ASA conducting water, sanitation programme for the poor

FE Team | Published: September 20, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Our Correspondent
GAIBANDHA, Sep 19: ASA, one of the leading microfinance institutions in the country, has been conducting Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) for the poor people since 2014 side by side with operating its micro credit activity.
Tk 8.93 million (Tk 89.37 lakh) were disbursed to the entrepreneurs and the users of the district as soft loan since the inception of the programme here in a bid to help run the programme smoothly and make it successful as well.
According to sources ASA started its journey in 1978 in the country aimed at improving the condition of the people living at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid and establishing a society free from poverty and economic disparity.
From its inception, micro-credit was being disbursed to the poor people of the society to attain the cherished goals of ASA and later, the organisation has become one of the successful micro finance providers.
Apart from the micro-credit activity, the organisation launched WSP in March, 2014 to develop sanitation facilities and improve access to pure drinking water to the people of lower segment of the society.
The objectives of the programme are to innovate befitting toilet technologies and solutions for the poor households and train up the sanitary entrepreneurs, traders and field workers to improve their skill.
Providing loan with flexible terms and with less interest to the sanitary entrepreneurs, traders and users and offering soft loan to the poor and low income people for purchasing sanitary toilets are another objectives of the programme.
Like other parts of the country, the programme was going on in the district creating positive impact to the entrepreneurs, traders and the users, said an official of ASA here.
Under this programme, a number of entrepreneurs were selected and then, they were imparted training on importance of sanitation for maintaining healthy life to the common people in the next year, he also said.
An arrangement has also been kept to disburse loan with nominal interest to the entrepreneurs to construct the sanitary latrines, and the users to purchase those to help ensure cent percent sanitation coverage by 2015 declared by the government.
District manager of ASA here M. Abdul Alim said until August, 2015 the institution disbursed Tk 11, 45,000 to 15 entrepreneurs and Tk 77, 92,000 to 795 users of the district as loan with flexible interest to make the programme a total success in the district.
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