1. National Workshop on experience sharing of UP led WATSAN Project

UST assisted Doptiar and Dhubaria Union Parishad to organize a national workshop held on January 28, 2009 at the RDEC Bhaban Conference Room, LGED, Dhaka to share the implementation strategy, success and experience of Union Parishad-led Watsan Pilot Project. UST facilitated the whole program. It is a new approach in Bangladesh and a replicable model. This workshop was organized to share how these two unions undertook the WatSan Program and what success they achieved.

Kabir Mohammad Ashraf Alam, NDC, The Director General of National Institute of Local Government was present as Chief Guest in the workshop. Dr. Syed Esteak Ali Jinnh, Director Advocacy & Policy of WaterAid Bangladesh, Dr. Badiul Alam Mazumder, Country Director, The Hunger Project, Mr. Waliul Islam, Project Director, HYSAWA Project-DPHE and Azahar Ali, National Project Coordinator, UPPRP-UNDP were also present as Special Guest. Shariful Islam Khan Shakil chairman of Dhuburia Union presided over the Workshop. Among other, the UP Chairmen, UP Members, Community Leader of all working area of UST, Donor's representative, Journalists were the distinguished participants.

Besides, Dr. Iftekhar Hossain, Sr. Policy Specialist, UNICEF, Yakub Hossain, Deputy Director, VERC and Shantonu Lairi, Sr. Water and Sanitation Specialist-The World Bank were present as panel Discussants. The Panel discussion was moderated by Shyamol Dutta, The Editor, The Daily Bhorer Kagoj.

Shah Md. Anowar Kamal, The Director, UST gave inaugural speech citing that Union Parishad is the grass root level organization and it is possible to cover sanitation by 100 percent in any community if the Union parishads are strengthened, provided support both technical and financial.

The Chief Guest of Workshop in his speech illustrated that Union Parishad is an age-old institution. And its number is not small so if all the union parishads works in body it will stand as a big power, a strengthened organization. He invoked all the union parishads to work together to promote the development. He in his speech admired the efforts of Doptiar and Dhubaria unions for success, along with UST and WaterAid Bangladesh for their facilitation and financial assistance respectively.

1. Observation of National Sanitation Month October, 2008

UST has observed the National Sanitation Month, October 2008 at District, Upazilla and Union level with the leadership of DC, UNO, DPHE and Union Chairman. Different events like rally, campaign, meeting, and seminar were arranged on this occasion. Around 5000 to 10000 people enthusiastically participated in every event. During the observance DC, ADC, all UNOs, District & Upazilla level officials, Media people, District Sanitation Task Force Committee members, and other agencies attended in the rally and discussion session. The school children were also one of the major participants of the rallies. A day long discussion session was held after the rally at District and Upazila level under the leadership of DC at district and UNO at Upazila level. District and Upazilla administration including DPHE and other LGIs, representatives of civil society and community people made a commitment to move forward with a target to complete within stipulated period.

1. Global Hand Washing Day Observation

UST observed the 'World Hand Washing Day' from 19th to 30th October to create awareness on cleanliness and hand washing in its working area. We have celebrated the day in 177 education institutions with the active participation of CBO representatives, development activists, local elites, UP members where around 65000 boys and girls washed their hands as their school premises. The young learners have pledged to promote hand washing with soap after defecation and before meal on that day. Different events such as rally, discussion sessions, competitions and cultural programs were accomplished at the respective places with due enthusiasm. Local UP chairman, members and elites attended in different sessions. Observing the day was an initiative of the public-private partnership on hand washing, involving soap companies, GOs, NGOs, and UN bodies, as a contribution to the International Year of Sanitation.

1. Honourable Executive Director became the executive board member of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum(BSAF)

Shah Md Anowar Kamal, Executive Director of UST was elected as the executive board member of BSAF on 8th November 2008. The Executive board consists of one Chairperson, one Vice Chairperson, one treasurer and 8 Executive members. 222 Chief Executives of different organization were in that forum. As an executive board member Shah Md Anowar Kamal pledged that BSAF would work as a watchdog for ensuring child rights in Bangladesh. He also added that UST was always vociferous about child rights and would be.       

1. Meeting with ICCO & KIA Representative

Honourable Executive Director participated different consultative meetings and workshops with ICCO and other ICCO partners for outlining the Bangladesh Water and Food Security Partnership Programme. Six participating organization's (BCAS, RDRS, UBINIG, SEHD, GBK and UST) consultants and ICCO selected three themes and agreed to work in partnership to carry out as a country programme during April 2007 consultation on food and water security programme. The selected themes are sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity, water and sanitation. Five day workshop was held from January 28 to February 1, 2008 at Dhaka to prepare the country programme on Bangladesh water and food security where participants constructed a common vision and formulated objectives. A follow up workshop of January -February 2008 was held on 25 June 2008 in Dhaka on BWFSP. Six participating organizations and representatives of ICCO/KIA were also presented and facilitated the workshop where they came to a consensus about designing a project proposal and budget. Based on this, finally on 27 and 28 October 2008 two meetings were held at Dhaka where six participating organizations with ICCO &KIA representatives formulated a final proposal with budget for approval from ICCO & KIA and NGO Affairs bureau on legal and financial matters. 

1. Media Campaign

Based on the successful history of UP Led WatSan Pilot Project, UST organized a Media Campaign in UP Led project areas on 29th May 2008. The overall objective of the media campaign was to gather and disseminate learning's from the UP Led WatSan Pilot Project to the sector actors and media activists at the national level based on context analysis. It is felt that dissemination of such success stories through media campaign could really be instrumental in raising national awareness building and also in sensitizing state leaders, policy makers and other key sector actors about some best practices adopted by community people and which may likely to contain effective replicable mechanisms for wider use. During media campaign a group of journalists have attended for covering the features and broadcasted in both print and electronic media. After successful field visits, the journalists broadcasted news in electronic media like NTV; ETV; Channel 1; ATN- Bangla and Bangla vision; Channel I and also published a series of features in their assigned national papers such as The Daily Star; Ittefaq; Samakal; The New Age; Jugantar; Amar Desh; Amader Shomoy; Janakantha; Inqilab, Nayadiganto and so on.

1. Donar's corner
• DFID visited :

David Southerland from DFID, Country Representative of WaterAid Bangladesh (WAB) along with Executive Director and Project Manager of UST visited UP Led Pilot Project on 3rd June 2008. The objective of the visit was to assess the progress of the exceptional project and its collaboration with LGI.

• UNICEF visited:

A 7-membered UNICEF team visited the UST working areas under UP Led pilot project. The objective of the visit was to learn on how to implement 100% satiation programme with LGIs followed by the proper and exceptional strategy of UP led pilot project.  Basically, as UNICEF has set target on similar issue and strategy to achieve the ultimate goal in their working areas, so they thoyght best practices and experiences of UST in collaboration with LGIs could enhance knowledge of their existing working station.

1. WAB organized Rural Learning Sharing Workshop among its partners:

WAB organized a two day long Rural Learning Sharing Workshop at Elenga Resort with all its rural  partners in Tangail to explore the best practices of UP led pilot project and identify scope of work from learning's & prepare action plan accordingly for next steps. UST organized and facilitated the whole process during the event as host and the major objectives of the workshop was:

• To identify best practices in UP led pilot project;
• To learn and exchange opinion from best practices in existing ASEH
• To identify scope of work from learning's and prepare action plan accordingly