CLP becomes blessing in eradicating abject poverty

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BSS, Rangpur :
The Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP) has become one of the most effective projects bringing blessing to thousands of have-nots group char families in eradicating abject poverty in recent years.
Successful implementation of the comprehensive livelihoods improvement programme has become an effective milestone in changing fortune of 1.33 lakh extremely poor char families living in the riverine char islands on the Brahmaputra basin.
Under the programme, 5.17 lakh people of 1.33 lakh have-nots group landless char families have changed fortune and achieved self-reliance under adverse situations to march forward after winning over extreme poverty since 2004.
Talking to BSS, Livelihoods Coordinator of CLP Dr. Mahbub Alam said a number of local NGOs have been implementing the multi-dimensional CLP activities in the riverine char islands of ten northwestern riverine districts to achieve the goals.
The UKaid through the Department for International Development (DFID), Australian Government through Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and Government of Bangladesh have been funding the CLP implementation.
The comprehensive CLP activities are aimed at eradicating extreme poverty of the 1.33 lakh have-nots group char households to improve their livelihoods, health, hygiene, life standard and change socioeconomic conditions in two phases by 2016.
The CLP has been working with the extremely poor households living on riverine island chars to improve their livelihoods after raising their plinths, providing necessary training, assistance and inputs in char areas on the river basin.
The programme is being implemented successfully through GO-NGOs collaboration in phases on the chars in Kurigram, Bogra, Gaibandha, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Pabna and Tangail districts, he said.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator Mamunur Rashid of RDRS Bangladesh, one of the implementing organisations of CLP, said the CLP has become a blessing bringing fortune for char people who lived in abject poverty for decades together.
Under the programme, plinths of the beneficiary families have been raised, grants, assets, training and other assistance provided to make them self-reliant through engaging them with income generation activities to improve livelihoods and boost char economy.
Chilmari upazila chairman Shawkat Ali Sarker, Bir Bikram, said CLP has been turned into the most effective programme to assist the have-nots group char people in changing their socioeconomic condition through winning over extreme poverty.
Due to their economic uplift, ‘monga’ has been eradicated, standard of life, health and hygienic conditions improved, maternal and neonatal deaths and extent of malnutrition of children, women and pregnant women reduced substantially in char areas, he said.
Taramon Bibi, Bir Pratik, said the plinth-raising programme of CLP has become very effective to assist the char people in escaping floods side by side improving livelihoods through various income generation activities to change their fortune.
She said the CLP has been meeting nutritional demand of char people through vegetables farming, ensuring sanitation, hygiene and pure drinking water and family planning, eradicating repression, child marriage and dowry in char areas.
Executive Director of Rangpur-based research organisation ‘Northbengal Institute of Development Studies’ Dr Syed Samsuzzaman suggested for further extension of the most effective CLP that has become a millstone in changing fortune of the poor char families.
CLP beneficiaries Ayesha, Ambia, Amena, Lipi, Mahbuba and Kohinoor of different char villages said they have achieved success by sewing handloom garments, animal husbandry, poultry, dairy, homestead gardening, farming vegetables and agri-activities.
A number of other beneficiaries also narrated their success stories as how they have changed fortune after winning over abject poverty through ensuring proper utilisation of the training, assistance, support and inputs they received under the CLP activities.
They happier char women said that their children have been going to the schools and living well now with a dream of brighter future though their days were miserable without hopes even a decade ago in the pasts.
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