JAPAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND - GRANT PROPOSAL

Transcription

1 JAPAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND - GRANT PROPOSAL FY10 ROUND 31 A. Basic Information A.1 Beneficiary Country Bangladesh A.2 Grant Recipient Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and WARBE A.3 Name and Address of Implementing Agency Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) Training Division; Gender, Justice, Diversity & Advocacy 75 Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh A.4 Is the Implementing Agency a Government entity? #(in case of joint implementation by government and NGO(s), please provide details on the legal status of each agency under Grant Implementation Arrangements below) WARBE House #313, Road #21, New DOHS, Mohakhali Dhaka, 1206 Bangladesh No A.5 Administrator International Development Association A.6 Grant Name ROUND 31: BANGLADESH - SAFE MIGRATION FOR BANGLADESHI WORKERS A.7 Grant Amount in USD (includes incremental 2,702,460 Bank costs) A.8 Does this grant proposal qualify for the No special allocation for Africa? B. Grant Development Objectives To establish a network of community-based organizations (CBOs) in areas with high numbers of potential migrants where there is lack of information and services to support safe migration to improve the conditions for Bangladeshi migrant workers through addressing information needs, providing skill training and making the migration process more transparent. Activities financed by the grant, through sub-grants for the establishment and functioning of CBOs, will target the poorest and most vulnerable in Bangladesh who may consider migration for economic gain to better the lives of themselves and their families. C. Eligible Expenditures List all applicable eligible expenditures below in one or more categories as necessary. Eligible expenditures include consultant services (including audits), local training and workshops, small civil works, goods, sub-grants and incremental Bank costs. Category Amount (US. Dollars) Percentage of Expenditures to be Financed GOODS 336, % 12% CONSULTING 184, % 7% TRAINING 957, % 35% OPERATING COSTS 144, % 5% OTHER 960, % 36% Total Grant to Recipient 2,582,460 Incremental Bank Cost 120,000 4% Total Grant Amount 2,702,460 Percentage of Grant Amount 1

2 Grant Supplementary Information Section 1 - Administrative Information Trust Fund No. (For CFPTO Use Only) TF Resubmission No JSDF Grant Type Project Sector Code Social Protection Grant Approval Date (For CFPTO Use Only) Task Team Leader Mr Mark F. LaPrairie TTL mlaprairie@worldbank.org TTL Phone Number Was a JSDF Seed Fund used to prepare this Yes, TF grant? If so, please indicate the TF number. Section 2 - Details of the JSDF Grant Section Grant Components and Activities Briefly describe the specific activities (limit 300 words) to be carried out under each component Component 1 Establishment of community-based organizations for information and services to promote safe migration Cost (USD) 970,000 The purpose of this component is to develop or strengthen a local support system through the establishment of community-based organizations (CBOs) to improve potential migrant workers' access to information and services for promoting safe migration and ensuring that potential migrants are well informed as they decide on whether to pursue migration. This will be done through the provision of sub-grants for the community-based establishment and strengthening of CBOs in areas with high numbers of potential migrants lacking migration-related support services and activities. The coverage area will be 80 'upazillas' (sub-districts) in 20 districts of Bangladesh. Districts will be identified on the basis of: (i) having a significant number people seeking and undertaking migration, based on data provided by the Government of Bangladesh. Individual households will be identified based on: (i) a potential migration presenting him/herself for obtaining information on migration; (ii) canvassing carried out by the Facilitator and Assisting Facilitator; and (iii) household-level socio-economic data provided by local authorities and NGOs operating in the same area. One CBO Facilitator and one CBO Assistant will be appointed in each of the 80 upazillas, identified from the community. They will be trained by the implementing agencies in facilitation, group organization and management, migrants' rights, how to access information, resources and services available from implementing agencies, NGOs and local government entities which promote safe migration. CBO Facilitators and Assistants will work with families where a family member is considering migration, and with local leaders in areas with high numbers of potential migrants. 1. Establishment of CBOs: The project implementing agencies (CSOs) will familiarize themselves with the upazillas which have been identified for inclusion under the project, based on the criteria noted above. CSO will determine criteria for the establishment or identification of CBOs ensuring that, once constituted, they have legal status and are accountable within the legal framework of Bangladesh and its relevant jurisdictions. CSOs will issue a call for proposals with detailed terms of reference (TOR) for CBO delivery of training and other support services for safe migration. Based on the call for proposals issued by the implementing agencies, CBOs will apply for sub-grants though the submission of proposals which will include a detailed work plan covering initial CBO start up activities followed by the delivery of migration-related training and services. Grants will cover start up costs and other costs related to the delivery of project activities and services, particularly training, to promote safe migration. Eighty (80) proposals from CBOs will be selected, against which grants will be awarded. A second stage grant will be awarded based on the viability of the work plans and beneficial/participant lists prepared by the CBOs to cover the provision of training addressing the following key areas in the migration process: (i) pre-decision-making; (ii) pre-departure; (iii) remittance management; and (iv) economic reintegration. Technical assistance 2

