In the context of a growing trend of violent religious extremism in the country, Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS) has started implementing a new PVE project name “Countering Religious Extremism in Bangladesh” with the support of the United Nations Democracy Fund.

The project aims to promote the values of diversity, peace and tolerance as a counter narrative to violent religious extremism. The project will engage the university students by providing leadership training who will in turn organise public discussion sessions on the issues of diversity, peace and religious tolerance as counter narrative to religious extremism with other students and interested public. The trained students will also work with community leaders and folk cultural artists to raise awareness at the community level using traditional folksong and drama. They will develop a community level action plan to institutionalize resistance to violent religious extremism as well as in online activities especially social media campaign.

The project will also develop knowledge assets like YouTube contents and a book on contemporary global and local contexts on pluralism and diversity linking to the peace and tolerance. The project interventions will be implemented with the students of 5 universities and communities of 3 districts (Dhaka, Chattagram and Netrakona) from 1 February 2018 to 31 January 2020.