RAJSHAHI, – Around 53,000 people from 12,500 households living in different slum areas in the city improved their lives and livelihood conditions by getting different facilities from a project taken for reducing their multi-dimensional poverty and deprivation.
Non government organisation Brac has been implementing the project in association with Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) to engage multi-sectoral partners to create employment opportunities for the urban poor people, and
improve their living and livelihood conditions and realise basic rights.
The information was found from a review meeting of the project titled ‘Urban Development Programme (UDP)’ held at RCC city bhaban office in Rajshahi yesterday afternoon. Director General of NGO Bureau Abdus Salam reviewed the progress of the project.
RCC Panel Mayor Shariful Islam Babu, Chief Executive Officer Shawgatul Alam, Secretary Rejaul Karim, Chief Engineer Ashraful Haque and its Executive Engineer Nur Islam Tusser, Chief Revenue Officer Shahana Akhter Jahan and Chief Conservancy Officer Sheikh Mamun were present on the occasion.
Brac Regional Coordinator of UDP Farjana Parveen told the meeting that 17,500 youths, including around 13,000 females aged from 15 to 29 are getting necessary knowledge through need-based promotional activities under the
project.
Slum dwellers are getting safe drinking water, sanitation, housing and education facilities and their living and livelihood conditions are ultimately improving, she informed.
Some 3,000 youths are being imparted either three or six-month need-based vocational and technical training, she said. Farzana Parveen said the programme intends to promote socio-economic empowerment of the beneficiary people.
Engineer Nur Islam told the meeting that RCC has provided housing support to more than 200 low-income families in 47 settlements in 25 wards out of total 30 in the metropolis under its Community Housing Fund as around Tk 32.5
million have been distributed as housing loans from the fund.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdus Salam focused on stronger collaboration between the government and non-governmental organisations and involving the public representatives concerned and other relevant stakeholders to promote urban plans for people living in urban poor areas.
