Successful implementation of CLP improves livelihoods of 1.27 lakh extremely poor

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BSS, Rangpur :
Successful implementation of the Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP) has improved livelihoods of the extremely poor and landless people living in the hardly reachable char areas on the Brahmaputra basin.
Under the comprehensive livelihoods development programme, 1.27 lakh extremely poor char households, out of targeted 1.33 lakh households, of ten northwestern riverine districts have become self-reliant so far since 2004.
At the same time, the women-led CLP beneficiary households have easy access now to hygienic sanitation, pure drinking water and family planning and their children are going to the schools with dream of brighter future.
The CLP has been working with the extremely poor char households to improve their livelihoods through providing package supports, assets and raising plinths for promoting income generation activities since 2004 under adverse climatic situations. Talking to BSS, Livelihoods Coordinator of CLP Dr. Mahbub Alam said the multi-dimensional and comprehensive CLP activities are being implemented by different NGOs in the hardly reachable char villages.
He said 55,000 poorest households were benefited under CLP phase-I during 2004-2010 and 72,000 out of 78,000 households so far under phase-II (2010-2016) to ultimately improve livelihoods of 1.9 million extremely poor char people by 2016.
The UKaid through the Department for International Development (DFID) and Australian Government through Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) have been supporting for implementation of the CLP activities.
The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives of Bangladesh Government has been sponsoring implementation of the comprehensive programme with the management of Maxwell Stamp Plc, he said.
Under the programme, plinths of the beneficiary households have been raised, grants, assets, training and other assistances provided to make them self-reliant through income generation activities to boost the char economy for improving livelihoods.
Chilmari upazila chairman Shawkat Ali Sarker, Bir Bikram, said CLP has become one of the most effective projects to assist the have-nots group char people in changing their socioeconomic condition through winning over extreme poverty.
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