Jessore Located in the south-west of Bangladesh, Jessore district lies under Khulna division, and has an area of 2,607 square kilometres. It is bordered by India to the west, Khulna district and Satkhira district to the south, Magura and Narail to the east, and Jhenaidah district to the north. Major rivers that flow through this region are the Bhairab, Chitra, Betna, Kobadak, and Photo credit: BRAC the Mukteshwari. Jessore Popular Theatre group in Keshabpur, Jessore. is famous for its flower production and widely known from marginalised families and Jessore is the birthplace of famous provides basic education through poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta. as the capital city of flower in its informal schools. TUP works to His large and beautiful villa located Bangladesh. tackle poverty in multiple fronts. at Shaagordaari, set by the river HRLS serves the disadvantaged Kopotak-kho, is a popular tourist community through its human rights spot. BRAC operates in Jessore and legal education (HRLE) shebikas. with components such as the CEP is building and strengthening microfinance, health, nutrition and community institutions to ensure population (HNPP), education socio-political empowerment of General information (BEP), community empowerment poor people. WASH encourages (CEP), targeting the ultra poor people to drink pure water and use Population 2,764,547 (TUP), human rights and legal hygienic sanitary latrines. Migration Sub-districts 8 aid services (HRLS), water, works on ensuring easy access to Unions 91 sanitation and hygiene (WASH), services for Bangladeshi migrants Villages 1,419 migration, and skills development to avoid exploitation. BRAC’s new programmes. Among them, initiative, the skills development Children (0-15) 349,203 microfinance offers three types programme, is providing holistic skills Primary schools 1,206 of loans – dabi (microloan), development training and decent Literacy rates 57% progoti (enterprise loan) and employment opportunities to enable Hospitals 10 tenant farmers’ development loan young women and men to realise Banks 154 (agricultural loans). HNPP provides their full potential. A BRAC learning Bazaars 372 health education through health centre (BLC) was also established NGOs 267 volunteers (shasthya shebika) in Jessore. The BLC is a residential and health workers (shasthya centre used as a training centre for kormi). BEP identifies children BRAC employees. www.brac.net At a glance Water, sanitation and hygiene (as of December 2016) Committee members 223,538 Microfinance Sanitation coverage 90% Subsidised latrines Branches 32 distributed 20,050 Village organisations 2,139 Loans for sanitary latrines 3,091 Members 187,638 Deep tubewell installed 339 Borrowers 55,432 Sanitary latrines installed Progoti in schools 44 Small enterprise clients 6,025 Skills development Health, nutrition Numbe of master craft and population persons (MCPs) 79 Number of trades 7 Health volunteers Number of graduate (shasthya shebika) 2,702 students 175 Health workers Number of students 175 (shasthya kormi) 328 Migration Community empowerment Number of community based Community-based organisation organisation (CBO) facilitators 4 (polli shomaj) 288 Unions 26 Union-based organisation Volunteers 26 (union shomaj) 19 Popular theatre team 12 Human rights and Education legal aid services Pre-primary schools 185 Human rights and legal Primary schools 15 education (HRLE) shebikas 447 Shishu niketon schools 80 HRLE graduates 100,151 ADP Centres 120 Legal aid clinics 12 Community libraries 95 Complaints resolved 9,319 Education support porgramme 115 Cases filed (civil and criminal) 1,884 Targeting the ultra poor Social enterprises Specially targeted ultra poor (STUP) members 843 Sericulture 1 Other targeted ultra poor BRAC dairy and food project (OTUP) members 1,205 Chilling centres 8 Assets and training received 843 Ayesha Abed Foundation 1 Sub-centres 68 Although every effort has been made to include and verify the accuracy of relevant information in this fact sheet, users are urged to check independently on matters of specific interest. Report any discrepancies/suggestions to [email protected]. This document was last updated on 31 December 2016, is revised yearly and made available on www.brac.net/visitors..