Fighting the scourge of poverty
Saturday, 15 March 2008
Ishrat Firdousi
BRAC's success in poverty alleviation is a living example of what can be done with a little resource, determination, sincerity and hard work.
According to a BRAC official, the poverty alleviation program in Bangladesh has received wide appreciation and recognition at home and abroad, but its success and its reaches fall short of the expectations. Besides, most of the activities under the poverty alleviation program, specially the micro-finance activities have failed to be effective to find solutions to problems. The reasons for this are believed to be the following:
- it is not often easy for the ultra poor to comply with the various regulations of micro-credit such as, regularly participate in the meetings of the village committee, maintain regular savings for future security, etc.;
- inability to use the credit funds properly in absence of opportunities for suitable income generation activities; and
- lack of enthusiasm on part of the creditors to work among the ultra poor.
"In short, it is necessary to design programs from a new perspective to expedite the sustainable socio-economic development for the ultra poor segment of the population. With this felt necessity for the ultra poor, BRAC initiated a new program with dimensions different from the traditional model since January, 2002."
The special feature of BRAC's ultra poor programme is that instead of loans, the target families are provided with grants and assets after scrutiny. This means that the assets that are transferred to the beneficiaries are not taken back. This programme helps the ultra poor to be engaged in income generating activities. It gives them an opportunity to make a daily living and be recognised in society as normal poor so that they can join the mainstream of economic activity.
The beneficiaries chosen through a stringent process are asked to choose an enterprise that they feel they can handle. They are then given training on running that particular enterprise, from shops to rearing livestock to agriculture. After that, the assets required to run that enterprise are handed over. Then comes the last and most important of the stage: supervision and monitoring. BRAC workers keep constant vigil on the development of the beneficiaries with regards to their income generating enterprise.
Khaleka's is a typical BRAC success story.
When Khaleka lived in her father's house at Sreepur village under Nageswari upazila of Kurigram district, she was a happy girl. But when she was fourteen it was suddenly time for her parents to get her married. This was the age when most girls were married off. If the girl was 18-20, prospective grooms thought something must be wrong with the girl otherwise she would have been married earlier. Also the parents of girls who were 20 years old had to pay a large amount as dowry.
Khaleka's father's father settled on Jobed Ali of the same village and gave him Tk 10,000 as dowry to accept his daughter.
Khaleka was soon thrown into a totally new life in her in-laws' house with all its members and myriad problems. She never had any experience of all that but she had to learn fast and adjust accordingly. And this was a poor family that barely survived.
In this situation Khaleka became the mother of three children. Once she nearly died because of childbirth complications. These new members put a lot of pressure on the household which was already reeling under poverty. Let alone get two meals a day sometimes they would barely feed the children and then starve for the next couple of days. Her husband who was a day labourer would barely make Tk 20-25 per day hardly enough to feed the entire family that included her in-laws. Khaleka soon had to take up the job of a maid at other people's houses.
Even the house they lived in was a broken down hovel which they repeatedly repaired but to no avail. Rainwater would invariably get in and make life further miserable. And in winter which is severe in this northern district the thin bamboo partitions would barely ward off the cold.
But fate decreed that the miserable days of this family would soon end.
Then in May, 2002, Khaleka was chosen to be a beneficiary under BRAC's CFPR-TUP Programme or the Ultra Poor Programme. As enterprise, she chose goat rearing. Khaleka was then given three-day training on the enterprise of her choice. After this BRAC built a goat shed for her and gave her five goats as grant.
BRAC also provided her with a weekly stipend of Tk 70. Khaleka was infused with hope and enthusiasm and she started dreaming anew of a better life.
Khaleka started working with a new spirit. She wanted everyone to have three meals a day and she wanted a piece of land of her own. She also wanted to send her children to school.
Soon afterwards, 3 of Khaleka's goats gave birth to 6 kids. They started growing. A few months later 2 of her goats gave birth to 4 kids. The kids became full grown and Khaleka decided to sell them.
As time passed and her flock of goats grew, Khaleka sold between 30 to 34 goats. With Tk 16,000 Khaleka bought 8 decimal of land. She also saved some money. Then, with Tk 4500 she bought a young heifer.
The heifer grew just as did Khaleka's flock of goats. The heifer soon gave birth to a calf. Next, with money earned from the milk that she sold together with Tk 5000 credit from BRAC Khaleka built a square tin-roofed house. She also started sending her children to school and financed her husband to start a fishing business. Khaleka's life had changed for the better day by day.
People in Sreepur village would observe that the behaviour of Khaleka and her family members with regards to healthy living had also changed. Khaleka's family members were using safe drinking water and hygienic latrines.
In addition to rearing livestock, Khaleka wants to do better things. She currently has four goats and two cows and she has a savings of Tk 1250.
Presently, Khaleka is financially self dependant. She can now afford three meals a day for her family as well as pay for the education of her children.
Socially, Khaleka's graph has gone high. She is now a respected member of the society. She gets invited to various forums where she gives her opinions. She is also invited to arbitrations.
Today, Khaleka is immensely grateful to BRAC for lifting her out of abject misery and putting her on the road to success.
