RANGPUR, Mar 13 (BSS): Hundreds of the river-eroded homeless women have achieved self-reliance to lead better lives with family members after their successful rehabilitation under the government's 'Asrayan Prokalpo' in the district.
Earlier, these extremely poor women led floating life after losing everything they had following repeated river erosions and they have now changed fortune with continuous assistance under the 'Asrayan Prokalpo' in the recent years.
Under the programme, some 1,830 river-eroded women-led families, living 230 tin-shed barrack houses, built under the 21 projects in all eight upazilas in the district, have got houses, addresses, ensured livelihoods and dream of brighter future for children.
The concerned upazila level local government departments have been implementing comprehensive activities for mainstreaming the rehabilitated women to make them self-reliant through providing necessary support, training and assistance.
Under the project, the adult male and females of the rehabilitated families have been provided necessary training for increasing awareness on various issues, expertise and human resource development to engage them with income-generation works.
Gangachara upazila cooperatives officer Hosne Ara Begum said 750 floating families have been rehabilitated in 12 barrack houses in the upazila alone and Tk 6.6 million (Tk 65.87 lakh) easy-term revolving microcredit have been distributed among them so far.
The beneficiary women-led families have already achieved socioeconomic success following proper use of the training, government assistance and credit management under official supervision and the process continues successfully, she said.
90 rehabilitated families at Purbo Kochua-1 Asrayan Prokalpo in Nohali union have set up a dazzling example in cooperative microcredit loan payments after achieving self-reliance through income generations.
Talking to the news agency, rehabilitated Tobiya Khatun and Bulbuli Begum said they got back life anew and brighter future for children after getting easy-term microcredit under the government's comprehensive social safety-net programmes.
