Around 45,000 slum and marginal households will get scopes of improving their living and livelihood condition through an anti-poverty project in Rajshahi city within next five years.
Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) will implement the project titled ‘Livelihoods Improvement of Urban Poor Communities (LIUPC)’ with financial support of DFID, Government of Bangladesh and UNDP.
Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton revealed this while addressing the inception meeting of the project at City Bhaban Conference Hall yesterday as chief guest.
National Project Director Abdul Mannan, National Project Manager Ekramul Kabir, social worker Shahin Akter Rainy, Panel Mayor Shariful Islam Babu and RCC Executive Engineer and Member Secretary of the project’s town committee Nur Islam also spoke.
RCC Chief Executive Officer Shwagatul Alam presided over the meeting.
RCC Ward Councillors, community development leaders and other stakeholders were present on the occasion.
Abdul Mannan told the meeting that the LIUPC project is intended to achieve long-term sustainable growth by eradicating urban poverty and achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The project has been designed to reach initially the underserved urban population in the city and to promote livelihoods and living conditions of 2.20 lakh poor people living in urban areas.
Mayor Liton urged all concerned to discharge their duties with utmost sincerity and honesty for successful implementation of the project so that the target group of people can derive its total benefits.
He also sought cooperation of his council members in this regard terming them as key-persons to implement the project successfully.
Advanced women inspire many to march forward
Advanced women in various fields are inspiring many other womenfolk to march forward leaving behind their backward position.
More than 1,000 women coming from poor and underprivileged families got employment in Nasima’s Block and Boutique House. After getting training from Department of Youth Development, Nasima started the block and boutique business in small-scale in 2000. She also received training on the trade under Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
After taking trade license and bank loan she continues her efforts of expanding the venture since 2005.
Nasima Khatun, mother of three daughters, is now a successful entrepreneur in Rajshahi city. But the success didn’t come overnight as she had to cross various types of constraints and hurdles to attain it.
Nasima, a resident of Bhadra area in the city, said her journey towards becoming an entrepreneur was not smooth. After passing SSC, she couldn’t continue her study as she was given marry by her parents.
“I got a huge response from the people that increased demand of my works,” she said adding that her monthly income is now Tk 80,000 to 90,000 on an average.
She said many underprivileged and distressed women have become self-reliant through working in boutique houses in the metropolis contributing a lot to the society.
Not only Nasima Khatun, many other women entrepreneurs are contributing a lot towards strengthening the economical foundation of the region.
District Women Affairs Office imparted training to more than 1,050 unemployed women on various trades like modern tailoring and embroidery, mobile phone servicing, beautification, food processing and packaging and shopping bag preparation in order to improve their living and livelihood condition.
Four traffic sergeants, Yeasmin Sultana, Afsana Ferdousi, Sumita Akter Sheuly and Sabiha Akter, are performing their duties efficiently and competently side by side with their male colleagues in the city encouraging many others to follow the same.
