Brotee, a center for social change, is rights based non-profit civil society organization, founded in 2001 with a vision of Bangladesh as a happy creative people living in harmony with nature.

Brotee is Green, Eco feminist and a social architect. We evolve people and eco sensitive problem solving methodologies and models through action and applied research.

Brotee focuses on human dignity (HD), social harmony and climate change and its mission is to:

• Protect human rights (HR) of the vulnerable: seeking freedom from poverty and indignity of extreme poor, ethnic minority and their women, children;
• Protect communities and environment made vulnerable by climate change to build resilience;
• Facilitate community governance led by women, marginalized people to restore social democratic ethos in development.

Its approach is integrated, youth action research of the poor, by the poor and for the poor (Gono Kriya Gobeshona (GKG)-Brotee’s Model for Social Change) to build community movements to protect the rights of the vulnerable, social harmony and environment in every village where there is extreme poverty, and a marginalized population living in the threat of climate change. Thus, Brotee works in Northern Bangladesh of greater Rajshahi where there is a large tribal population and in the South Western coast of Shyamnagar, Gabura in the frontline of climate attack and one of the poorest regions of the country. This movement leads to community conservation of nature and community protection of human rights in 168 villages.

Landmark achievements:

WATER

Challenging Ground Water Policy: For balanced development, Brotee challenged ground water policy. It led the first international and national legal battle against public health department and a multinational, the British Geological Survey for culpability in causing arsenic proliferation in ground water and seeking justice for arsenic victims (2000-2003).

Making Rivers Drinkable: An advocate for greater surface water use tndero restore natural balance Brotee launches applied research for safe drinking water and pioneers a non chemical ‘Ecological river water treatment system’- the Brotee River Water Filter which produces 350,000 liters of drinking water daily. It is successfully operating since piloted in 2008. It provides drinking water to 3 arsenic and drought affected villages, where ground water table is too low for use! Project is self sustained.

Pond Preservation Movement: It is a community managed model to preserve small water bodies for drinking purpose in coastal communities threatened by climate and salinity. Pilot research area is Gabura in Shyamnagar Shatkhira, one of the poorest regions in Bangladesh. Protocols jointly developed shows 8 Ponds with PSF are successfully in operation with one time investment and community management. Brotee’s water slogans are “return to the pond!” and “every village must have a safe pond” to protect yourselves from the scourge of ground water poisons.

Campaign: Conserve, protect and promote surface water bodies and enhance their use. A useful river is a community protected river. Future plan is to mobilize communities to protect rivers and water bodies.

COPING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE: Pilot Gabura

Devastated by series of cyclones along the coast, caused by earth warming, Bangladesh has to evolve coping strategies. While global negotiations are underway to pressure developed nations to acknowledge culpability and take responsibility to reduce emission that is warming the planet and causing salinity and cyclones in Bangladesh. In the meantime, we must cope, survive and reorganize our lives.

Rehabilitation: Rehabilitating cyclone affected traumatized children through distant adoption of 400 worst cases. Six women’s cooperatives to rehabilitate them set up. Adhoc ‘Jakhon Jekhane’ 7 community free schools are set up run by young volunteers where schools are destroyed and children have nowhere to go.

Livelihood and Finance: To restore livelihood and open non agricultural income options (after Aila farming has reduced by 60% as the soil and water is affected. Ref Brotee publication) cooperatives and saving groups enter into skill development, small investment and micro business. Since socio-economic infrastructure has totally broken down, micro finance has become unviable. Brotee pilots alternative village financing mechanism with low overhead and community stake, to create access to finance for these vulnerable people.

Scientific Research: in the face of little or no multi disciplinary research on effects of climate change, Brotee undertook to study “The environmental impact of Aila on coastal Bangladesh: Gabura” (2014). This studied the medical, social and environmental (water and soil) implications of post Aila condition. It found co-relations to female health (high UTI), alarming reduction in farming and employment, four times higher poverty compared to pre Aila condition and high salinity in water and soil. We witnessed a society destabilized by climate change in four years.

