Introduction:
Poverty in rural areas is still an acute and particular problem, especially in areas prone to natural disaster such as erosion, flooding and cyclones where livelihoods are precarious and vulnerability. Many of the poorest households are women- headed because of the death of husband or through divorce or abandonment. This is particularly common when a husband migrates to an urban area in search of employment and at some point and decides not to return: the wife is then thrown into a system of uncertainty and suffers as a result coping on her own. A range of safety net program exists to provide assistance to these poorest households, but the sheer number requiring support is so high that the need will continue at considerable cost for the foreseeable future. To mitigate the problems of poverty, the Government of Bangladesh with the assistance of European Union (EU) as a grant to achieve MDG-1 has taken a Programme titled “Rural Employment & Road maintenance Programme-2” through LGED and DPP. The goal of the project is to sustainably graduate 59,180 vulnerable women headed households from ultra poverty and the purpose is to support government initiatives to sustainably reduce hunger and poverty in Bangladesh as well as year round maintenance of 90,960 km of rural access roads to markets and service centers.
PKSF together with it partner organization will implement the capacity development works in the Barisal, Khulna and Rajshahi (BKR) Divisions. The remaining capacity development works in GoB financed area (rest of the divisions) will be implemented by LGED. LGED will select 10 NGOs to help it in developing the livelihood skills of the project beneficiaries and monitor their health and livelihood status and assist the beneficiaries to become self-reliant at the end of the project. The project views graduation of the project beneficiary from ultra-poverty to a decent life by improving in their financial, health and social status. One of the beneficiary entry criteria to the project is in come less than $1.25 a day. On entering the project, beneficiaries will continue for four years with a constant monthly income of Tk. 4500 out of which Tk. 1500 would be forced savings and the rest of the amount would be paid to worker to meet her day to day expenses. After two years, the savings (about Tk. 36000) would be released to initiate income generation activities by the beneficiaries. Thus the main scope of the NGO service is to develop the capacity of the project beneficiaries, so that they do not fall back to poverty once they are graduated from the project. This will be done through livelihood improvement through increased income from small business or other income generation activities; improved knowledge on health and nutrition; homestead gardening; nutrition and reproductive health. The project will thus focus on households rather than the beneficiary herself.
Coverage (Geographic) & Beneficiary Number (male/female):
Barisal, Khulna and Rajshahi, All females
Eligibility Criteria:
Deserted wives, single parents
Benefit:
Constant monthly income of Tk. 4500 from this, Tk. 1500 would become forced savings. The rest of the amount would be paid to worker to meet her day to day expenses. After two years, the savings (about Tk. 36000) would be released to initiate income generation activities by the beneficiaries.