Noakhali Rural Development Society (NRDS), a non-profit development organization registered under the NGO Affair Bureau of the Government of Bangladesh is working for the marginalized population of the coastal Noakhali area of Southern Bangladesh where widespread poverty with natural calamities is forming part of the daily struggle for life. NRDS was established in July 1992 by a group of development professionals working for the Noakhali Project of Danida closed in June 1992, to continue some development efforts as a local initiative to provide support for sustainable livelihood of the people in the area.

Vision and Mission of NRDS
NRDS envisages a fairer society based on equity and justice, where potentials of every individual will be bloomed, rights of every individual will be honored and environment of the mother earth will be safeguarded. The mission of NRDS is to work with marginalized people and community for their social and economic empowerment by promoting education, employment, household food security, health, environment, gender equity and human rights.

To promote sustainable livelihood of the marginalized population, the organization has been implementing a socio-economic development program since inception with following attempts:

	Grass-root Peoples Organization Building,
	Development Education and Training,
	Sustainable Agriculture and Aquaculture,
	Employment and Income Generation,
	Health, Nutrition and Sanitation,
	Quality Primary Education for All, Promoting
	Fair Trade for Artisan community,
	Promoting Networks to Stop Violence Against Women and Gender discrimination,
	Facilitating Civil Society organizations and Human Rights activism.

Working with GNAEC

NRDS as a partner of GNAEC has been implementing project activities in Comapanigonj upazillas of Noakhali district and Feni Sadar, Sonagazi and Dagonbhuiyan upazilas of Feni district since 2002.
A total of 6,732 households are being supported through Fish Farming Groups (FFG) to achieve sustainable development through an increased production of fish using improved integrated farming system techniques.

Other Projects

In addition to GNAEP, the organization also implementing some other projects in the area to achieve sustainable livelihood for the marginalized population are as follows;

	Smallholder Livestock Development Project-2 (SLDP-2)- Danida
	DPHE- Danida Water Supply and Sanitation Component (WSSC)- Danida
	Livelihood Initiatives for Vulnerability Eradication (LIVE)- Action Aid Bangladesh
	Grass root Initiatives to Promote Quality Primary Education- Commonwealth Education Fund
	Non-formal Primary Education (NFPE)- BRAC
	Broad Based Coalition for Human Rights- SAP Bangladesh

Working Area and Beneficiaries:

A total of 45 thousand families of 7 Upazillas in 3 districts in the greater Noakhali are supported by NRDS with various interventions, of which 32,000 beneficiaries are now actively engaged in Micro-credit program. A total of 294 staff members having a wide range of experience and expertise on development interventions are working with NRDS.

For further information:

Project Coordinator
Noakhali Rural Development Society (NRDS)
House #9, Road #34, Maijdee Housing Estate, P.O. Box: 28, Noakhali-3800, Bangladesh
Phone: + 880 321 61829, 61016 Fax: + 880 321 61016,
E-mail: <nrds@bttb.net.bd>