Rapid macroeconomic success empowering rural women

The rapid macroeconomic success accelerates empowerment of rural women in the district when the nation has engaged in all-out efforts to attain the sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

"As a result of self-reliance achieved by thousands of rural women through income generation activities, the rate of poverty has reduced to the minimum enhancing women empowerment," said Acting Deputy Commissioner Sultana Pervin. 

Successful implementation of the massive social safety net and other programmes of the government also assisted rural women in eradicating seasonal poverty-like situation of 'monga' from the district, she added. 

According to Executive Director of Rangpur-based research organisation 'Northbengal Institute of Development Studies' Dr Syed Samsuzzaman, the rural women contributed tremendously during the past eight years to eradicate abject poverty. 

"Because of significant improvement in socio- economic conditions of rural women, none can find women or adolescents as domestic helps in rural areas of the district where people had to suffer from seasonal lean periods even a decade ago," he said. 

Director (Development Programme) of RDRS Bangladesh Monjushree Saha said socio-economic condition of rural women has improved because of engagements with various income generating activities under effective GO-NGO-private sector initiatives. 

"Thousands of rural women have achieved self- reliance through small-scale enterprises, businesses, cottage industries, sewing, micro-credit activities, homestead farming, rearing poultry birds, animals and other income generations activities," she said. 

Most of the rural women are now living with their children in economic solvency though they had to live in utter miseries, especially during the 'monga' periods, due to abject poverty in the pasts, Mojnu added. 

Deputy Director Dilgir Alam of the Department of Youth Development here said about 3,000 unemployed male and female youths were provided with training on 11 vocational and other trades to make them self-reliant in the district in recent years. 

"The easy-term and interest-free loans, training for unemployed girls and women on various trades for self-employment, assistance of the government, NGOs, donor agencies, development partners largely assisted rural women in eradicating poverty," he added. 

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Faridul Haque said the government has been effectively implementing comprehensive social safety-net programmes to eradicate poverty and improve livelihoods of the poor. 

"Implementation of Test Relief, Food for Work, Works for Taka, Vulnerable Group Development, Vulnerable Group Feeding and allowances for elderly citizens, widows and distressed women improved economic conditions of rural women," he said. 

District Women Affairs Officer Kawser Parveen said 14,114 tonnes of rice/wheat was distributed among 19,604 destitute rural women under Vulnerable Group Development programme during the 2015-2016 cycles to improver their livelihoods in the district. 

"We also distributed allowances of Taka 26.35 crore among 4,392 poor pregnant women, Taka 1.08 crore among 1,800 poor lactating mothers and Taka 99 lakh as revolving loans among 885 trained women for income generations during last fiscal alone," she added. 

Deputy Director of Bangladesh Rural Development Board Abdus Sabur said members of the 57,634 beneficiary member-families, mainly women, have attained self-reliance with assistance of the Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar project so far in the district. 

Associate Professor of Begum Rokeya University Dr Tuhin Wadud said that rural women have rapidly empowered them through achieving macroeconomic success in every village in the district contributing their own to achieve the SDGs.

Source: bss