Community Welfare Foundation (CWF) is a non-government, non-profit research and development organization was established in 1985 with the aims of with a vision of an impartial society where everyone would be able to fulfill their demands regardless of race, class, gender or religion. CWF believes that all people have the rights to a basic standard of living, where the poor and the underprivileged population particularly women should not be isolated from the mainstream of development trend. In order to accelerate this vision in mind, the organization is therefore delivering it’s services in an integrated way to a large number of people belong to the most marginalized communities’ especially southern part of Bangladesh including coastal belt, haor and monga regions. Further to be added that, CWF works to bring a poverty-free and peaceful society through strengthening the socio-economic condition of extremely poor communities’ in particular vulnerable women and children. The organization mainly focus in five programmatic areas i.e. livelihoods, health and health rights in particular sexual and reproductive health, education, WASH, nutrition, human rights, good governance and environment & climate change. The approaches of CWF has always been to empower disadvantage/marginalized communities to organize themselves, promote their rights, develop their skills to improve their livelihoods, educate their children and take a good care of those populations who are not be able to take care of themselves. CWF believes in bottom up approach, integrated and participatory development frame work and henceforth acts as a catalyst.
CWF is having a contingent of rich legacy of professionals from different fields with expertise of operating in rural and urban settings, across Bangladesh who works with the underprivileged rural and urban communities.
Social mobilization approach is the key intervention strategy to collect and address the socio-economic challenges. On the contrary, CWF has given the emphasis on awareness raising, sensitization and training programs for the community representatives to develop their common understanding in development issues. The Organization is accountable to all stakeholders’ and addressing of their best opinions in the CWF’s Project implementation strategy. However, people are placed at the center and the organization expects more external support is to expand its operations areas gradually in an efficacy manner. The organization has good networking and collaboration relationship with others like minded NGSs and CBOs.
To be added here that, under CWF’s direction and assistance, a total number of 59 CBO’s (16 at Khulna City Corporation, 16 at Koyra Upazilla, 17 at Paikgacha Upazilla and 10 at Barguna District) consisting of 35 female members aged in between 18-45 at each CBO has been formed and all of them are duly registered from Department of Women Affairs. Apart from that, CWF has also provided series of different capacity building trainings in order to let the CBO functional effectively in terms of administrative and financial issues. Now all the registered CBO’s are receiving fund from various govt. institutions and running successfully.
CWF has also experienced in joint implementation with GO/NGOs for large volume project. That’s why a well reputation is continuing since the expansion of CWF. The organization has been awarded from local government and donors for its outstanding performances.