The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Gaibandha

An inception workshop organized by Pathway From Poverty: Building Economic Empowerment and Resilience for Extreme Poor Households in Riverine areas of Bangladesh (PEP), Shiree project, Practical Action Bangladesh was held in the conference room of deputy commissioner (DC) here on Monday.

The objective of the workshop was to explore the ideas and opportunities to address the needs of extreme poor communities in Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchhari and Shaghata upazilas of the district to combat poverty, hunger and cope with natural disasters, organization sources said. DC Bikash Kishore Das attended the function as the chief guest.

AZM Nazmul Islam Chowdhury, head of PFP Shiree project, briefed the participants elaborately on the aim, goal, purpose and output of the three-year project to be implemented by the partner organizations AKOTA and Gana Unnayan Kendra with the fund of EEP-Shiree (DFID).

He said a total of 50,550 extreme poor people of 16,850 households of the riverine areas of the upazilas in the district would be brought under this project and their socio-economic condition would be changed through providing them with various facilities including training and involving themselves in alternative income generating activities so that they could be self-reliant during the period.

He also sought cooperation of all to make the project a success in the district. Presided over by Mohammad Ali, team leader IPA-1, Practical Action Bangladesh, the workshop was also addressed, among others, by district fisheries officer ASM Rashedul Haque, deputy operational manner of the project M Mizanur Rahman, Sadar upazila agriculture officer M. Mojaffar Rahman Kanchipara, UP Chairman Akbar Ali Sarker and Chandipur UP Chairman Khorsed Akan.

More than 100 district level officials of line department, public representatives, NGO representatives and social worker including journalists attended the workshop.