Case Study on Shailan Probeen Nibash

Background

Old age is a time of loss, decline, dependence, and stigma. It is even more challenging for the poor because they have no way to mitigate these challenges. The situation is the worst for rural women who are mostly neglected and often ill-treated by their family members. About 16 percent of the Bangladesh population is aged 60 and above. Increasing longevity of life has lengthened the period of old age, and consequently, the length of old-age care has increased. Life expectancy at birth in Bangladesh has grown considerably to 70.8 years (male) 73.8 years (female). This increase in life expectancy has come at a time when the family system is undergoing rapid change. As the family was the bulwark of old-age care, the transformation in the family structure and process has resulted in the shift in the old-age care pattern. Westernization, urbanization, and modernization have changed the family value system, and economic pressures are forcing children to move farther away from their parents. As a result, many older people are left out of the net of family care. Under such circumstances, old-age homes have grown in relevance.

Shailan Probeen Nibash (SPN) is meant for the homeless, needy senior citizens who cannot fend for themselves and who have no one to look after or who are viewed as burdens by their immediate family members resulting in inhuman neglect. SPN attempts to address key issues surrounding an elderly care home within the limited scope of the welfare philosophy behind its establishment. The main goal of SPN is to provide the physical needs of the residents along with the caringsleep, rest, food, pure air, pure water, and a clean environment. SPN also addresses safety issues: general house safety, avoidance of pollution, accident, and abuse. SPN also focuses on the psychological needs: contact, experience, privacy, activity, and togetherness.

Location and Site

The project is located at Shailan, Dhamrai, about 45 kilometers from Dhaka. After crossing Nayarhat Bridge and Acme Laboratories, take a right at Joypura Bazar from the Dhaka-Aricha highway. About 6-kilometer driving from Joypura Bazar will take you to the project site. Although in a rural location, the village has a well-established community with Primary and High School, Madrasha, Orphanage, Mosqueall within 500 meters of the proposed project. The village is also the headquarter of a well-known NGO, SOJAG.

SPN is located on a suitable site and conducive environment within a well-established community. It is not a congested locality, nor a secluded or isolated area. It is well connected by roads to enable the residents, workers, visitors, and others to have easy access to and from the SPN. Public transport is readily available. There exists good accessibility to local facilities, health services, markets, shops, educational institutions, and religious centers. Basic amenities such as water, sewage, and electricity already exist in the area. SPN will organize transport in emergencies (e.g., taking a patient to the hospital). Local transport agencies are readily available for a vehicle on call. The land for the SPN project is suitable for construction, and it is level and rectangular. SPN is designed to look like a healthy living placea home, not just a public building. The landscaping provides for enough greenery, flowers, and foliage around. There will be a convenience for benches placed in the shaded area for the comfort of the older people. SPN will have enough space for the residents to take a stroll during leisure times as part of their daily routine to keep them physically fit.

Eligibility Criteria for Residents

Bangladeshi older adults (both male and female irrespective of religion) above the age of sixty years who:

1. are poor or with nobody to look after;
2. are ambulant in good physical and mental condition;
3. abandoned by families;
4. suffer from neglect within the family;
5. are living alone and in great difficulties;
6. are referred by respectable NGOs, the Police, the court, and other government agencies;
7. have not picked up begging as a profession;.

Management

An 8 (Eight) member Trustee Board, with Mrs. Dilruba Kabir as Chairman, has been formed. The Board includes local representatives. A trust deed has been executed transferring the property to Monwara Islam-Tajul Islam Welfare Trust. The Trust is registered with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies as a society. A top-class audit firm will audit SPN. Moreover, the tax exemption of SPN has been approved by NBR.

Financing

Trust's chairperson has donated 34 decimals of land, and a 1500 sft building (valued at Tk. 60 lakh) owned by the Monowara Islam-Tajul Islam Welfare Trust. This institution will implement and run the project. The motto of the Trust is (Let's do something for others). The chairperson has also contributed Taka 20 lakh as seed money to begin the work. Besides that, there are seven Trustee Board members. The Trustees will not receive any fees, honorarium, or out-of-pocket expenses and are expected to contribute. The initial estimated construction cost of the project was Tk. 50 million. A contribution of Tk. 2 million has been received from Mrs. Dilruba Kabir, the Chairman of the trustee board. Still, there is a construction funding gap of Tk. 48 million. Funding will be needed for furnishing the building, purchasing utensils, crockery, and clothing for residents. Finally, support will also be required to meet recurring expenses on food and medicine, staff costs, etc. Shailan Probeen Nibash is qualified to receive Zakat money. To provide these services, SPN needs donations from external sources.

Construction

The construction of the building and perimeter walls started in October 2019, immediately after the monsoon season. Land development work at the site completed by December 2019. According to the SPN, the construction was supposed to be completed in a year. The plan was to complete the construction work by August 2020 and to welcome residents in December 2020. Within this period, enrolment of prospective residents would have been completed. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole project had to go through implementation delays. Construction of the 4-storied building began in October 2020 with an expected completion period of about 11 months. Although initially, the plan was to build a 2-storied building, keeping the future in mind and the small land area, now a four-storied structure will be built. The revised construction cost stands at Tk. three crores. The building will have two separate blocks (male and female); 10 rooms with four residents in each room in 4 clusters and five rooms with two residents in each room in 2 clusters.

Operation & Maintenance

Residents may be required to participate in kitchen gardening. The caring staff could involve the residents in running the home by organizing them into functional committees such as Public Relations and Cultural Committee, Marketing Committee, Kitchen Committee, Menu Committee, Cleanliness Committee, Gardening Committee, etc. It shall be the duty of each resident to help and cooperate and with the management and other residents to enforce the rules and regulations for the smooth and conflict-free running of the home. The staff will be broadly divided into two categories:

(i) the Core Staffs are Caretaker, Matron, Storekeeper, Cook, Nurse/Attendant, Receptionist, Watchman, Orderly, Cleaner; and

(ii) the Supplementary Staffs are Medical Officer, Dietitian, Physiotherapist/Physical instructor, Plumber/electrician. Each staff will be responsible for their work according to their charter of duties.

Facilities & Services

SPN will provide free accommodation, food, clothing, primary health care, and medicines for 80 to 100 such destitute senior citizens so that they may spend their twilight years happily and peacefully.

There will be a hall for conducting entertainment, meetings, classes, training programs, meditation classes, common prayer, etc. SPN will have a small room for the library where a small quantity of religious and other books and newspapers will be stacked; a mini gymnasium for minor exercises. A physical instructor will supervise the activities. Gardening and cultivation of vegetables will be part of life in SPN. This will serve two purposesone to produce the needed vegetables and give some exercise to the residents.

Questions:

1. In terms of triple constraints, explain SPN's current situation. Which constraint(s) affected the project most and how? (a) Scope remained unchanged, (b) Schedule (Time) got delayed, (c) Cost increased.
2. Identify in which phase of the project life cycle SPN currently belongs and why?