Building Locally-Led, Carer‑Led Change: Learning Exchange Between Savar and Dinajpur Carers Associations
Last month, unpaid carers from Savar, Bangladesh travelled up to Dinajpur in northern Bangladesh to meet with carers there, swap ideas, share learnings and help strengthen their local Carers Associations. It is an exciting example of carers leading change together and creating a model that can inspire communities across Bangladesh.
Our local charity partner Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), facilitated a two‑day exposure and knowledge‑sharing visit between two community‑led carer platforms: the well‑established Savar Carers Association and the newly formed Dinajpur Carers Association.
This was not a top‑down training. It was carers teaching carers. It was locally-led development in its truest form, rooted in lived experience, shared challenges, and collective determination.
A Peer Learning Journey Led by Carers, for Carers
Fifteen experienced carer leaders from Savar just outside the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, made the 10-hour bus journey to Dinajpur on 20 September, joining more than 90 carers from Dinajpur’s Carers Groups and Cluster Level Committees. Over two days, carers took part in joint reflection sessions, role‑play simulations, mentoring visits, and collaborative action planning.
It was a long journey up to Dinajpur, but their purpose was clear: to help other unpaid carers by sharing practical, tested methods that had helped them to break isolation for carers, strengthen their Carers Groups, and advocate successfully with local government.
“It was the first time many of us travelled this far for our Carers Association. We were welcomed warmly and seeing the Dinajpur groups meet with such enthusiasm gave me new energy for my own group.”
Locally-Led Development in Action
The exchange was designed around a participatory, peer‑learning approach. Unpaid carers from Dinajpur learned directly from carers who had walked the same path, faced similar barriers, navigated local systems, and built their own community structures from the ground up.
Day 1: Sharing Journeys and Building Confidence
The visit began with a joint reflection session. Carers from Savar shared their journey, talked about how they overcame visibility barriers and set up their Cluster Level Committees.
For Dinajpur carers, who are still in the early stages of forming their Carers Association, hearing about this journey was inspiring.
“We are a new association and often did not know where to begin. Hearing from Savar carers who have faced the same problems as us gave us hope and showed that change is possible.”
The afternoon focused on local advocacy, with carers from Savar presenting case studies on engaging local council officials and social services officers. This was followed by a role‑play simulation where carers from Dinajpur practised approaching officials themselves.
“I was nervous about speaking to officials, but now I know how to prepare and what to ask for on behalf of carers.”
The confidence that is built through peer coaching like this, is at the heart of sustainable, locally-led development.
Day 2: Mentoring and Practical Learning
On the second day, carers split into small groups to visit Carers Groups and Cluster Level Committees. The carers from Savar offered hands‑on guidance on meeting facilitation, group savings, peer support, and leadership, all based on what has worked in their own communities.
“Explaining our journey to carers in Dinajpur made me realise how far we have come, and I felt proud that our experience can help other carers.”
They also visited carers who are now earning an income, through goat or cow rearing or running a small business, after taking part in our livelihood training. This is vital, allowing carers to strengthen their economic resilience while continuing their caring responsibilities.
Strengthening Carers’ Voices from Local to National Level
A key part of the exchange was helping carers from Dinajpur to understand how their local concerns can be channelled upwards to the Carers Alliance Bangladesh, the national platform we have formed, advocating for carer recognition and rights.
Carers from Savar demonstrated how they aggregate issues from Carers Groups and Cluster Level Committees, document them, and raise them through the Alliance. This linkage is essential for ensuring carers’ voices influence policy and social protection systems.
By the end of the visit, the carers from Dinajpur had co‑developed a six‑month advocacy roadmap, supported by Savar’s peer coaching. This roadmap will guide their next steps in strengthening visibility, engaging local government, and building institutional resilience.
Two‑Way Empowerment: Carers Leading Carers
Although the visit was designed to support carers in Dinajpur, it also strengthened the leadership and confidence of the visiting carers from Savar. Teaching others helped them recognise the value of their own experience.
“I learned that sharing is not only about teaching. When the Dinajpur carers asked questions and tried the role‑play with local officials, I saw my own early days in them. I also feel more confident to speak in front of officials now.”
- Bulu Begum, carer from Savar
This is the essence of carer‑led development: empowerment that flows in both directions.
Sustaining Momentum
To ensure the learning continues, Savar and Dinajpur Carers Associations will establish a quarterly virtual mentoring loop. Carers from Savar will review Dinajpur’s progress against their advocacy roadmap, offering ongoing peer support and guidance.
This sustained, locally-rooted connection is what will keep the movement growing, not just in Savar and Dinajpur, but across Bangladesh.
A Model for Scaling Carer‑Led Change
The visit demonstrated what happens when unpaid carers are given space to lead, teach, and learn from one another. It showed that community‑driven structures such as our Carers Groups, Cluster Level Committees and Carers Associations, can become powerful engines of change when nurtured through peer learning and support.
Thank you so much to CDD for implementing the programme and to all the carers who participated - they are building a future where unpaid carers are recognised, supported, and empowered.
This exchange was more than just a visit, it was a blueprint for scaling carer‑led development across Bangladesh, one community at a time.
If you would like to support us to create more opportunities for unpaid carers to learn from one another, strengthen their communities and lead lasting change, please consider making a donation today. Your support could help carer-led initiatives like this reach even more families across Bangladesh and beyond.
