Friends In Village Development Bangladesh - FIVDB - Central Office in Sylhet Sadar, Sylhet

FIVDB was founded in 1979 by a group of development workers working for International Voluntary Services Inc. to work towards enhancement of quality of life of the disadvantaged people in the north-eastern region, in today’s Sylhet division. It went into operation in the fields in 1981, starting with a filed of 23 villages in the Sylhet Sadar thana. FIVDB’s history can be seen basically in two main contexts (a) the programme and its coverage within FIVDB and (b) the outreach programme. Both these reached the current stage through continuous experimentation, action and reflection to meet the need of time. The organisational and programmatic growth has also been greatly influenced by other development initiatives present and evolving in the surrounding context, the support and resources available for it and the limitations and constraints in the environment.

FIVDB’s mission is to give disadvantaged women, men and children greater voice, reduce their vulnerability, increase their use of citizenship rights and help them enhance their quality of life.

To that end, FIVDB pursues educational, social and economic capacity building and social-organization approaches. It works to strengthen social protection and safety networks and participates in national and international outreach and advocacy.