3 will be used for the production of training modules and materials. The implementing agencies will set standards for all training and be accountable for the grants. 2. Composition of CBOs: The organizational structure of a CBO will consist of 25 members in its General Committee. There will be one elected Working Committee out of the General Committee consisting of seven members. The Working Committee will be headed by a Convenor and Co-convenor and they will be working as Facilitator and Facilitating Assistant, respectively. Either the Convenor or the Co-convenor must be a female member. Both the Convenor and the Co-cordinator will be paid a pre-determined fee to be paid from the sub-grant. CBOs will work in collaboration with local government institutions and monitored and supervised by one of the implementing CSOs. CSOs will be responsible for maintaining formal communication with Government of Bangladesh agencies. There will a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the CBO and implementing NGO to ensure the efficiency of and compliance by the CBOs. CBO Facilitators will serve as focal persons for all activities, including training activities under Component 2, and activities to assist potential migrants get access to training and learning in key areas, such as financial literacy, skills training and pre-departure orientation, including migrants' legal and rights information. In Bangladesh, CSOs (or their parent organizations) must be registered by the Societies Act, Companies Act or NGO Bureau, as well as by the local cooperative registering authority at the district level in order to sanction NGO/CBO work carried out in districts. This registration process is carried out under the overall auspices of the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Rural Development and Cooperative Division. 3. CBO Functions: An Operational Manual for the CBOs will be developed under the guidance of the implementing agencies. Technical assistance will be procured to develop the operational manual for CBOs, particularly as a means of ensuring transparent accounting. This will be reviewed by Bank Financial Management staff. The functions of CBOs will be principally that of generating awareness, building capacity though training to assist migrant workers to undertake safe migration and reintegration, including financial literacy and the development of and access to remittance saving schemes. CBOs will carry out information dissemination and counseling, facilitate skills training from existing institutions, support policy advocacy, and prepare platforms for social mobilization and social capital. The component will also support the establishment of community-managed migration data and information systems. This will be achieved by CBOs carrying out the collection of data and information from households in each upazilla and updating a shared, web-based and interactive database on a continual basis. The database will be managed by the implementing agencies. This information will be made available to government entities and other stakeholders working in the area of migration, and will provide migration stakeholders with a better understanding of the realities of migration, particularly in areas which currently lack safe migration support systems and with significant numbers of people migrating or considering migration. The information database aims to foster improved planning for and delivery of safe migration services. Monitorable Deliverables/Outputs 80 CBOs established or strengthened; Up to 80 sub-grants granted; 80 CBO Facilitators and Assistants trained; Set up community-managed migration data/information systems. Component 2 Pre-departure preparation through information sharing and training to promote for safe migration Cost (USD) 1,165,180 For those who have decided to migrate, this component will provide access to: (i) affordable financial instruments to help cover the upfront costs of migration, including the provision of training and services for the establishment of revolving funds to support upfront migration costs; (ii) training and information to better prepare migrants to safely move through the migration process at all stages (i.e. before, during and after migration); and (iii) information and training for improved management and use of remittances. The first objective is to provide migrants with access to affordable financial instruments for meeting upfront costs of migration. Technical assistance specialized in micro-finance will design new financial instruments for credit as a means of addressing the needs of migrant workers and their families for financing pre-departure costs. This may include the establishment of community revolving funds, as a means of addressing the prevalent constraint of potential migrant workers' lack of collateral and credit history. This GFR will not offer revolving funds to CBOs for use by communities and potential migrants. Yet the task will assist in technical design for revolving funds for CBOs to support beneficiaries. The second objective is to provide training and information to better prepare migrants for moving through the migration process at all stages (i.e. before, during and after migration). Pre-decision making workshops will provide information to potential migrants on the benefits and risks of migration, and information on how to navigate the migration process safely. Pre-departure orientation will prepare migrants in the days prior to departure for the host country by outlining the challenges faced at the point of departure from Bangladesh, upon arrival in the host country and during the course of their stay abroad. Training will be module-based, covering essential information for getting through airports, including immigration and customs procedures. It will cover cultural, social and legal aspects of the destination country, migrant and 3

