Thousands win over extreme poverty in char areas

FE Team | Published: April 14, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

RANGPUR, Apr 13 (BSS): Thousands of the have-nots group char families, living in the riverine char islands, have successfully won over extreme poverty to change their fortune and lead better life on the Brahmaputra basin in recent years.
Earlier, the extremely poor people had to live in utter miseries amid malnutrition, unhygienic environment and superstitions even a decade ago for having no income and livelihood especially during the lean periods of 'Aswin' and 'Kartik' months every year.
However, they have been leading improved life with the hope of brighter future for their children through income-generating activities after adapting with changing climate and natural disasters like flood, erosion in the riverine char islands.
Under assistance of the comprehensive Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP), the beneficiary landless char families have achieved self- reliance to lead better life bidding permanent good-bye to decades-old extreme poverty in recent years.
Livelihoods Coordinator of CLP Dr. Mahbub Alam said UKaid through the Department for International Development and Australian Government through Australian Agency for International Development are supporting implementation of the CLP activities.
Under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, CLP is being executed by the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division with the management through Maxwell Stamp Plc.
The multi-dimensional CLP activities are being implemented successfully by different NGOs in the riverine char islands of ten northwestern riverine districts to assist the char people in adapting with adverse situations to improve livelihoods.
He said 55,000 households were benefited under CLP phase-I during 2004-2010 and 78,000 targeted households under phase-II (2010-2016) by last Saturday to improve livelihoods of 1.9 million extremely poor char people of 0.13 million (1.33 lakh) households by 2016.
The CLP has been assisting the poor char households through providing package supports, assets, raising plinths and training for income generation activities under adverse situations to boost char economy and improve their life standard.
The CLP beneficiary households have easy access now to hygienic sanitation, pure drinking water and family planning and their children are going to the schools with the dream of brighter future.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator Mamunur Rashid of RDRS Bangladesh, one implementing partners of CLP, said the success begins first from plinth-raising that helps the char people to escape wrath of floods saving their properties effectively.