The Small Initiatives by Local Innovative NGOs (SMILING) is a funding programme of the European Commission in Bangladesh. The programme aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of local NGOs in the country so that they are better able to address poverty-related issues and problems amongst disadvantaged groups and communities. The specific objectives of the programme are: to support small scale initiatives designed to reduce vulnerability related to natural disasters and climate change, enhance access of disadvantaged communities to Local Government services and improve their health and hygiene conditions. The thematic areas covered include the following:

The Small Initiatives by Local Innovative NGOs (SMILING) is a funding programme of the European Commission in Bangladesh. The programme aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of local NGOs in the country so that they are better able to address poverty-related issues and problems amongst disadvantaged groups and communities. The specific objectives of the programme are: to support small scale initiatives designed to reduce vulnerability related to natural disasters and climate change, enhance access of disadvantaged communities to Local Government services and improve their health and hygiene conditions. The thematic areas covered include the following:

Priority A: Reduce vulnerability related to natural disaster

Activities can include public awareness-rising, organization of communities, improving capacity in early warning to face disaster, information dissemination, improvement of efficiency of local institutions in crisis intervention, development of indigenous coping patterns and mitigation strategies to manage and respond to natural disaster and climate change of communities and local-level institutions.  Actions aimed at provision of relief material and assistance and directed to rehabilitation of post-disasters events or building of protecting infrastructures for disaster are not eligible for funding

Priority B: Enhance access of disadvantaged communities to Local Government services

Activities may consist of organizational capacity building of local government institutions and local organisations, rights and governance awareness, best practices sharing, learning and advocacy, promotion of practical accountability processes/mechanisms between people and people’s representatives in local government, promotion of community participation in gender-responsive local-level development planning, support of the role of women leaders in local government, enhancement of links between local government institutions and civil society organisations, enhancement of the role of local communities (particularly women) in decision-making processes, advocacy for equitable allocation of public resources and for issues like rights of women, women and children trafficking, creation of networks etc

Priority C: Improve health and hygiene conditions of disadvantaged communities

Activities can be capacity building of communities and local-level organizations, training courses for communities and NGOs’ staff, community mobilisation and organization, installation of water supply technologies, establishment of village sanitation centres for production and installation of hygienic latrines, production of information and communication materials, promotion of access to local-level safe water and sanitation systems, strengthening of accountability mechanisms between service providers and receivers, promotion of innovative actions to ensure long-term change in  hygiene behaviour and access to water and sanitation, information sharing, etc

Prior registration at PADOR is required for all applicant organizations. The deadline to submit application is 15 Febraury 2010. For more, visit this link.