4 human rights, health and personal security. Migrants will receive practical information about travel to the host country, who to contact if they encounter problems while abroad, knowledge of their rights, and issues to consider before returning home, such as health, financial or travel-related information. The curriculum will be similar to that successfully used in the Philippines, and adjusted to the Bangladesh context. Under the third objective is to foster better management and use of remittances on the part of both migrants and their families. Both groups will be provided with training and information on how to develop remitting, savings and investment plans. Migrants will be advised on how to arrange financially for the family staying behind. A review of current money management practices in Bangladesh and destination countries will be conducted to identify where migrants can rely on existing financial good practices, where difficulties have been encountered in the past and how these can be mitigated. This activity also aims to establish financial counseling partnerships with commercial banks and explore the possibility of developing special financial products for migrants. The curriculum will particularly focus on long-term perspectives for financial planning, and options for investing remittances for sustainable outcomes for use at the community level. New financial instruments for the improved management of remittances will include education saving funds, health saving funds and other savings approaches which families of migrants will be encouraged to use. To ensure that beneficiaries of this grant are not uniquely individual migrants, but also migrant-sending communities, CBOs will examine the feasibility of introducing a one-time or annual service charge to migrant workers to be paid within one year of departure. For example, if a CBO is assisting 1000 beneficiary per year for three years and charges a $10 annual fee, at the end of a three-year period, a CBO will have collected US$30,000 which can be used for general community welfare/public goods based on an inclusive and participatory process of community development planning. Modalities for training will include community-based activities such as popular theater, where the entire population of the village is involved, and encourage the active participation of women in learning and disseminating knowledge, particularly as women, in most cases, will be heads of household during a migration period of husbands and other male family members. Training curricula will be designed in coordination with community groups to tap into local expertise and knowledge. All training will be conducted locally by specialized local NGOs selected, equipped and monitored by BRAC and WARBE. Monitorable Deliverables/Outputs Pre-decision making training for 230,400 people. Component 3 Consultation and monitoring and evaluation Cost (USD) 226,000 The objective of this component is to facilitate consultation and coordination between key actors (CBOs, government, NGOs and migrants/migrant families), and establish a sound monitoring and evaluation system to measure the program's impact and effectiveness for promoting and sustaining safe migration. 1. Consultation: Workshops with local partners are the district level involving CBOs, CSOs, local government and service delivery NGOs will be organized, particularly at the inceptions stages of the program, to consolidate partners' perceptions of the program and ensure a common vision of the program's objectives and overall scope. This will be aimed at achieving agreement on implementation procedures and identifying potential financial institutions capable of and interested in working with migrant workers through the development of specialized and targeted products and services. Lessons learned from other JSDF-financed projects focusing on migration will be examined, shared and assessed for relevance and appropriateness in the Bangladesh context. 2. Monitoring and evaluation: Funds will be made available for carrying out baseline, mid-term and implementation completion reviews. The component would set up a results-oriented monitoring and evaluation system, with a particular focus on participatory monitoring and evaluation. A monitoring and evaluation system using 'before and after' comparisons will document changes in the savings and household financial management practices of families experience migration. Detailed interviews will be conducted with migrants upon return from overseas employment to compare the impact of pre-departure training and information for those who received them and those who did not. Grants to CBOs will be audited. The implementation agencies will produce quarterly implementation progress reports. A final ICR to be completed by the implementing agency, including results of an impact evaluation, and will serve as input into the grant ICM prepared by the TTL at completion. A final evaluation survey will examine using a representative sample of households the extent to which the project's inputs have improved the lives of migrants and their families. Monitorable Deliverables/Outputs Baseline surveys; impact evaluations; capacity-building of communities; transparency in Component 4 Project Management Cost (USD) 221,280 4

5 This component will finance the overall management of the project by the implementing agencies which will consist of a primary NGO (BRAC), which will contract the second, smaller NGO (WARBE) to carry-out all grant-financed activities. The component will finance management fees to both implementing agencies and on-going operational costs. Project coordination: BRAC and WARBE Project Coordinators will be responsible for overall project coordination toward enduring sound communications with partners at the national and local levels, to supervise local level activities, and design and implement a monitoring and evaluation system. Audits will be carried out at mid-term and project end at the national and local levels. Monitorable Deliverables/Outputs Quarterly progress reports and completion report. Overall and on-going support and guidance for the implementation of all grant-financed activities. Summary Description for Grant Agreement Component 1 will finance the formation of CBOs in areas with no safe migration-focused CBO or strengthening of existing safe migration CBOs for the provision of information and services to promote safe migration. This will include the establishment of new or strengthening of existing CBOs, and the training of CBO facilitators and assistant facilitators. Sub-grants will be provided based on requests for proposals issued by the implementing agencies to cover start-up costs, the delivery of training and other migration-related support services, and the establishment of community-managed migration data and information systems. Component 2 will facilitate pre-departure preparation for safe migration, and support the design affordable financial instruments to cover the costs of migration (passport, recruitment, medical and other related fees), and provide skills training, language instruction, communication skills and information # including a mobile migration information center -- to assist potential migrants to move safely through the migration process. Information and training will be provided to migrants and their families for improved remittance management and