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A dignified route out of poverty for women in Bangladesh
21 August 2007
When
Sandhya Rani’s husband left her four years ago, fleeing from money
lenders, the future looked very uncertain. With two children to provide for, her
wages as a domestic help didn’t cover the family’s food costs. And Sandhya couldn’t
obtain even a small loan, because she had no land to her name and therefore fell into the
category of the "ultra-poor".
But, just as things seemed to be getting much worse, thanks to an anti-poverty
programme part-funded by DFID they started to get significantly better.
Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty (CFPR) gave Sandhya the means to take a new
direction – one that would boost her income and put food on the family’s table.
Across Bangladesh, 100,000 women like Sandhya have already benefited from CFPR, and over the next seven years, the programme aims to lift many more out of poverty and into self-sufficient futures.
Increasing earning power and independence
Run by the
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), a large
non-governmental organisation, the programme provides women with the raw
materials to set up their own small enterprises. This could mean land, money,
training or, for the poorest, assets such as livestock and seeds.
"BRAC has leased out one-third of an acre of land to me," says Sandhya, "along
with cash to start a new business. This encouraged me to open a horticultural
nursery." Sandhya now makes around the equivalent of £28 a month from selling saplings, and
business is on the up. "Sales continue to rise," she says proudly. "I can afford
to buy good food and invest in my children's education." So far, Sandhya has
been able to save £20 – which would have been inconceivable four years ago.
The CFPR approach allows poor women to earn their way out of poverty, rather
than be dependent on hand outs. As well as learning skills that will increase
their earning power, and being given the assets to get their
businesses going, the women are provided with a monthly cash allowance of £2.15,
health subsidies and social development support. These prevent them from
slipping back into destitution.
Creating enterprising attitudes
Bithi,
Madhobi and Shantona are also recipients of CFPR help. Like Sandhya, they have
gone from abject poverty to making money from the plants and trees they grow on
their plots of land. Greatly enjoying their
independence, they are determined to keep up this new way of life.
"We can now earn by ourselves and deposit our earnings (into a savings account).
We are grateful to BRAC for showing us a dignified route out of poverty," says
Bithi.
And, according to Ansarul Huq, BRAC's local coordinator, these enterprising
women have the enthusiasm and skills to explore new
business ventures, building on the start that the programme has
given them to make prosperous lives for themselves. As the project now enters
its expanded second phase, more of Bangladesh's poorest women will be reached –
and given a fighting chance at self-sufficiency.
Key Facts
- The first phase of the Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction (CFPR) programme benefited 100,000 women between 2002 and 2007. DFID contributed £16 million to the first phase, and has committed £75 million to the seven-year second phase, which began in 2007 and aims to help a further 800,000 extremely poor women and their households.
- Over the last few years, DFID Bangladesh has been increasing its focus on reducing extreme poverty in Bangladesh. The poorest 10% of the population live on less than 20 pence a day, and regularly go to bed hungry. DFID’s portfolio of work in this area is growing, with £190 million already committed, and a further £60 million planned for working with the urban poor and extreme poor.
- Two programmes are already up and running, delivering tangible results by helping people lift themselves out of extreme poverty and hunger. As well as CFPR, the £50 million
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