a progressive people centred micro finance.

Core programs consists the appropriate blending of micro finance, institution building, good governance and development education run out of income from micro finance operation. In micro finance we do group formation, savings and credit integrated to income generating activities and food security component. As at 30 November,2017 total member participants are 106875, loan outstanding is BDT 1713.00 million ($ 21.41million).

Noncore programs are which are either fully or partly grant based programs are as follows with line of activities

a. Education and Advocacy :

(i) Adolescent literacy with IGA capacity development, (ii) Mainstreaming Moktab(mosque based religion learning centre) education, (iii) Promoting accountability and quality in government primary education, (iii) Mobilizing local level civil society in secondary and higher education. (iv) Supporting community initiatives to promote primary and secondary education in outreach areas.

b. Influencing policy and practices in human right good governance:

(i) Project for strengthening union parishad, (ii) Promoting people organizing for legitimate demand mediation and social justice, (iii) Issue based mobilization of local level civil society for a accountable governance, (iv) Direct and sustainable support for serious issues related violence against women especially in respect of acid throwing, rape cases and eviction of minority families, (iv) advocacy for changes in policy and practices especially for remote charland(small sand bars) areas.

c. Coastal Integrated Technology Extension Program:

IGA training courses on Livestock, Fishery and Agriculture are implemented through surplus money of micro finance program, (i) Livestock rearing, (ii) Home gardening, (iii) Fish culture, (iv) Para vaccinator development and cool chain maintenance, (v) Preservation and promotion of herbal plants, (vi) Promotion of nutritional food especially for pregnant and lactating mothers and under 5 children.

d. Institution building and development education

(i) To promote leadership from poor families and pro-active self-governing People’s Organization (PO) as alternative power structure for the pro-poor. (ii) To develop demand mediation and accountable relation of the government agencies and local government in grass root level, (iii) To provide lesson in the weekly meeting to the groups especially on functional livelihood and empowerment issues for their awareness development.

e. Primary health care and nutrition

(i) Health awareness to the people of outreach islands through local paramedics, (ii) Refresher course to paramedics for skill development (iii) Provide primary health care to the char dwellers especially to the pregnant mothers (iv) Normal pathological routine tests

f. Community Based Disaster Management

(i) Providing awareness to the people through local volunteers (ii) Monthly meeting with disaster management committee (DMC), (iii) COAST Trust has standby policy on disaster preparedness and management (iv) Maintain organizational disaster management fund, (v) Risk minimize, relief and rehabilitation work during pre and post disaster period. COAST has practical experience on rehabilitation program on SIDR and AILA like emergency food and medicine supply and livelihood development, water and sanitation, primary health care, housing reconstruction.

5. Human Resource

For the month of 30 November,2017 total staff member in the organization is 1130(Male: Female=55:45). Total no. of 1080 staff is in the implementation level and 50 staff are in management level.

6. Fixed Assets at June 2015-16 and Annual Budget for the year of 2017-18.

COAST has tangible fixed assets BDT 125.93 (US$1.57) million (Cost Value), net current assets BDT1324.24 (US$16.55) million, capital fund BDT110.55 (US$ 1.39) million, as on 30 June 2016 (Last audited report). During the year 2017-18 it has the annual budget of BDT485.32 million (US$ 6.07 million). Here micro finance income is taka378.61 million (US$4.73 million) and 83% of total expenditure is from micro finance. The percentage of administration cost is 3.40% while the program cost is 96.60%

7. Development Partners
          a.  Existing donors/partners