economic reintegration upon their return to Bangladesh. The implementing agencies will establish a set of indicators to target the most marginal migrant workers (potential and returnee) through a range of criteria, including: (i) income, (ii) expenditures, and (iii) calorie intake. To reach the poorest migrant workers, specifically designed interventions will be used, including: (a) baseline surveys in the project areas, and (b) comprehensive household migration mapping. Component 3 will finance activities for consultation and monitoring and evaluation toward ensuring overall sound management of the program and measurement of the program's impact and effectiveness for promoting and sustaining safe migration. Rates of remittance investment obtained from comprehensive household migration mapping exercises conducted during the initial phase of the project will allow determination of increases in the rate of productive investment of migrants' income/remittances. This instrument will measure output during project reviews by external consultants and by the independent BRAC Internal Audit Department. Upgrading of living standards of migrants# family members will be assessed through, among other indices, increases in the rate of access to education of migrants' children and increases in the frequency and amount of investments/savings made by migrant workers. Component 4 will support overall management of the project by the implementing agencies consisting of a primary NGO (BRAC). Along with a second, smaller NGO (WARBE -- with which BRAC will have a contract or MOU), these NGOs will together carry-out grant-financed activities, i.e. delivery of training programs and oversight and implementation of all other project components and sub-components. Section 2.2 Incremental Bank Costs The costs of normal supervision are expected to be covered through the administrative budget and fee provision. Under exceptional circumstances, if additional resources are needed to facilitate community participation or NGO collaboration under particularly difficult conditions, incremental Bank costs can be requested up to 9 percent of the total grant amount. Amount requested in USD 120,000 The proposed activities are pilot in nature, with considerable potential for scaling-up given the wide-spread nature of migration among the Bangladeshi population and increasing public awareness of its challenges and risks. In light of the recent global economic crisis resulting in increasing numbers of returned migrants as Gulf economies falter, an economic upswing could lead to a resurgence of people seeking to migrate. This is an opportune time to pilot innovations for supporting safe migration. The Bank has become increasingly interested in being involved in migration issues in Bangladesh as part of its overall social protection agenda. This will require intensive supervision by Bank staff to help monitor progress and draw lessons learned for possible future Bank-supported operations. Hence, incremental Bank costs are requested. Particular focus will be placed on the development of financial instruments to support skills training provided by existing training institutes. 5

6 Section Rationale and Participatory Approach Briefly present (a) the origin and rationale for the proposal; (b) participatory activities which led to the proposal concept; (c) its innovative features in responding rapidly to the needs of the poor and vulnerable groups; (d) describe the intended beneficiaries and provide an estimated number of beneficiaries and cost per beneficiary. Over a quarter million Bangladeshis migrate overseas annually for employment purposes, with over 350,000 in 2006, mostly to the Middle East. Bangladeshi migrants face considerable challenges and risks, and they report these upon return to Bangladesh. These include fraud and deception by recruiters, physical and/or sexual abuse from employers, squalid living conditions, poor access to health care and other services, irregular and insufficient pay for long work hours in difficult physical conditions, and socially marginalization in host countries. Many go into debt to pay for migration, remit most earnings, achieve minimal savings, and have limited assistance for re-integration upon return home. The majority of Bangladeshi migrants gain unskilled and semi-skilled employment, and are already among the most disadvantaged people in Bangladeshi society, with the lowest levels of education, training and literacy. Nevertheless, migration to the Middle East is a major livelihood option for many poor people in Bangladesh, and brings significant positive economic benefit to the nation. The challenge, therefore, is to ensure that migration is carried out in a manner which reduces risk to already vulnerable populations. Potential migrations who have been interviewed express keen interest in migrating, yet express uncertainty about the process for migration, and a general lack of knowledge of the associated risks. A 2007 JSDF seed grant financed a participatory workshop in Dhaka on migration, bringing together key stakeholders from government, NGOs, civil society, development partners and host countries. The two-day workshop identified key risks facing migrants, mitigation measures underway and innovative approaches to address migration challenges. In-depth consultations have been carried out with BRAC, a leading NGO in Bangladesh with extensive experience in community mobilization, advocacy, training, micro-credit and monitoring and evaluation of development programs at the grassroots level. WARBE is a leading NGO focusing on safe mirgration. Consultations on the overall strategy and design of the proposed program have been conducted with WARBE, the leading national NGO representing migrant interests. WARBE was started by and is currently run by returned migrants and has established a proven track record as the leading NGO in Bangladesh representing the interests and welfare of migrants, particularly those seeking employment in the Gulf States where many find themselves the most vulnerable. The project is innovative first and foremost insofar as there are no programs in Bangladesh -- a country with enormous numbers of mostly poor, illiterate people migrating for employment -- of significant scope and scale which address the knowledge and information needs of migrants and delivers them in an appropriate manner, particularly at the pre-decision making stage of the migration process. Second, there are no programs which specifically