It was my young age of professional life. Full of dreams to work with the needy, poor, disadvantaged people towards their freedom from hunger, oppression, exploitation and struggling. Innovations and development were my addiction with the motivation of my employer (VERC) and trainer (IIRR). I was mainly a field worker. I saw poverty in my parents’ family and in the villages that I worked with. I met many villagers (in Shaghata, Gaibandha) could not manage three meals a day in their whole life. This was in mid 1980s. I was then a director of a local NGO. My own family was in hardship. My wife was newly employed as an officer in a finance institute (ICB). Our only son was also a sufferer of our hardship. In this situation I was offered a job by a govt. project with a handsome salary. I discussed with my wife about two choices: Accepting the job offer would address our hardship, or I initiate a new NGO to work with the vulnerable disadvantaged people like Shaghata and create job opportunities for many unemployed promising youth. My wife suggested me to go for the second option. I started UST (Unnayan Shahojogy Trust, later on Team) in June 1986.

Gaston Truchon of Oxfam Quebec, and Ms. Taherunnesa Abdullah and her colleague Ms. Seheli Ahmed of IRDP were my backbone of starting UST. Then Ms. Sofia Islam of CIDA, Mr. Jim Monan of Canada Fund, Ms. Zakia Hasan of NORAD came forward to support UST’s work. Later on many leaders in funding organizations supported UST’s work.  Syed Ijaj Ahmed Rumy (VERC/CARE) and Mr. Yakub Hossain (VERC) supported me unparralel as the founding Chair and Vice Chairman of UST.

Drawing upon my experience of VERC and lessons learned from ADAB and VHSS network, UST decided to follow dual strategy of program implementation: 1. Director Field Operation, and 2. Working in Partnership with Local NGOs. Local NGOs became self-dependent in five years of partnership. Many of these local NGOs are now among the leading NGOs. 

Some successes of UST’s work are ‘Kheli Pori’ model of children education. This model got innovated and developed in Shaghata (Putimary village of Muktinagar Union) – beginning of Nangta School (students without dress – as usual, because they are poor, do not have dress). In few months it got transformed into Kheli Pori School (Kheli Pori means learn through playing). Kheli Poring got scaled up into Primary School. Then Girls (High) School, and then Girls College. Similar model was facilitated in Big slum Cahnpara (Rupganj, Narayanganj) and in Tangail, Sariatpur, Nilfamari.

Another success of UST is women empowerment through Gram Unnayan Parishad. This model was also created through the practices of organizing the disadvantaged village women towards their empowerment in attaining sustainable livelihoods. Gram Unnayan Parishad (GUP) is democratic people’s organization of the disadvantaged women that functions parallel to local government – Union Parishad. This model was scaled up in all other field operation areas of UST. 

‘Tokai Nattayadal’ was another innovation of UST towards promotion and protection of rights of Street Children in Dhaka city. This model was innovated and developed in Mohammadpur area of Dhaka. Hundreds of street children were members of Tokai Nattayadal (Theater and cultural Group of street children).

Unfortunately, continuation and scaling up of these models got trapped in the impasse of development.

The society is suffering from a fever of uncertainty. Models of development not working anymore. Global leadership and national leadership are not unchallenged. Development is now debated as Destruction. Climate Change is consequence of development. Philosophy is missing from the Form of development. Nature is extremely reactive. Technology is in highest level of hegemonic. The high hope of globalization is bogged down. Still, we are with the motivation of running fast for our carrier. Definition is life is growth?  But the village people in a society like Bangladesh are not in a capacity of affording the influences and consequences of these trends of dominant development interventions and global political economy. They want supports from outsiders in translations of their own initiatives of sustainable development. UST is convinced in a principle that ‘Outsider may help, but Insiders must do their job’. In this respect, UST is convinced to follow ‘Actor Oriented Approach’. Next decade (2023 to 2034) of UST’s work is committed to support local initiatives of Women Empowerment; Sustainable Livelihoods; Climate Actions – Locally-led Adaptation; Child rights; Water and Hygiene management; Actions in disability; welfare of the elderly people; and Disaster management. 

UST strongly believe in the philosophy that ‘Peoples Development is in People’s Hand’. 

Focuses of UST’s work in next decade

Drawing upon the lessons learned, learning and experience, and with the aims of addressing current and future needs, global and local contexts, UST planned its next decade of operation in the following fields:

Women Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods towards poverty alleviation

• Self-help women groups;
• Savings fund mobilization;
• Social capital building;
• Promotion and protection of women rights;
• Cultural activities;
• Building women organization towards developing political assets.

Actions in Disability

• Social work disabled children, women, men and youth;
• Emergency work;
• Climate actions;
• Cultural activities;
• Promotion and protection of rights;
• Innovation and Development of Inclusive Approach.

Child Rights 

• Tokai Nattayadal (Theatre & cultural group of street children);

• Kheli Pori school for street children, slum children, char children, third gender children, ethnic minority group children;
• Children Cultural Groups;
• Children in climate action education.

 Climate Actions

• Climate Change education for school and college students in rural area;
• Youth Climate Actions Forum/network;
• Village women-led climate actions;
• Actions research on ‘Locally-led CC Adaptation’;
• Climate Change education through cultural approach;
• Building Climate Smart villages;
• Emergency work for climate victims;
• Rehabilitation work with climate migrants.

Smart Health Care Services

• Mother and Child Health Care Education;
• Health and Nutrition Education;
• ‘Healthy Village’ Education;
• Preventive Health Care Education;
• Curative Health Care Services;
• Digitalization of Health Care Services;
• Linkage building of the villagers with Govt. Health Services.

Social work with Elderly People

• Centers for elderly people;
• Rehabilitation work with poor families of elderly persons;
• Health care services for elderly poor people;
• Emergency work for the elderly people.

Water Management and Hygiene 

• Education in conjunctive water uses;
• Awareness and actions in water pollution;
• Water supply entrepreneurship;
• Rainwater Harvesting;
• Locally managed drinking water supply in coastal zone;
• Hygiene Education and actions;
• School based hygiene education;
• Women-led hygiene education;
• Low-cost efficient latrine entrepreneurship;
• Efficient climate smart cooking practices;

 Approaches of UST’s work:

• Inclusive Approach
• Women Empowerment Approach
• Participatory Approach
• Counter-Development Approach
• Actor Oriented Approach
• Welfare Approach
• Local Initiatives and Collective Actions
• Emergency Work