As part of efforts to better understand the real-life impact of social protection programmes, the Social Security Policy Support (SSPS) Programme team conducted a field visit to the SWAPNO Project areas in Rangpur, specifically focusing on the Pirganj and Pirgacha unions. During the visit, the team facilitated two consultative dialogues involving approximately 25 women beneficiaries. These women are enrolled in the Government’s conditional cash transfer scheme under the SWAPNO Project, implemented by the Local Government Division with support from UNDP and funding from SIDA. Rather than simply collecting data, the team used a semi-structured questionnaire to listen deeply to the beneficiaries’ personal experiences, particularly stories reflecting shifts in gender roles.

Guided by the capability approach, the dialogues examined how the SWAPNO Project is enabling vulnerable women to expand their life choices, develop self-confidence, and gain greater influence over financial decisions in their households, local markets, and broader communities. In areas where women’s decision-making power has traditionally been limited, the findings pointed to notable progress: women are now earning incomes, sending their children to school, managing loans, preventing early marriages, and even aspiring to take on political leadership roles. This visit provided a firsthand view of how a well-structured social protection programme can pave the way for empowerment, dignity, and inclusion, revealing powerful, individual stories of change.