aim to bring the innovative potential of financial services and micro-credit, coupled with money management training at both the individual and household levels. to bear on reducing vulnerabilities arising from migration-related costs which need to be borne by those seeking to migrate. These costs are often greatly escalated beyond what they should be by unscrupulous practices which prey upon people's lack of knowledge about how migration can be done safely. Additional innovative features of the proposed project are: (i) establishment of community-based organizations to promote safe migration in parts of Bangladesh with large migration populations and remain relatively unserved by safe migration services; (ii) a multi-faceted approach for providing much needed knowledge, information and skills to migrants; (iii) the introduction of a mobile migration information center to support both knowledge sharing and monitoring of activities across coverage areas; and (iv) formalization of earlier otherwise ad hoc efforts to establish local and national level networks for the sharing of information on and strategies for reducing risks of un-safe migration, and with the explicated shared agenda of safe migration. The intended beneficiaries are Bangladesh's poorest and least educated people who seek manual labour employment abroad. The project aims to benefit 345,600 people who undergo specific training and orientation programs, at a per beneficiary cost of approximately US$7.50. Section Sustainability Indicate the mechanism for sustainability of the proposed activities after the completion of the grant. This should include a description of the exit strategy and mechanism for long-term sustainability with specific measures and cost. BRAC and WARBE will integrate successful approaches and lesson learned from the JSDF-financed pilot project following closure of the grant into its existing programs to support safe migration. BRAC has an established network of Safe Migration Facilitation Centers (SMFC) which can adopt the community and local-level activities and services (i.e. micro-credit, legal support, social development, awareness campaigns) piloted under the grant, and thus strengthen and expand the functioning of SMFCs. WARBE is a smaller NGO that has recently secured financing from the EU to expand its programs for 6

7 safe migration. As a pilot, this project aims to compare the delivery of services by two different NGOs having vastly different characteristics (size, areas of engagement, experience/history, etc.) as a means of determing good practice for the longer-term delivery of services to promote safe migration. The Government of Bangladesh through the Ministry of Overseas Employment and Expatriate Workers has shown keen interest in this pilot. Safe migration is an increasingly important issue in Bangladesh with regular media coverage of migration problems, leading to enormous public outcry for government action. Government recognizes the growing severity of the issue, and lack of knowledge and capacity to implement effective mechanisms to implement safe migration programs. There is an expectation that government will seek to ensure their sustainability as a means of further solidifying its own efforts in this area of growing importance in Bangladesh and as complementary to the strengthening of its government's own network of 21 district employment and manpower offices. World Bank Management recognizes the urgent need to address the issue of safe migration, and has shown interest in having safe migration mainstreamed in Bank's regular IDA-financed assistance program in Bangladesh. The World Bank country program in Bangladesh has a strong social protection agenda, which encapsulates this work on safe migration. As the social protection agenda in Bangladesh is expanding, it is likely that a regular operation on safe migration would follow on from the pilot, using lessons learned and design features which proved effective under the pilot phase. Specific allocations for a follow-on safe migration operation as part of the core Bank portfolio in Bangladesh could be estimated of up to approximately US$10m. Local organizations already working in this area will be able to join forces with other partners in new alliances established through the pilot, and continue their work in a more coordinated and targeted manner. Among some bilateral agencies (e.g. Swiss Development Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland) there is interest to monitor this initiative, with the possibility of other sources of financing to support safe migration programs in future. Given increasing awareness of migration problems, safe migration is a possible area of priority engagement for a number of development partners, and which could be further encouraged by the World Bank taking a leading role on this issue now. Section Safeguard Issues Describe any significant adverse impacts related to environment and social safeguard policies, and how they will be addressed. There are no major environmental issues as there will be no civil works or land acquisition under the project. There are no major social issues given that the decision to migrate for employment is that of migrants themselves, and thus no resettlement action is required. Section 3 - Linkage to Country Strategy and Associated Bank Financed Operation Section Country/Sector Background Provide any specific information related to country and sector strategies which may support this proposal. This operation is linked to Bangladesh#s CAS objective of empowering the poor and improving civil society involvement. The livelihood of migrants and their families is of key importance to the overall economic prospects of Bangladesh, as a considerable proportion of the country's revenues are derived from remittances sent home by migrants. The impact of improved use of remittances impacts the need for and effectiveness of interventions in other sectors (e.g. education, health). Both macro-economic and social protection agendas, which the Bank supports as part of its mainstream program of assistance for Bangladesh, will be advanced and enhanced by the provision of support to migrants about costs, benefits, and risks of migration, particularly through the provision of financial literacy training for improved management and use of remittances. A new CAS is currently under preparation and safe migration as a social protection area is noted in the initial draft. Migrant-specific vulnerabilities will be reduced by enhancing the social protection for migrants through information about social and human rights, and by enhancing support for migrants during the recruitment process, in the host country, and upon their return to Bangladesh. As this project targets those who are among the poorest and most marginalized in Bangladesh society, its poverty reduction and social equity imperatives are strong and in-line with the Bank's CAS poverty reduction objectives. In Bangladesh, international migration has become an increasingly important avenue for employment and poverty 7

