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Society for Empowerment, Education & Development (SEED)
SEED’s experience in health service delivery
Health remains an integral component of SEED’s development interventions. By improving the health of the people, especially the women and the poor, and promoting the capacity of a community to deal with health problems, the health programme contributes to achieving SEED’s objectives. Over the last three years, SEED’s health programmes have evolved in line with the national health priorities and changing health needs. Starting from small scale curative care, SEED has established a large health and development programme to fight TB, STI, HIV/AIDS and other common illnesses. We have gone through successive programmes including TB and STI control, HIV/AIDS, and Reproductive Health. SEED has forged successful partnerships with the government (NTP and NASP) and NGOs including private sector organisation like BGMEA in implementing different health programmes such as PPM in TB and STI, and tobacco control. In addition to this, SEED is now actively collaborating with the present ‘Health, Nutrition and Population Sector Programme’ (HNPSP) of the Government of Bangladesh to develop innovative programmes to improve the effectiveness of community-based health facilities and services. The health interventions are delivered through SEED’s own programmes, partnership programmes with the government and NGOs, and pilot initiatives. Our maternal, neonatal, and child health programmes currently target four areas of urban slum and 6 rural districts. The PPM in tuberculosis control programme has already been scaled up in two other major cities: Chittagong and Sylhet.
SEED’s experience in knowledge and capacity building
SEED has incorporated training as an integral part of all research and development programmes in an effort to inform and improve their knowledge, skills and behaviour of health professionals. The training programme has been integrated as part of the research and development projects with the creation of a Training and Resource Centre at Mohakhali. SEED is now providing intensive training to government (NTP) staff and private practitioners. SEED is responsible for the capacity building and professional development of our own staff and other health professionals. Our activities include designing and providing training courses to private medical practitioners and programme participants, capacity building of both local and international NGOs and government staff through professional management, needs-based training and the extension of appropriate support facilities to other organisations for their own training, workshops, and conferences.
SEED’s experience in communications
The Communications and Product Development (CAP) department is responsible for the management of SEED’s identity, internal and external communications and media relations. The CAP produces communications resources such as annual reports, films and maintains the website to disseminate information on SEED activities and works to ensure complete and accurate representation and understanding of the organisation for both internal and external audiences. “The Story of Hasina”, “Bina: A TB Success Story” and a short documentary “Nobojiban” are such examples of highly accessed visual advocacy and communications materials. Since 2004, CAP has been publishing TB Fact Sheets, TB and STI related posters and leaflets in collaboration with the DGHS, NTP and BRAC. This department also actively involved with the NTP and NGO partners to mark the “World TB Day”. It is also preparing to publish the district- based Lab Supervisors Guidelines, TB treatment algorithm, and “Guidebook” for Private Medical Practitioners.
SEED’s financial management and accountability
SEED is a registered with all the legal organisations which regulate NGOs. SEED has various support programmes including the Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Finance & Accounting units which provide continuous support which is essential to the success and smooth functioning of SEED’s core programmes.
SEED’s experience in research and development
The Research and Development wing of SEED was established in 2007 as part of the DFID/COMDIS-funded Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project but later emerged as a fully-fledged independent wing to support SEED's existing research and development programmes with continuous monitoring and evaluation, and to provide data analysis of existing research projects. Over the years, SEED’s Research and Development wing has also become an anchor house for primary research on issues of communicable diseases, strengthening health systems and effective service delivery mechanisms in collaboration with the government, NGOs and international research institutions. As of 2009, SEED completed 6 research reports and had 10 research articles published in reputed peer reviewed journals in Bangladesh and abroad.