ARD- Association for Rural Development is located in Sylhet. Sylhet is known for the beauty of nature. It is also known as the daughter of Meghalaya because, in the winter season when dark mist covers the whole mountain, that time people feel they are in Meghalaya. No doubt it is a great tourist spot in Bangladesh but here in the mountains of Sylhet, lots of people have lived for centuries from generation to generation. Most of them are indigenous people who harvest tea and various fruits, make clothes using handloom, and are involved in various cattle firms. They are very sentimental about living in the mountains and do not have an interest in migrating to the Sylhet City area where they can source their livelihood easily. Every year in the winter season, they pass terrible situations due to lack of work and help from government institutions do not touch these areas often. In the Rainy season, they often face landslides which cause death in these areas when mud falls from the mountain on the roof of their house. ARD works with such people who are separated from the rest of the industrial society and motivates those people to maintain sustainable livelihoods by being involved in various cottage industries. Since its establishment from the year 2014, ARD heavily focused on providing financial support to such people and encouraging them to be involved in the rest of the industrial societies of the country. It joined the ADAB – Committee of Sylhet Division in the year 2018 to encourage other NGOs and donors to work for such rural people so that, these people can become self-reliant and self-sufficient easily. ARD very much understood, to provide financial support via microfinance will change the lifestyle of those urban people. So under the direct supervision of ARD’s Executive Director Mr. Mohammad Kazi Alam, ARD received primary certification from MRA on 8th August 2023, and on 4th September 2023, he also signed the agreement with Swosti Ltd. to use Swosti-MFI247 and Swosti-Coopbank247 software, so that he can provide financial service to those impoverished indigenous people and rural people of Sylhet more promptly and quickly. Mr. Mohammad Kazi Alam chose Swosti Ltd.’s Software because has realized that, without the automation of his NGO, he could not provide efficient support to his members and no other software company in Bangladesh has the ability to fulfill his requirements other than Swosti Ltd’s Softwares. Swosti Ltd. has felt very prestigious to work with such a noble NGO in Bangladesh. Swosti Ltd. believes, defiantly this NGO will go a long way on the road to success.
ARD- Association for Rural Development
