Functioning Local Government Through Awareness,
Advocacy and Capacity Building

The first in-house meeting of the project took place on 4th June 2003 at 1:30 pm.

Participants:
Wazed Feroj
Khaliduzzaman Khalid
Md. Golam Sharif
Zohora Zafar

The following decisions have been made with immediate effect:

Monthly meeting to be held on first Thursdays at 3 pm.

Review last week's activities
Update and current status
Future projection

Ms. Zohora Zafar has been assigned to take minutes of the meetings.

- Tracking, scanning, and filing of news on Local Government issues have been completed from 1st May to 13th May 2003.

- Filing of published news and articles from 14th May till the 28th is under process.

- Basic information on Pourashava (Municipality) and City corporation has been rounded up.

- Survey methodology has been developed and some tools have been prepared to assist the content analysis of Local Government issues.

- A draft outline has been drawn up for the Journalists' Training Manual.

- Tangail Pourashava, Dhaka City Corporation, and in terms of Union Parishad, Mymensingh Upazila have been selected for the project interventions. Initially, three unions have been selected. They are:

- Dapunia
- Chornilokhiya
- Chorishwardia

- Two sessions (one with NGOs and another one with the UP people) have been conducted during Mymensingh visit on Thursday, 5th June 2003.

First Meeting at Democracywatch, Mymensingh office.
Participants: Taleya Rehman, Wazed Feroj, Aminul Ehsan, Md. Golam Sharif, Executive director of 'ROBY' Mr. Nurul Islam, Field Co-ordinator of 'FHD' Asadullah Titu, Executive Director of 'TUS' Khondokar Farooq Ahmed.

Second meeting at Dapunia.
A successful meeting was conducted with people of different profession.
Ms.Pratima Choudhury, Dapunia Brac Area Office Coordinator, cordially greeted the Democracywatch officials. Mr. Nurul Huq, Chairman Dapunia Union, Mymensingh Sadar Upazila expressed his willingness to cooperate with Democracywatch activities in his place.

- Monthly media report on Local Government issues.

- Prepare tools and questionnaire for content analysis regarding the survey.

- Fieldwork is starting this week for the content analysis survey.

- Liaising with the projected Union Parishads, Tangail Pourashava and the Dhaka City Corporation officials is starting this week.

- Develop a database of the elected UP, Municipality and City Corporation representatives of the target area.

- Identify MPs who are in favor of local government system and establish liaison with them.