Development organizations in Bangladesh continue to face major challenges in tackling poverty, inequality, and the protection of human dignity. Unemployment, corruption, weak accountability, and persistent gender-based violence remain barriers to sustainable progress. Despite these difficulties, NGOs stand at the frontline, using limited resources with innovation and determination to create opportunities for change.
Bangladesh has already made remarkable progress — reducing maternal mortality, improving child survival, expanding education, alleviating poverty, and addressing climate change. With the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) completed in 2015, the country is now working toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, opening a new chapter of development.
In this national journey, Taranga Mohila Kallyan Sangstha (TMKS) has emerged as a trusted partner for social transformation. Founded in 1996 by women’s rights activist Shamima Khan, who continues to serve as General Secretary and Executive Director, TMKS grew out of a strong legacy of voluntary service. Returning from Germany in the early 1980s, Shamima Khan devoted herself to philanthropy and leadership as District President of Inner Wheel. One of TMKS’s earliest milestones came in 1992, when, with support from Rotary Club and Inner Wheel, it established a vaccination center that helped make Jamalpur’s children polio-free.
These early initiatives revealed the urgent need for a structured platform to address systemic issues like poverty, child marriage, trafficking, and gender-based violence. TMKS was born from this vision. With support from the World Food Programme (WFP) in 1997, TMKS expanded into vocational training and income generation, laying the foundation for today’s multifaceted programs.
Over the years, TMKS has broadened its work across diverse thematic areas:
From livelihood support to women’s reproductive health
From community legal services to empowering girls and preventing early marriage
From child protection and rights to supporting self-help groups for vulnerable women in both rural and urban settings
From rescuing children from brothels in Jamalpur to providing them with education and dignity
From disability inclusion to anti-drug and anti-tobacco campaigns that safeguard youth and promote healthier communities
Cross-cutting all of TMKS’s programs are commitments to gender sensitivity, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and climate resilience — ensuring that communities are not only supported today but prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.
Our Vision
A just, inclusive, and violence-free society where women’s rights are upheld, livelihoods are secured, and communities thrive with dignity and climate resilience.
Our Mission
To empower marginalized communities by promoting justice, inclusive skills development, sustainable livelihoods, and climate resilience — ensuring women, adolescent girls, transgender people, children, and persons with disabilities can live with dignity and equality.
Looking Ahead
Guided by our Theory of Change and first Strategic Plan (2015–2020), TMKS continues to grow as an organization rooted in community empowerment and social justice. Today, with strong partnerships with the local administration, judiciary, law enforcement agencies, and donors, TMKS is strategically positioned to expand and diversify its initiatives.
With donor support, we aim to bring a true “wind of change” — protecting rights, ensuring socio-economic sustainability, strengthening resilience, and improving the quality of life for the most disadvantaged communities of Bangladesh.