Of hapless village women learning to dream
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Md Fazlur Rahman Back from Sirajganj
Aleya Begum and her three young kids used to live in a polythene-wrapped hut even two years ago. Although she, abandoned by her husband a decade back, worked as a weaver on a loom, it was tough for her to maintain the family with the small amount of money she earned.
But the life of the 35-years-old village woman has changed a lot since February 2008 thanks to social safety net project of the government. Now she is fully employed earning Tk 100 a day, which is enough, she thinks, to maintain her family once caught in extreme poverty.
She said, "I used to get Tk 200 to Tk 250 a week when I was a weaver. But now I earn Tk 100 a day."
Since February 2008, Aleya, a villager of Jamtail union under Kamarkhand Upazila in Sirajganj district, has been getting Tk 980 in every 14 days plus a mandatory 30 per cent saving.
Besides, she has got a tin-roofed house after living several years almost under open sky as her house was taken away by the lenders as the mother-of-three failed to repay the loans.
Now her target is to start a small business with the savings when she completes training on income generating method after the end of the project 'Rural Employment Opportunities for Public Assets (REOPA)'.
The Local Government Division is implementing the project in association with the local NGO Manab Mukti Sangstha.
European Commission (EC) is the principal donor, which is providing 27.3 million Euros for the total REOPA project. United Nations Development Programme is assisting with technical and managerial support.
Jamtail is one of the 388 unions of six districts where the project is being implemented, not only to employ the poor women, but also to groom them up as human resources for rapid rural development.
In Sirajganj alone, 2,460 destitute women split in 82 groups are maintaining 2,460 km roads in the first stage of the project, officials said. In the second phase which starts in May, another 2,706 widowed, divorced and abandoned women who are selected through open lottery, will do the same job and receive the same benefit for another two years.
In total, the project will provide employment to 24,444 women of ultra poor female-headed households in maintenance and post-flood repair of over 11,000 km important roads each year.
In the second cycle, the number of women will increase from 30 per group to 33, said EC Ambassador to Bangladesh Stefan Frowein during his recent visit to the northern district.
Aleya's teammates said the project rekindled their hopes of leading a better life with respect from the society.
Some said they would start small business. Maloti aged 36 will buy calves and raise them to sell later, the mother of four said.
EC Ambassador Frowein said the project is aimed at creating a foundation for the destitute women so that they can get out of poverty.
"We have created a foundation for them. They will be able to go for micro-credit activities after the training period. It will help them get out of poverty on their own."
"The project will train them on income generating activities to develop their skill so that they do not slip back into poverty again."
Apart from Sirajganj, the REOPA project is being implemented in Feni, Satkhira, Habiganj, Narsingdi and Barguna.
Officials said these women used to work as domestic workers and lived a very inhuman life.
"But they are now in the stage of tolerable poverty," said REOPA Project Director Akmal Hossain, also deputy secretary of the Local Government Ministry.
"Destitute women will be able to improve their financial conditions through regular income, savings and income generating activities. As a result, they and their dependants will have improved human capital in terms of nutrition, health, education, social recognition and voice."
"Savings generated over two years time which will reach about Tk. 24,000 with interest, will ensure food security even after the end of the project and they will be assisted to invest their savings in gainful microenterprises."
He said Jamtail union council has identified 30 km roads of the flood-prone area, which are being repaired by these women workers.
Mr Hossain said the participants have been imparted training on topics such as group formation and management, leadership development, primary health care and hygiene and violence against women.
"They will also be provided training on income generating activities in last six months of the project so that they can utilise their savings."
The agreement for the project was signed between the EC and Bangladesh in December 2005.
Aleya Begum and her three young kids used to live in a polythene-wrapped hut even two years ago. Although she, abandoned by her husband a decade back, worked as a weaver on a loom, it was tough for her to maintain the family with the small amount of money she earned.
But the life of the 35-years-old village woman has changed a lot since February 2008 thanks to social safety net project of the government. Now she is fully employed earning Tk 100 a day, which is enough, she thinks, to maintain her family once caught in extreme poverty.
She said, "I used to get Tk 200 to Tk 250 a week when I was a weaver. But now I earn Tk 100 a day."
Since February 2008, Aleya, a villager of Jamtail union under Kamarkhand Upazila in Sirajganj district, has been getting Tk 980 in every 14 days plus a mandatory 30 per cent saving.
Besides, she has got a tin-roofed house after living several years almost under open sky as her house was taken away by the lenders as the mother-of-three failed to repay the loans.
Now her target is to start a small business with the savings when she completes training on income generating method after the end of the project 'Rural Employment Opportunities for Public Assets (REOPA)'.
The Local Government Division is implementing the project in association with the local NGO Manab Mukti Sangstha.
European Commission (EC) is the principal donor, which is providing 27.3 million Euros for the total REOPA project. United Nations Development Programme is assisting with technical and managerial support.
Jamtail is one of the 388 unions of six districts where the project is being implemented, not only to employ the poor women, but also to groom them up as human resources for rapid rural development.
In Sirajganj alone, 2,460 destitute women split in 82 groups are maintaining 2,460 km roads in the first stage of the project, officials said. In the second phase which starts in May, another 2,706 widowed, divorced and abandoned women who are selected through open lottery, will do the same job and receive the same benefit for another two years.
In total, the project will provide employment to 24,444 women of ultra poor female-headed households in maintenance and post-flood repair of over 11,000 km important roads each year.
In the second cycle, the number of women will increase from 30 per group to 33, said EC Ambassador to Bangladesh Stefan Frowein during his recent visit to the northern district.
Aleya's teammates said the project rekindled their hopes of leading a better life with respect from the society.
Some said they would start small business. Maloti aged 36 will buy calves and raise them to sell later, the mother of four said.
EC Ambassador Frowein said the project is aimed at creating a foundation for the destitute women so that they can get out of poverty.
"We have created a foundation for them. They will be able to go for micro-credit activities after the training period. It will help them get out of poverty on their own."
"The project will train them on income generating activities to develop their skill so that they do not slip back into poverty again."
Apart from Sirajganj, the REOPA project is being implemented in Feni, Satkhira, Habiganj, Narsingdi and Barguna.
Officials said these women used to work as domestic workers and lived a very inhuman life.
"But they are now in the stage of tolerable poverty," said REOPA Project Director Akmal Hossain, also deputy secretary of the Local Government Ministry.
"Destitute women will be able to improve their financial conditions through regular income, savings and income generating activities. As a result, they and their dependants will have improved human capital in terms of nutrition, health, education, social recognition and voice."
"Savings generated over two years time which will reach about Tk. 24,000 with interest, will ensure food security even after the end of the project and they will be assisted to invest their savings in gainful microenterprises."
He said Jamtail union council has identified 30 km roads of the flood-prone area, which are being repaired by these women workers.
Mr Hossain said the participants have been imparted training on topics such as group formation and management, leadership development, primary health care and hygiene and violence against women.
"They will also be provided training on income generating activities in last six months of the project so that they can utilise their savings."
The agreement for the project was signed between the EC and Bangladesh in December 2005.