Dreaming Together, Growing Together By Sadia & Tasnim, ARC Bangladesh Cohort

[Sadia Jafrin]

After a long yet fulfilling day at the Knowledge Fair in Gopalgonj Byaspur, I (Sadia) was physically tired—but my heart was brimming with excitement. There was something truly special awaiting us: our Bangladesh ARC Cohort presentation at the ARC South Asia Convening 2025, held in Dhaka. Alongside me was Tasnim Apu from ECDO, and together, we had the honor of representing our entire ARC Bangladesh cohort on a topic close to our hearts: Cohort-Level Dream Building and Self-Assessment.

The Night Before: Shared Preparation, Shared Purpose

The night before our presentation, we spent some quiet yet meaningful time preparing together. Our goal wasn’t just to deliver a 20-minute talk—it was to engage our whole cohort, to make everyone feel seen and involved in the journey. And we did just that. With the creativity and support from Adila, Lipika Didi and Santi didi, whose contributions—especially through their thoughtful ideas and uplifting songs—brought our presentation to life, we turned a brief moment on stage into a shared celebration of progress, dreams, and reflection.

Understanding the Dream Building and Self-Assessment

This journey didn’t start on the stage. It began in November 2023, when twelve individuals from six different organizations came together for the first time. At that point, we barely knew each other, and naturally, our first attempt at dream building felt a bit surface-level—something we could check off a list, but not something that truly captured our collective hopes.

But over the next six months, things began to shift. We grew closer. We started to understand one another’s strengths, passions, and limitations through SALT conversation. That connection made all the difference. When we revisited our dream, we realized how much deeper, more authentic, and more aligned it could be. And that’s exactly what we did—revised it with intention and heart.

We then conducted a second self-assessment on July 2024, not just as a requirement, but as a mirror. A mirror that helped us see where we stood, how far we’d come, and where we still needed to go.

Sadia’s Reflections:

1. A dream becomes meaningful only when built with intention and trust. Without knowing each other, our initial cohort dream lacked depth. But when we took the time to understand and appreciate one another’s strengths, our vision evolved. We could now delegate roles based on individual strengths, support one another with empathy, and motivate each other with purpose.

1. Self-assessment is not a task—it’s a realization. Traditional MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) practices often feel like external obligations. But our self-assessment wasn’t about meeting someone else’s expectations. It was about holding ourselves accountable, honestly and gently. It helped us realize how much more we could do if we worked together intentionally.

Tasnim’s Reflections:

1. Dream building and self-assessment are ongoing, living processes. They can’t be one-time exercises or theoretical checkboxes. They are shaped through continuous conversation, reflection, and learning. Only then do they become meaningful tools for community accountability and transformation.
2. Through this process, we moved from individuals to a team. Not just a group of people from different organizations, but a true collective—one that dreams together, assesses together, and grows together.

Moving Forward: The Power of Collective Accountability

This experience has been more than a learning opportunity—it’s been a transformation. Not just for us as individuals, but for our whole Bangladesh ARC cohort. We’ve come to understand that dreams don’t come to life just because we write them down—they thrive when they’re nurtured with intention, shared responsibility, and genuine connection.

And most importantly, we’re no longer just representatives from different organizations. We’re a team. A community. A dream in motion.

We have already taken several actions and continue to do so consistently. Here are a few examples:

1. Regular SALT Conversation Tracking: We track our SALT conversations regularly to stay emotionally connected as a team.

2. Organizing Learning Circles: We organize Learning Circles to share challenges and gain insights from our cohort members.

3. Translation of Materials: We’ve translated many modules and reports into Bengali and shared them with our facilitators to enhance understanding.

4. Community Visits: We visited our partners’ communities to learn from their experiences.

5. Advocacy: We advocate for the SALT approach within our various networks and to donor organizations. We also produce podcasts to enhance engagement and expand the outreach of the CLCP SALT approach.

These are just a few of the many steps we've taken.

Let’s keep building, dreaming, and reflecting—together.

[Shahrukh Atpade]

Such a heartfelt journey—truly shows the power of connection and intention.

[shristi joshi]

Thank you for sharing your reflections Sadia and Tasnim. The way you’ve captured not just the process, but the heart behind your journey is heart warming!

[Santi rambari]

• Big  hug. Excellent blogs

[Rituu B. Nanda]

What rich reflections on how SALT and CLCP can be a way to build a cohort/network of NGOs which have different priorities. This has joined the list of my favourite blogs. A big thanks Sadia and Tasnim.

[Lipika Das Gupta]

Excellent