8 reduction. In 2008, about 5.8 million workers were employed overseas, and remittance flows amounted to around US$20 billion, or 10 percent of GDP. Bangladesh is now among the top ten remittance-receiving countries globally. Amost two-thirds of Bangladesh's remittances originate from the Middle East. The most common destination in international migration was Saudi Arabia (42 percent), followed by United Arab Emirates (16 percent), and Kuwait (10 percent). Section Bank Financed Operation the Grant will Complement This project is related to Outcome 3.3 of the new Bangladesh Country Assistance Strategy which aims to achieve enhanced and more systematic social protection. Historically, Bangladesh has implemented a wide spectrum of social safety net programs to reach the ultra poor. At present, the country has 31 social protection programs in operation. This includes 13 cash transfer programs, 7 food transfer programs and 11 social protection funds. Nonetheless, coverage is still low and government#s planning and delivery capacity needs significant strengthening. New analytic work will include assessing vulnerability and employment opportunities for migrant and informal sector workers. Question 13 describes this proposed operation's linkages to the CAS. Section Rationale for Grant Funding versus Bank Lending Briefly describe why the proposed JSDF activities could not be financed under the Bank-financed operation or by other sources. Safe migration is a new area for Bank involvement, and is seen as an area of emerging interest under the expanding Social Protection program of the Bank in Bangladesh. This initiative is seen a well-suited to JSDF financing given the pilot nature of the interventions and scope for building alliances and partnerships which could later be capitalized upon through a regular Bank operation. Section 4 - Grant Implementation Arrangements Section Name and Address of Implementing Agency Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) Training Division; Gender, Justice, Diversity & Advocacy 75 Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh WARBE House #313, Road #21, New DOHS, Mohakhali Dhaka, 1206 Bangladesh Please provide the rationale for the selection of the implementing agency Briefly describe the organization's mission, country/sector experience, program of activities, sources of financing, and evidence of financial management capacity to assure appropriate use of JSDF funds. If the grant will be implemented by more than one entity, briefly describe the responsibilities of each implementing agency. BRAC, was selected as the implementation partner for the proposed pilot project for Safe Migration for Bangladeshi Workers, being Bangladesh's oldest, largest and most respected NGOs. BRAC works with people whose lives are dominated by extreme poverty, illiteracy, disease and other handicaps. With multifaceted development interventions, BRAC strives to bring about positive changes in the quality of life of the poor people of Bangladesh. BRAC is committed to making its programs socially, financially and environmentally sustainable, using new methods and improved technologies, and one of its main focuses is the ultra poor. BRAC welcomes partnerships with the community, like-minded organizations, governmental institutions, the private sector and development partners both in Bangladesh and abroad. WARBE Development Foundation is a community-based migrants' organization (CBO) working in the field of migration and development in Bangladesh. WARBE was created by returnee migrant workers committed to developing programs for the betterment of the migrant community. WARBE implements its program and activites at the grassroots level, and liaises -- particularly for increased advocacy on behalf of migrants -- with the Government of Bangladesh, global, regional and national migrant organization, UN bodies and civil society. WARBE is registered under the NGO Affairs Bureau of Bangladesh. In 2008, BRAC had expenditure of US$535m, 27 percent of which was donor financed. The balance is derived from BRAC-run businesses and enterprises, including BRAC Bank, Arong merchandise and BRAC University. BRAC operates in all 64 districts, 509 upazilas (sub-districts) and almost 70,000 villages in Bangladesh, with a population coverage of approximately 110m people. 8

9 A financial management assessment by the Bank's FM Specialist was made for the preparation of this proposal. It concluded that BRAC's fiduciary capacities are sophisticated and up to international standards. These are well-known to the Bank's fiduciary personnel in the Bangladesh Country Office. BRAC's annual audited financial statements and reports are available. The Audit Committee assists the BRAC Governing Body in reviewing the financial condition of the organization, the effectiveness of the internal control system of the organization, performance and findings of the internal auditors and recommending appropriate remedial action. The Internal Audit Department consists of 160 audit staff. The BRAC Governing Body appointed Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants, Malaysia and S. F. Ahmed & Co. BRAC's Finance and Accounts Division performs a vital role within the organization in improving programme efficiency, enhancing management decision-making capabilities, and promoting transparency and accountability. The Finance and Accounts Division prepares BRAC's financial statements in accordance with international reporting standards to ensure transparency. Its efforts have been recognized with numerous national and international awards including the National Award for Best Presented Published Accounts and Reports 2004, 2005 and 2006 from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB); the Best Presented Accounts Award 2005 and 2006 from the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA); and the Financial Transparency Award for 2004, 2005 and 2006 from