Philanthropy And Third Sector In Bangladesh

This is a part of a major work undertaken by the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Information Network (APPIN) to map philanthropy and third sector activities in some selected countries in Asia including Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. This segment on Bangladesh is divided into three section. The first section provides an overview of philanthropy (including zakat and sadaqa), the third sector (including waqf or Muslim foundation), historical growth, policy environment, and the laws related to incorporation and tax treatment of the third sector. The second section provides an overview of an activity-based classification, identifying various fields internationally where non-profit organizations are active. The Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project developed the International Classification of Non-Profit Organisations or ICNPO. We used this classification to explore the variety of third sector activity in each country, but we extended the ICNPO to include trading co-operatives. The third section provides an overview of the extent, focus, and impacts of 'grant making foundations' in the country.The proliferation of the third sector organizations (TSO) has resulted in a decrease in community initiatives in the country e.g. instead of taking initiatives in establishing a school by their own, as in the past, people try to influence the NGOs to establish one. The elected governments, since 1991, have endeavoured to restrict the third sector activities that in many instances exposed the government's inefficiency or program and service failures.