PROCHESTA INTERNATIONAL INC
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Mission Statement
OUR DREAM: PROCHESTA, currently registered in the State of New York, USA, stands beside the ill-fated human beings throughout the world and strives hand-in-hand to bring positive changes in all affairs of their life. In the context of its birthplace, PROCHESTA dreams of a poverty-free evergreen, peaceful, happy, and prosperous scenic picture of Bangladesh (সুজলা সুফলা শস্য শ্যামলা / with plentiful sweet water, fruits, crops, and green). EMERGENCE AND COMMITMENT: Human suffering is simply unacceptable. Unfortunately, the human suffering of all manifestations is a common phenomenon, particularly in a poverty-stricken densely populated country like Bangladesh. Deprivation of basic human needs and dignities coupled with lack of opportunities and resources for a decent life are among the core factors responsible for human suffering. Bangladesh has enormous potential to develop and the destitute people of Bangladesh deserve adequate opportunities and resources to avoid suffering and enjoy a better life. PROCHESTA emerged to liberate the hapless humanity from all grips of deprivations and sufferings. PROCHESTA is a Bangla word that means efforts. In English transliteration, PROCHESTA stands for and means Program for Rural Occupational, Cultural, Healthcare, Educational, Social and Technical Advancements. As the term illustrates, PROCHESTA has emerged with certain noble objectives and firm commitment. In the pursuit of its objectives and commitment, PROCHESTA has undertaken necessary effective measures targeting some comprehensive positive changes and advancements potentially resulting in the betterment of the standard of living of abject humanity. OUR CHALLENGES: No dream may come true, no expectation may be materialized, no goal may deliver positive results without facing inherent challenges. PROCHESTA has identified some grass-root level causes of human suffering as inevitable challenges to its integrated development goals and aspirations that must be addressed. Some of the multi-faceted causes of human suffering as pictured below can symbolize the challenges that we need to address in a holistic way. OUR PERSPECTIVE AND APPROACH: PROCHESTA’s current primary focus is Bangladesh which is home to nearly 165 million people the vast majority of whom are poor and many of whom live under hardcore poverty. As such, Bangladesh has received huge attention from local and international development and humanitarian activists, individuals as well as institutions, who are striving hard to eradicate poverty and improve quality of life and thereby stop or reduce human suffering. Notwithstanding tremendous development at the mercy of all philanthropists, obviously the poverty and human suffering still remain invasive due to some factors. PROCHESTA profoundly appreciates the remarkable contributions of all actors, but believes that the results and impacts of their efforts could be far better if aligned with a certain perspective and approach pertinent to the special context of Bangladesh. PROCHESTA, taking into account the demographic and cultural realities of Bangladesh, has decided to supplement rather than alternate the efforts of all role-players by filling in the gap of contextually appropriate perspective and approach. PROCHESTA takes cognizance that Bangladesh is a faith-based society where people of all walks live in harmony with full allegiance to their respective religions. All religions, and particularly Islam which is the religion of the vast majority of Bangladesh’s population, deeply inculcate in the adherents the sense of upholding justice, peace, prosperity, and betterment, and strongly command them to stand against injustice and human suffering. Therefore, PROCHESTA believes, instead of merely working for good causes in purely secular perspective and approach and thereby overlooking, neglecting or opposing the religions that may well underpin such righteous activities, it is more prudent, efficient and effective to take advantage of religious perspective and approach. This is important particularly due to the fact that religious perspective and approach are inherent and deeply rooted in the hearts of adherents who are fully allegiant to their religions. Furthermore, religions generate strong emotional and spiritual awakening amongst the adherents in their daily life. Since Muslims constitute about 90% of the total population of Bangladesh, we can take an example of how Islam can play a leading role in the integrated development of the Bangladeshi society.
About This Cause
In many verses of the Qur’an, Allah (swt) has commanded to do and promote what is customarily known as good (m’aruf) and abstain from and prohibit what is abhorred as bad (munkar). In fact many verses of the Qur’an and sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) confirm that the rituals (‘ibaadaat) like daily five-time prayers and fasting in Ramadan are themselves aimed at, among others, as a form of training to motivate Muslims to promote m’aruf and enjoin munkar. Muslims are closely attached to masjid on daily basis for five-time prayers. Bangladesh has nearly seventy thousand villages each having at least one masjid in addition to the cities that are full of masjids at every nook and corner. Every masjid has an imam who leads the prayer and is well respected and followed by the Muslims. At least once in a week time the imam, literally and terminologically means leader, has an opportunity to address the Muslims during the Jum’ah (Friday) prayer. For Muslims not only the Jum’ah prayer is obligatory but attentively listening to the Jum’ah sermon (khutbah) is also an obligation. The khutbah is essentially aimed at to remind the Muslims and keep them self-motivated and activated on weekly basis in promoting what is good and forbidding what is bad. Therefore, if taken in the right spirit, masjids can serve as centers for development activities, imams can be well trained in leading development activities and Muslims can be motivated by their attachment with masjids, loyalty to the imams and particularly through motivational Jum’ah khutbah whereby all people can participate, partner and take the ownership of development activities for the society. Similarly, the other religions and their centers of worshipping can be well utilized to integrate people of all faiths with development activities. PROCHESTA believes that faith-based (particularly Islamic in the context of Bangladesh) perspective and approach can be more efficient, effective and rewarding that has been overlooked or neglected thus far by the development players. MASJID AS THE CENTER OF DEVELOPMENT & HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES: In order to capitalize on and in appreciation of the significant role, position, influence and impact of religions in Bangladesh, PROCHESTA has adopted a faith-based, specially Islamic, perspective of and approach to integrated sustainable development. Accordingly, PROCHESTA has established a masjid (in the village: Mathh Chakla, sub district: Chowgachha, district: Jessore, Bangladesh). PROCHESTA recognizes that the Prophet (pbuh) used masjid not only for worshipping and ritual performance but also as the center of worldly activities including administration of the institutions of education, justice, consultative assembly, governance of internal affairs, international and diplomatic relations and affairs of peace, reconciliation and war, and shelter for homeless people. Certainly masjid is perceived to play a vital role as the center for all affairs of Muslims’ life, be it material or spiritual, mundane or religious, for the welfare of this world or success in the hereafter. That is why the Prophet (pbuh) has identified masjid as the best place on the earth and stated that “he who has established a masjid on the earth has built his eternal house of peace in the paradise”. CORE AREAS OF INTERVENTION: In response to the identified challenges from its unique perspective of and approach to integrated sustainable development, PROCHESTA has been working hard in many areas with special attention to the following core areas: A. ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION: PROCHESTA believes that knowledge is power and education is the backbone of a nation and that one of the root causes of backwardness of Bangladeshi society especially in remote villages resulting in human suffering is illiteracy and lack of education. PROCHESTA is cognizant and appreciative of the objective, wisdom and supreme importance of a Qur’anic word that Allah (swt) has revealed as His first word through the Prophet (pbuh) to the human kind, which is “إقرأ” or “read”. As the Qur’an is the most authentic guidance from Allah (swt) for the humanity and as the first revealed word of the Qur’an is “read”, PROCHESTA understands that the Islamic perspective of and approach to development underscores the topmost priority and foremost significance of education. Therefore, PROCHESTA has placed advancement of education on its first agenda of intervention. In order to implement this agenda, PROCHESTA has initiated various schemes. Social School: By capturing and capitalizing on the Islamic significance of education, and in order to supplement all existing governmental and non-governmental efforts for advancement of education, PROCHESTA aims at developing each village masjid as a model center for literacy and education. PROCHESTA has introduced day time social school for women (mostly housewives) and night time social school for elderly people who work in agricultural farms during day time. The social school scheme deserves further attention and requires development of infrastructures, facilities and adequate resources for every village. If all masjids can be utilized to serve as such social schools, the education and training would be more effective with religious values and spirit of education added. PROCHESTA is determined to gradually expand its operation to cover as many villages as possible under the social school. An estimated amount of $ 100 per month can allow us to cover a village. PROCHESTA has current capacity and human resources to utilize a total of $ 50,000/- annually if made available which can cover many villages and bring expected results in the enhancement of literacy and education among the elderly people. Teachers and Imams Training: In the pursuit of advancement of education, PROCHESTA desires to establish an institution for the training of those who can play leading role in development activities, particularly the teachers who are the architects of the future generation and the imams who are the community leaders of the nation. The training will essentially focus on the relevance of the teachings of the classical sources of Islam including the Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions to the significance of development and the ways and means of development from an Islamic perspective and approach. An estimated annual funding of $ 20,000/- may allow PROCHESTA to arrange a 15 days to a month long training for 50 teachers and imams every year. Educational Support: In addition to the above, as part of its ongoing efforts in the advancement of education, PROCHESTA is running scholarships, stipends and financial support programs for brilliant but poor students who would be otherwise deprived of education as a result of forced child labor due to poverty. An estimated amount of $ 30,000/- annually may allow PROCHESTA to launch a massive educational support program that may benefit hundreds of poor students who can later emerge as educated material human beings and contribute significantly to the integrated social development. B. HEALTHCARE: Health is wealth. Health is a vital component of development. Sound health can keep a person happy, active, dynamic, creative, motivated and energetic which all are prerequisite to development. Poor health is responsible for many causes of poverty and suffering. PROCHESTA recognizes the significance of healthcare as a core area of its intervention for integrated development. Healthcare sector has many dimensions all of which require attention. PROCHESTA, with its limited resources and capacity, tries hard to make some significant impact in some identified areas of pressing need while the scope of work in other areas still remains sky-high. Treatment of Extremely Poor Critical Patients: In fact this is an area that has claimed significant resources and commitment of PROCHESTA in response to urgent humanitarian calls particularly from terminally ill patients with acute diseases. PROCHESTA has raised about $ 200,000/- during the last couple of years and sponsored full treatment of many individual patients who lost all hopes of life. C. POVERTY ALLEVIATION: Poverty is the state of being poor which can be characterized by deprivation of basic human needs including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, healthcare, shelter, education and information. Poverty also represents physical insecurity, powerlessness, lack of voice, susceptibility to exclusion, subjugation and violence and no or insufficient capacity and opportunity to lead a decent and better life. Poverty is undoubtedly a root cause of all human sufferings, a denial of basic human rights and a violation of human dignity. Vast majority of people in the rural areas of Bangladesh live below absolute poverty line and are deprived of basic necessities of life as human beings. People are hard-working. However, due to lack of adequate financial resources, information, awareness, training and capacity, their living condition remains unchanged. PROCHESTA considers all causes and effects of poverty including hunger, malnutrition, health hazards, shelter, illiteracy, incapacity and other poverty related concerns as the root causes of human suffering and takes them as challenge to humanity that it seeks to address in a holistic approach. As part of its holistic approach to combatting poverty and thereby preventing human suffering, PROCHESTA has singled out advancement of education and healthcare agenda with special attention as explained above. In addition, given its limited capacity and resources, PROCHESTA has initiated and will continue to run many other schemes to provide all required support to poor people including micro-finance, training, planning, supervision and management etc. for their capacity building so as to enable them to change their life towards continued betterment. Capacity Building; Source of Earning: Since Bangladesh is an agro-based economy and many of the country’s poor population who live in rural areas are involved in agro-fisheries and cattle farming occupation, many of the PROCHESTA schemes are targeted at building the poor’s capacity and improving productivity.