Operational Working Area & Community Demographics

Map of Khulna Division

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Khulna (KCC & Coastal Upazilas) Bagerhat (Sadar, Mongla, Upazilas) Satkhira (Coastal Belt)

Official Operational Mandate

RUSTIC Activities

“RUSTIC mainly works for the poor people in the South West region of Bangladesh specially Bagerhat, Khulna, and Satkhira by implementing various projects. It also works for sustainable environmental management and also works to mitigate the impact of global climate change on the coastal region of Bangladesh.”

RUSTIC Annual Institutional Mandate • 2024–2025

Area of Operation & Community Reach

Across southwestern coastal Bangladesh, RUSTIC operates grassroots programs covering 29 Unions and 11 Villages. The extensive coverage demonstrates RUSTIC's dedication to inclusive development, addressing the distinct requirements of both rural and urban communities.

Group Organization Approach

Capacity Strengthening

Organic Agriculture

Safe Water & WASH

Micro-Savings & RLF

District	Upazila	No of Union	Villages / Areas	No. of Members
District	Upazila	No of Union	Villages / Areas	Male	Female	Total
Khulna	Rupsha WASH, Micro-savings, CBO groups	3	14 Villages	180	660	840
	Digholia Health, Mother & Child Nutrition	3	12 Villages	120	600	720
	Batiaghata WASH, Saline water mitigation, Agriculture	2	11 Villages	90	510	600
	Terokhada Adolescent education, Tailoring trades	2	9 Villages	70	490	560
	Dumuria Community climate adaptation, Micro-credit, Composting	3	18 Villages	210	870	1,080
	Khulna City (KCC) Urban slums WASH, Solid waste collection, Child schools	3	Slum Settlements	160	800	960
Bagerhat	Fakirhat Rainwater harvesting, Shrimp farmer safety, Agroforestry	3	16 Villages	140	660	800
	Mollahat Primary healthcare, Deep tubewells	2	10 Villages	80	440	520
	Rampal Mangrove preservation, Disaster relief, Biogas	2	8 Villages	75	405	480
	Mongla Cyclone preparedness, Port slum education, Roadside forestry	3	15 Villages	110	650	760
Satkhira	Kaliganj Salinity intrusion, Solar desalination plants, Aquaculture	3	16 Villages	105	595	700
Grand Total (11 Upazilas)		29	11	1,340	6,680	8,020

Male Beneficiaries: 1,340 (16.7%) Female Beneficiaries: 6,680 (83.3%)

Source: Official RUSTIC Operational Database

Participatory Protocol

Hard-Core Poor (HCP) Criteria

RUSTIC adheres to stringent, community-verified poverty mapping protocols to ensure development programs prioritize the most destitute coastal households:

Landless Families: Households possessing less than 0.50 acres of cultivable land and no permanent asset base.
Seasonal Manual Wage Laborers: Wage earners dependent on precarious day-labor with acute food insecurity during lean months.
Female-Headed Coastal Households: Widows, divorced, and deserted coastal mothers lacking institutional economic support.
Climate-Displaced Riverbank Dwellers: Families rendered landless by acute tidal erosion residing on vulnerable embankments.

Economic Sovereignty

Group Savings & Revolving Fund (RLF)

To foster long-term economic independence and escape predatory local moneylenders, RUSTIC facilitates member-managed internal capital recycling:

Mandatory Weekly Micro-Savings: Systematic deposits pooled in joint commercial bank accounts co-managed by elected group leaders.
Emergency Internal Credit: Nominal or zero-interest emergency loans for medical crises, cyclone repairs, and education.
Productive Enterprise Capital: Revolving credit for duck farming, goat rearing, saline-resilient seeds, and homestead nurseries.
Transparent Audit Protocols: 100% financial transparency with individual passbooks audited openly in monthly meetings.