Village development committee holding the first national conference

Men, women, and youth delegates from each VDC gathered at the conference

Support to agricultural cooperatives and Women Ending Hunger (WEH)

On October 8, 2003, the first national conference of the Village Development Committee (VDC) was opened at the Kaligonji Thana (county) Training and Development Center (TDC). VDC is a community based autonomous organization supported by HFW.

The workshop had 41 participants, of whom 35 were VDC representatives, working in 12 villages in the Thanas of Kaligonji, Bhanga, Boda, and six members of the HFW staff from all Thanas. The main topics were the history and the methods of development, the importance of participation, the significance of VDC to act independently, and the role of HFW in supporting the villagers.
In addition, participants discussed the problems encountered in each region and the activities undertaken to solve them. This was the first exchange with members from other regions and it offered a good opportunity for sharing ideas and experiences. Also, the HFW staff had a good chance to understand the problems faced by the VDC representatives.

The participants became aware of necessity to formulate plans and strategies for rural development from the grass-root level. They showed a strong commitment for a more active involvement.