the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). BRAC has a separate Procurement Department that manages the requisitioning of purchases for the programmes, and follows BRAC Procurement Guidelines and Implementation Procedures, which are transparent and developed in-line with international procurement standards. Monitoring is part of BRAC's internal control mechanism for programmes. Monitoring activities are designed as a continuous process of data collection, analysis and judgment in order to produce relevant, timely and accurate information. Monitoring findings are disseminated to the relevant field level managers during data collection by monitors, on a bimonthly basis, through presentations and discussions, and the publication of summary and narrative reports. Emphasis is laid on assessing the effectiveness of the project components with an indication of corrective measures required. The monitoring Department has gradually broadened its area of activities to include all core and support programmes of BRAC. BRAC will be the lead implementing agency. BRAC will contract WARBE or sign an MOU for WARBE's participation and a second implementing agence. BRAC will legally be responsible for the use of financing under the grant. Other institutions (if any) involved in grant implementation. If sub-grants are a component, describe how they will be managed. BRAC is an internationally renowned micro-finance institution. Local civil society organizations will be selected based on their experience and track record in similar activities and management of funds. BRAC has long-standing ties with hundreds of civil society organizations in Bangladesh, and has already identified numerous organizations with which partnerships could be formed for promoting safe migration. Once the grant is approved, agreement would be reached with the recipient and these organizations on project implementation. WARBE is well known in Bangladesh for its work exclusively in the area of safe migration. It has recently secured sizeable funding through two EU-financed programs, and has a reputation for effecient delivery of programs and services, and benefits from a solid and complete network and alliances with all stakeholders in the area of safe migration in Bangladesh, as well as association with numerous migration related stakeholders abroad. Section Consultation with Other Development Partners Describe consultations with Japanese embassy, JICA, as well as other MDBs (e.g., ADB, IDB, AfDB, EBRD) in the design of grant activities (indicate names of officials contacted at Japanese embassy and dates). Explain the division of labor among the various partners in order to avoid overlap between programs. The task team met with officials of the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka on October 22, 2008 (Mr. Yonero Fukuda, Deputy Chief of Mission; Ms. Akemi Yoshida, First Secretary; Ms. Tomoko Inagaki, Economic Researcher; Mr. Keiji Ehara). The Embassy of Japan expressed support for the project. The task team also met with Embassy of Japan officials in 2007 to inform them of plans to host the November 2007 workshop on safe migration, cohosted by the World Bank and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Embassy officials were supportive of the initiative, and emphasized the importance of ensuring solid collaboration and dialogue with other key actors in the migration area, such as IOM and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Government of Bangladesh. The Embassy is well aware of the long-standing role and good reputation of BRAC as a leading NGO in Bangladesh and elsewhere. The task team met with the Deputy Resident Representative, JICA in October 2008 who expressed support for the project. The Bank's co-financing partner under the recently-closed Post-Literacy and Continuing Education for Human Development Project, Swiss Development Cooperation and the Embassy of Switzerland, have expressed interest in this initiative. Section Monitoring and Evaluation 9

10 List and quantify the performance indicators (maximum 5) and explain how the grant activites willl be monitored and evaluated against these indicators. Please use outcome-level indicators in line with the project objectives (e.g., productivity enhancement; increased access to social and community services and infrastructure; and improvement in the living conditions of the poor and vulnerable groups). Please indicate targets and performance indicators for monitoring the measures. Indicators Base Value Base Date Target Value Target Date Increase access of potential migrants to migration information and resources at the community level. Increaed skills development among potential migrants to gain employment abroad. Increased knowledge and awareness among potential migrants of the migration process and issues pertaining to arrival in the host country. Enhanced protection of migrants from abuse while abroad and to increase the number of migrants who have a positive experience overseas. Migrants in the program are more financially stable as a result of saving or productively investing a greater proportion of their remittances than migrants outside the project target areas. 0 09/01/2010 Up to 80 sub-grants disbursed for the establishment or strengthening of CBOs against proposals reported through local CBO annual reports and monitored by semi-annual reviews by BRAC and WARBE. 0 09/01/ ,080 potential migrants receiving skills training (20 percent of total receiving general pre-departure orientation training), determined through skill development assessment reports. 0 09/01/ ,400 potential migrants participating in pre-departure training (2,880 migrants per CBO), as per training assessment reports. 100 complaints/month based on reports by NGOs following up on migrants. 09/01/ complaints/month based on reports by NGOs following up on migrants. 0 09/01/ ,000 migrants, or 50 percent of those undergoing remittance management training as evidenced by increased savings. The project aims to increase remittance savings by between percent. 12/31/ /31/ /31/ /31/ /31/2013 Section Risk Affecting Grant Implementation See attached Risk Assessment Sheet Section Retroactive Financing 10