BRAC's success in poverty alleviation is a living example of what can be done with a little resource, determination, sincerity and hard work.
According to a BRAC official, the poverty alleviation program in Bangladesh has received wide appreciation and recognition at home and abroad, but its success and its reaches fall short of the expectations. Besides, most of the activities under the poverty alleviation program, specially the micro-finance activities have failed to be effective to find solutions to problems. The reasons for this are believed to be the following:
- it is not often easy for the ultra poor to comply with the various regulations of micro-credit such as, regularly participate in the meetings of the village committee, maintain regular savings for future security, etc.;
- inability to use the credit funds properly in absence of opportunities for suitable income generation activities; and
- lack of enthusiasm on part of the creditors to work among the ultra poor.
"In short, it is necessary to design programs from a new perspective to expedite the sustainable socio-economic development for the ultra poor segment of the population. With this felt necessity for the ultra poor, BRAC initiated a new program with dimensions different from the traditional model since January, 2002."
The special feature of BRAC's ultra poor programme is that instead of loans, the target families are provided with grants and assets after scrutiny. This means that the assets that are transferred to the beneficiaries are not taken back. This programme helps the ultra poor to be engaged in income generating activities. It gives them an opportunity to make a daily living and be recognised in society as normal poor so that they can join the mainstream of economic activity.
The beneficiaries chosen through a stringent process are asked to choose an enterprise that they feel they can handle. They are then given training on running that particular enterprise, from shops to rearing livestock to agriculture. After that, the assets required to run that enterprise are handed over. Then comes the last and most important of the stage: supervision and monitoring. BRAC workers keep constant vigil on the development of the beneficiaries with regards to their income generating enterprise.
Khaleka's is a typical BRAC success story.
When Khaleka lived in her father's house at Sreepur village under Nageswari upazila of Kurigram district, she was a happy girl. But when she was fourteen it was suddenly time for her parents to get her married. This was the age when most girls were married off. If the girl was 18-20, prospective grooms thought something must be wrong with the girl otherwise she would have been married earlier. Also the parents of girls who were 20 years old had to pay a large amount as dowry.
Khaleka's father's father settled on Jobed Ali of the same village and gave him Tk 10,000 as dowry to accept his daughter.
Khaleka was soon thrown into a totally new life in her in-laws' house with all its members and myriad problems. She never had any experience of all that but she had to learn fast and adjust accordingly. And this was a poor family that barely survived.
In this situation Khaleka became the mother of three children. Once she nearly died because of childbirth complications. These new members put a lot of pressure on the household which was already reeling under poverty. Let alone get two meals a day sometimes they would barely feed the children and then starve for the next couple of days. Her husband who was a day labourer would barely make Tk 20-25 per day hardly enough to feed the entire family that included her in-laws. Khaleka soon had to take up the job of a maid at other people's houses.
Even the house they lived in was a broken down hovel which they repeatedly repaired but to no avail. Rainwater would invariably get in and make life further miserable. And in winter which is severe in this northern district the thin bamboo partitions would barely ward off the cold.
But fate decreed that the miserable days of this family would soon end.
Then in May, 2002, Khaleka was chosen to be a beneficiary under BRAC's CFPR-TUP Programme or the Ultra Poor Programme. As enterprise, she chose goat rearing. Khaleka was then given three-day training on the enterprise of her choice. After this BRAC built a goat shed for her and gave her five goats as grant.
BRAC also provided her with a weekly stipend of Tk 70. Khaleka was infused with hope and enthusiasm and she started dreaming anew of a better life.
Khaleka started working with a new spirit. She wanted everyone to have three meals a day and she wanted a piece of land of her own. She also wanted to send her children to school.
Soon afterwards, 3 of Khaleka's goats gave birth to 6 kids. They started growing. A few months later 2 of her goats gave birth to 4 kids. The kids became full grown and Khaleka decided to sell them.
As time passed and her flock of goats grew, Khaleka sold between 30 to 34 goats. With Tk 16,000 Khaleka bought 8 decimal of land. She also saved some money. Then, with Tk 4500 she bought a young heifer.
The heifer grew just as did Khaleka's flock of goats. The heifer soon gave birth to a calf. Next, with money earned from the milk that she sold together with Tk 5000 credit from BRAC Khaleka built a square tin-roofed house. She also started sending her children to school and financed her husband to start a fishing business. Khaleka's life had changed for the better day by day.
People in Sreepur village would observe that the behaviour of Khaleka and her family members with regards to healthy living had also changed. Khaleka's family members were using safe drinking water and hygienic latrines.
In addition to rearing livestock, Khaleka wants to do better things. She currently has four goats and two cows and she has a savings of Tk 1250.
Presently, Khaleka is financially self dependant. She can now afford three meals a day for her family as well as pay for the education of her children.
Socially, Khaleka's graph has gone high. She is now a respected member of the society. She gets invited to various forums where she gives her opinions. She is also invited to arbitrations.
Today, Khaleka is immensely grateful to BRAC for lifting her out of abject misery and putting her on the road to success.