35,000 coastal families become self-reliant

The One House, One Farm Project (Ekti Bari, Ekti Khamar) so far benefitted 35,000 families in the coastal district of Barguna since its launching in 2009, reports BSS.

Talking to the news agency, Project Director of the project Akbar Hossain said the government undertook the project to expedite economic development in rural areas through providing financial support so that poor people can get involved in various income-generating activities, which eventually will help them come out of the cycle of poverty.

He said under the project, a total of 73,461 Village Development Samity (VDS) have been formed across the country, in which 35,10,542 families have been made members. The total amount of savings of the members now stands at Tk 12.91 billion.

He said the percentage of low-income families in the region has decreased to 3.0 per cent from the previous 15 per cent. Besides, the number of self-reliant families rose to 31 per cent from the previous 23 per cent.

The goal of the project is poverty alleviation through e-financial inclusion (i.e. fund mobilisation) followed by family farming livelihood and income generation of the under privileged and smallholders of the country.

Currently the project is being implemented in 485 upazilas, 4,503 unions and 40,527 villages across the country. The Ministry of Cooperatives and Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives (LGRD) is working to implement the project all over the country.

Besides, the Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) is working as the main support agency along with other departments like Co-operatives, Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), Comilla, Rural Development Academy (RDA), Bogura and Small Farmer Development Foundation (SFDF).

Prodip Kumar, Amtoli upazila project coordinator said, "Through its Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar project, the government has been successful in alleviating poverty from the country's rural areas. Under the project, a total of 7,380 families of Amtoli upazila have received financial benefit and more families will be brought under the project in future."

While visiting Kalibari village under Amtoli upazila of Barguna district this correspondent found that many people particularly women came out of poverty with the support of the One House One Farm project.

Zahirul Islam, member of Kalibari Village Development Samity (VDS) under Amtoli upazila of Barguna district said, "I cultivated vegetables on homestead of my house taking loans from the samity (cooperatives). Besides, I also received a total of Tk 12,000 at a time through the savings at the VDS."