With the aim of eliminating poverty, Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) has been implementing Samriddhi (enrich) programme which is also a booster for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially directly for the goals in education and health.
The enrich scheme works to attain total development of each household as well as the whole community, as it does not provide microcredit to a person rather engage full family and generate employments for all to enable them to come out of poverty and move ahead towards a life of human dignity, reports BSS.
After a field visit to the enrich scheme, a total of 55 students of Entrepreneurship Economics of Dhaka School of Economics (DScE) prepared a primary report and opined this scheme could be implemented as a model at least in one village of all union parishads across the country.
During the visit at the project area in Baniajuri union parishad of Ghior upazila under Manikganj district, the students witnessed uthan baithak (yard meeting) of health activities, enrich centre, special savings, enrich house, community development activities and enrich education activities.
They exchanged views with Samriddhi scheme officials, health inspectors and teachers to know their activities in detail.
Professor Dr Muhammad Mahboob Ali, coordinator of DScE’s Entrepreneurship Economics, said the students visited the Samriddhi scheme as part of their ongoing research activities. They talked and interviewed around 200 beneficiaries of enrich scheme as it is playing an effective role towards attaining the goals number 4 and 8 of SDGs, he added.
“We would publish final report on the types of contribution of enrich scheme in attaining SDGs,” said Mahboob.
According to PKSF, Samriddhi scheme is one of its important programmes which is being implemented since 2010 through 116 associate organizations at 202 unions in 164 upazilas of 64 districts. A total of 56.92 lakh people are receiving 30 types of services under the scheme.
PKSF Chairman and DScE Governing Council President Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said they are distributing microcredit to families rather than individuals under the enrich scheme to generate employments for all.
“Actually, we try to upgrade the livelihood standard of full family and enable them to come out of poverty and move ahead towards a life of human dignity,” he added.
Officials of enrich scheme said at first, they select a poor family and want to know what type of work they prefer for employment generation. On the basis of the family’s opinion, loan is disbursed and the installment of loan repayment is finalized after taking their consent. The family is supervised regularly to be made self-reliant.