11 If retroactive financing is envisaged, the automatically generated grant agreement will specify the grant approval date as default retroactive financing date. This date can be manually set in the grant agreement to a later date but not earlier, if desired. Is retroactive financing needed? No Retroactive financing amount, if needed. Section Financial Arrangements This section should be filled out in consultation with the Financial Management Specialist. Are interim unaudited financial reports required? If yes, indicate frequency. Note: These reports should normally be used to support disbursement. Describe the audit requirements. Interim Unaudited Financial Reports will be required for each calendar semester within 45 days from the end of semester. Required documentation will include statements of expenditure, copies of records and invoices. For donor-financed BRAC projects the following external auditors have been appointed: J. R. Chowdhury & Co., S. K. Barua & Co., ACNABIN & Co., and Masih Muhit Haque & Co. Audit reports for all projects are submitted annually to the NGO Affairs Bureau of the Government of Bangladesh. One Audit Report will be required for the entire life time of the Grant, to be submitted within six months from the end of the Grant period. Section Disbursement Arrangements This section should be filled out in consultation with the Finance Officer. Will advances to a Designated (e.g., Special) Account be required? What is the proposed ceiling for advances? (This can be a specific amount or a period if interim unaudited financial reports are used to support disbursement). If a Designated Account will not be used, specify how disbursements will be made (e.g., direct payments, reimbursement for prefinanced expenditures). Specify the type of documentation that will be provided to support disbursements, e.g., interim unaudited financial report, SOE, or copies of records (e.g., actual invoices). Advances will be made to a Designated (e.g. Special) Account. Transaction-based disburesement arrangements will be used for the grant and all disbursement methods, i.e. reimbursemetn, idrect payment, replenishment and special commitment will be made available to the grant. The proposed ceiling for advances will be US$50,000. US$ 50,000 Transaction based disbursement arrangement will be used for the grant and all disbursement methods, i.e. reimbursement, direct payment, replenishment and special commitment will be made available to the grant. Statement of Expenditures, copies of records, invoices. Section Additional Obligations Covenants drafted by the lawyer can be inserted in this space when, exceptionally, any additional obligations of the Recipient need to be specified. n/a Section 5 - Financing Plan none 11

12 Section 6 - Detailed Cost Table Please consult with Procurement Accredited Staff on the proposed procurement methods. See attached Cost Table Section 7 - Technical Review & Clearances Section Technical Review SDV Technical Reviewer (Please insert comments below) SDV Technical Reviewer: Comment on a) technical feasibility/appropriateness of the grant from the SDV perspective; b) relevance of the proposal to JSDF requirements for innovative approaches to provide direct benefits to disadvantaged/marginalized groups. Directions for TTLs: Indicate in capital letters, after each comment, where in the proposal the comment has been reflected. Please provide tab and field references. I have reviewed the JSDF proposal for Bangladesh: Safe Migration for Bangladeshi Workers. This is worthy proposal for use of JSDF resources and I support it. It is innovative, supports measures to enhance the security of poorer population groups and has potential for dynamic spillover impacts and for replication on a larger scale. Migration is clearly a key basis of livelihood for a large number of Bangladeshi workers and activities supported under this proposal would improve information access, awareness of rights and presumably institutional resources for remediation and redress. I do have just a few comments on the proposal as it stands: 1. I feel there is scope for strengthening the proposal and its impact by extending the chain of activities more concretely down to sending communities in Bangladesh in such a way as to ensure the beneficiaries of this grant are not uniquely individual migrants but also their communities. Currently, this is covered by one objective under Component 2 (better management and use of remittances). If the grant is shouldering the burden of establishing and strengthening local CBOs, I would suggest these take on a responsibility for some method of counsel or oversight for a portion of remitted funds for general community welfare/public goods based on an inclusive and participatory process of community development planning - something that BRAC in particular are highly skilled in facilitating. (COMPONENT/OBJECTIVES TAB; 2 GRANT COMPONENT/OUTPUT FIELD) 2. For the 80 CBOs envisaged to be supported/established, I would suggest you provide more detail on how these would function, some detail of likely activities, which other local institutions they are likely to collaborate with and how to ensure efficiency in their work programmes - especially in migrant dense areas, what scope there is for clustering and pooling efforts of a number of CBOs. (COMPONENT/OBJECTIVES TAB; 1 GRANT COMPONENT/OUTPUT FIELD) 3. If community revolving funds are to be supported, please clarify how Bank procedures for credit lines would be accommodated. How would OP8.30 criteria be satisfied? (COMPONENT/OBJECTIVES TAB; 2 GRANT COMPONENT/OUTPUT FIELD) 4. The cost per beneficiary of $357 appears to be very high and I would encourage a search for options to lower this per capita cost. (JSDF SPECIFIC TAB; FIELD 6. RATIONAL AND PARTICIPATORY APPROACH) 5. I am fully supportive of the participatory approach to design of this proposal, including use of a seed grant, selection of high quality project implementing intermediary NGOs and the proposed use of participatory monitoring and evaluation. Likewise, the sustainability designs are strong and scale-up beyond the pilot phase has been well conceived. Directions for TTLs: Please provide the name and area of specialization of the SDV Technical Reviewer. Daniel P. Owen, Sr. Social Development Specialist Thematic Technical Reviewer (Please insert comments below) Thematic Technical Reviewer: Comment on a) the technical approach from a country/sector viewpoint and b) the relevance of the proposal to JSDF requirements for innovative approaches to provide direct benefits to disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Directions for TTLs: Indicate in capital letters, after each comment, where in the proposal the comment has been reflected. Please provide tab and field references. 12