Rebuilding system: Return children to normal life; rebuild local economic activities and community protection of girls where social order breaks down, find safe water sources through collective action research and community governance which Brotee facilitates through its youth model Gono kriya Gobeshona.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

1. Protecting human rights and fights poverty through collective action and community vigil. With 200 cooperatives of the poor, 60 schools for marginal children and 2,500 young girls and boys, 30% of who are Adibasi lead the movement for social change in 168 villages; 50 villages have zero child marriage and zero dropout, 95% sanitation and very low dowry marriage: M/SDG villages.
2. Protecting people’s right to representation through citizen’s observation of electoral process to ensure free participation of the marginal and vulnerable voters, especially women and ethnic minorities.
3. Protecting the vulnerable/Adibasi through community legal service in 112 villages in 28 Unions in Northern Bangladesh where every village/ward has community legal volunteers to support vulnerable community to find access to justice through both the formal and informal justice system.
4. Financial and Economic activities: Micro finance, micro investment & enterprise development and job placements for unemployed marginal youth through networking with private sector.
5. Brotee’s National Network to have a broader outreach for national campaigns, surveys and election observation activities; advocate for the right of small entities to their right to exist and fund in the face of extinction. Note: it is the small and indigenous organizations that are closest to people and nature and best suited to protect our natural habitat under threat.

Brotee’s Community strategy to protect human rights (HR) and environment:

a) Youth leadership - volunteers who facilitate a 3 tier village participatory (action research) process in every village; b) Village civil society movement – a society of elders who work with the youth to protect their village; c) a process participated by nearly all households causing issue based village mobilization; 200 villages have this process.

Brotee’s Diverse Capacity:

Brotee has a problem solving approach. It evolves modular solutions to problems through piloting and action research and has developed effective social and environmental models. Child marriage model, youth development model, sanitation model, 100% literate village model, pond conservation model, river water for drinking system, community reforestation – all through community solutions. A science based capacity It also has strong institutional and professional capacity to conduct environmental research and analysis with state of the art laboratory facilities, provided by sister concern, Plasma Plus Application and Analytical Research Laboratory. It is equipped to analyze quality of water, air, soil, food, drugs, metal and other contaminants, pharmaceutical and industrial products. It has national and international accreditation. We can build a science based movement to protect environment and conserve nature.A people’s organization, that has ability to facilitate social movements and mobilize large communities. In less than 1 year, Brotee’s village will have a vibrant youth movement and in less than 2 years the village will begin to conserve nature and protect the rights of girl child. Brotee has 50 staff, 2,500 young volunteers and a strong people centered approach that gives it roots and an enlightened leadership.

Advisory Board:

Mr. M. Hamid – media personality, a cultural activist
Dr. Ainun Nishat – national expert on water and environment; past Country Director IUCN, Bangladesh
Dr. Tazeen Murshid – political historian, an international expert on gender
Willem van der Geest, social scientist, economist and UN expert

Head of Organisation:

Sharmeen Soneya Murshid, sociologist
Founder & Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, Brotee Samaj Kallyan Sangstha
Former Adviser, Interim Government of Bangladesh. She served as an adviser to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Ministry of Social Welfare, during the interim government of Bangladesh under Nobel laureate Prof Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
Former Member, National River Conservation Commission, Bangladesh
Executive Member, Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), Bangladesh

Legal Status:

Registered with NGO Affairs Bureau, no. 1678, dated 26.09.2001
Registered with Social Welfare Department, no. Dha-06279, dated 29.08.2001
Registered with the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, no JMBKK/Dhak/341/2010
Registered with Microcredit Regulatory Authority, no. 875, dated 24.12.2019
Registered with Bangladesh Election Commission, no. 057, dated 06.11.2025

Partnerships and Alliances:

A member of IUCN (Member no- NG/25200); Partner, Plasma Plus Application and Analytical Research Laboratory; A member of Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM); An Executive Member of BAPA, the largest environmental alliance in the country; The Secretariat, Narir Jonno Nirapod Bangladesh Andolon (A national movement for a safe Bangladesh for women); Member, Shammilito Nari Nirjaton Protirodh Committee (Resistance Committee against VAW), led by Mohila Porishad, is a body of 45 national organizations, an advocacy platform to bring policy changes to empower women ; General Member, Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB); Member, Women for Women, a research group; Founder Member of SHUJON, citizens for good governance.