RANGPUR: After winning extreme poverty with assistance of the Social and Economic Transformation of the Ultra-poor (SETU) project, 45,000 households are now on way to attain sustainable development in greater Rangpur, reports BSS.
With multidimensional interventions of the seven-year term (2009-2016) project, average incomes of the beneficiary households in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Gaibandha districts have increased by eight times.
"The project has increased monthly average household incomes from Taka. 1,286 to Taka. 10,374, graduated 95 percent of beneficiaries from extreme poverty freeing 25 percent from poverty," said former Team Leader of SETU project Abdul Matin Shardar.
This impressive rise in living standards of the extreme poor households became possible through diversifying income sources, promoting social inclusion and enhancing pro-poor governance, improving nutritional awareness and practices and developing as communities rather than individuals.
"These households have 4-5 different income sources like livestock and poultry rearing, vegetable production, small business, handicrafts to earn consistent incomes through community engagement in groups round the year," Shardar added.
Talking to BSS, SETU project beneficiaries of Gangadas Baraipara village under Sadar upazila in Rangpur and Sarkerpara village under Sadar upazila in Nilphamari narrated their success stories.
The successful villagers, who were earlier trapped in the vicious cycle of generational poverty, have become self-reliant and empowered now making a transformational change in their lives. They have achieved the success through community solidarity and action groups, collective actions, engagement in income generating activities (IGAs), mainly off-farm, and with local union parishads in particular.