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The objective of the project is to alleviate poverty in the urban communities through community empowerment and capacity building for local government, NGOs and Community Based Organizations (CBOs). |
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Location: Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Baris, Bogra, Gopalganj, Hobiganj, Kushtia, Mymensingh, Narayanganj, Sirajganj Pourashavas |
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Partner: Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi and Baris City Corporations; Bogra, Gopalganj, Hobiganj, Kushtia, Mymensingh, Narayanganj and Sirajganj Pourashavas (Municipalities); 450 urban poor communities, UN-HABITAT. |
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Donor: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) |
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Cost: US$17,897,500 |
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Background and Objectives:
The objective of the project is to alleviate poverty in the urban communities through community empowerment and capacity building for local government, NGOs and Community Based Organizations (CBOs).
This will be done with direct financial support for community-level basic services and infrastructure, skills training and group businesses. The project directly contributes to Bangladesh’s Millennium Development Goals targets, especially Goal 7/11.
By the end of the project, partner communities will be healthier and more integrated into the social and economic networks of the urban areas; local governments will have enhanced human resources and financial capacity, and they will have developed and implemented pro-poor policies impacting on national level policies.
Activities:
The main activities include:
Communities prepare action plans that identify needs such as the provision of water supply and sanitation. The provision of basic services and community infrastructure is done on a community contract basis with financial support from a project community development fund and technical support from town teams and local government. Apprenticeship programmes, support to group businesses and other direct poverty alleviation activities are supported by a poverty alleviation fund.
Community empowerment is done through community-organised savings and credit programmes, within and between town needs-based experience sharing, and regional visits by community leaders and professional staff.
Capacity of local government and its elected representatives is developed by project supported training, experience sharing and through their involvement in the financial, technical and approval processes. This project is actively participating in UN-HABITAT’s Global Campaign for Security of Tenure and the Safer Cities Programme.
Results:
607 Community Development Committees established with over 630,000 people in the 11 project towns.
4,320 savings and credit groups set up whose total savings were about US$825,000.
796 community contracts completed. These will provide 26,000 twin pit latrines (and another 4,600 under construction), 2,110 tube wells as well as footpaths, drains, streetlights and community halls;
Provided 3,682 apprenticeships in all project towns.
Functioning ward-level Project Implementation Committees and town-level Project Coordination Committees created in all towns.
