Participatory Integrated Rural Development Project in Ishwarganj in Bangladesh
Shapla Neer = Citizens' Committee in Japan for Overseas Support
(Aug. 2004 - July 2007)

[Bangladesh: Empowerment of the poorest people]

Aiming at empowering the poorest people:

Trying to improve people's life in every field of education, health, and income generation, assistance is given to promote mutual support groups of poor people called "Samity," and is also given to link with people's organizations and local governments' administration in their area.

To aim at improving economic disparity that exists even among the poor people and at practicing certain empowerment at the individual level, the implementing organization (Shapla Neer) is giving support depending on the living conditions of the people, e.g. to the groups of especially poor people such as widows that are making their own groups separately from ordinary Samities. The activity could realize the outcome of some groups of the poorest become empowered enough to have their members accepted to transfer to ordinary Samities.

Local partner NGO working closer to people:

COLI (Community Organization for Livelihood Improvement), the local partner NGO of the implementing organization, has been working very close to the local people, which made it possible to notice the issue of disparities among local people and to take appropriate measures to address the issue.

COLI was one of the implementing organization's regional activity centers before. After becoming independent as a local NGO, COLI has gradually promoted independent activities and has become able to reflect the viewpoints of the grassroots in its projects.

The activities promote to strengthen the implementation system of counterpart of Bangladesh to secure the sustainability that is the purpose of the implementing organization.

Photo

A staff member of local partner NGO is listening to what the members of widows' group say. Though they are in very severe conditions both socially and economically, their will to improve their lives is strong.