ENRICH (Enhancing Resources and Increasing Capacities of Poor Households towards Elimination of their Poverty).
Target Group: This program targets all the families in these two unions. The families are involved in the project in one way or another. For this reason, information has been stored by a baseline survey of each house at the beginning. However, to work initially, work has been started with 7730 houses in Pathorghata Sadar Union and 5445 houses in Dauatala Union for those who have less resource and spend more than their income.
Activities : Health Care Activities, Beggar rehabilitation activities, Special Savings Activities, Youth Committees, ENRICH ward center, ENRICH Houses
Duration: 3 May 2010 to ongoing
Area covered: Pathorghata sadar and Dowatola Union of Pathorghata and Bamna upazila under Barguna district
Donor: PKSF
Budget (BDT in lakh): 2179.00
Partner: Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF).
ENRICH Program
As a parallel activity of financial services for poverty alleviation, PKSF has started Enrich program to increase the productive assets of the targeted poor people through various activities, including education, health, and nutrition, human capacity building. To support a household in the concerned area through the program to sustainably increase their income and wealth by assisting in making the best use of their current resources and capabilities. In collaboration with PKSF, Sangram has been implementing Enrich program in the Patharghata union of Patharghata upazila and Dowatala union of Bamna upazila of Barguna District.
Goal: Enrich Program aims to make sustainable through effective participation and empowerment of poor households and to ensure access to health, education, and nutrition activities.
Targeted Population
Patharghata Sadar Union and Bamana Upazila of Patharghata Upazila of Barguna District. To reduce their poverty status and ensure access of the poor to health, education, and nutrition programs. All families of Patharghata Sadar and Dowatla union are the target population of this program. The program has aimed to involve all families of these two unions in the project. Seven thousand seven hundred twenty-three families of Patharghata Sadar Union and 5445 families of Dowatala union together with a total of 13168 families are lakhs of population. Various activities are being implemented with households whose assets are less and expenses are higher than income.
Working Area
District-Barguna. Upazila Patharghata and Bamna. Union-Patharghata Sadar and Dowatala. The program is implemented in 22 villages of these two unions.
Human resources
ENRICH Program has 147 staff, of which 20 are permanent and 127 are part-time. In terms of gender balance, 128 females and 19 males. The percentage is 87% female and 13%, male. Human resources include 1 Program Coordinator, 1 Union Coordinator, 5 Health Officers, 4 Social Development Officers, 1 Education Supervisor, 4 Entrepreneurship Development Officers, 4 MIS Officers, 27 Health Inspectors, and 100 Teachers.
Working Strategies
Through this program, each family in 22 villages of 2 unions of the working area is included in conducting a baseline survey, collecting enough data, and preserving it in the software. After assessing the family’s needs, a capacity plan has been adopted for each family. Considering the current assets, experience, and skills of the families in which the amount of wealth is less and the expenditure is more than the income of those families, health care, education, agriculture, employment, and infrastructural development activities are being implemented. Continuing, more actions are being taken simultaneously in light of the needs of the people, and the said activities are being made more dynamic.
Enrich Program Activities
1) Health Care and Nutrition
2) Educational Assistance
3) Family Development Planning;
4) Financial Assistance
5) Special savings
6) Income Generating training.
7) Youth Development (youth training and employment)
8) Solar Power
9) Bandhuchula
10) Family-based sanitation and hand washing program
11) Cultivation of Medicinal plant ‘Basak’
12) Cultivation of vegetables in homesteads
13) Production of Vermicompost
14) Rehabilitation of Beggars
15) Development at local community level
16) Construction of Sammridhi Homes ensuring maximum use of homestead land
17) Establishment of Sammriddhi Center in coordination committee
18) Employment Creation
19) Flexible/Tolerable Lending.
Progress of work (Information as of 31 December 2022)
Under this program, there are five branch offices of Sangram. The total number of families in the union is 13,168 (Patharghata 7723 and Douala 5445). Population 58,269 (Patharghata 31,494 and Dowatala 26,775). Enrich Program health activities are assisted by 27 health inspectors who visit door-to-door in the union every month with 20-25 houses per day. They have the necessary equipment for basic health examinations. They provide health check-ups, treatment, and advice for family members. Each health inspector completes an inspection of 500 houses under their jurisdiction every month. In the following month, it continued to visit cyclically to the camp in a similar manner. During the visit to the camp, health-awareness discussions were held with the members of the camp station, and in many cases, they held courtyard meetings together with the people of some houses. So far, 12,040 courtyard meetings have been organized.
Under this program, there are five branch offices of Sangram. The total number of families in the union is 13,168 (Patharghata 7723 and Douala 5445). Population 58,269 (Patharghata 31,494 and Dowatala 26,775). Enrich Program health activities are assisted by 27 health inspectors who visit door-to-door in the union every month with 20-25 houses per day. They have the necessary equipment for basic health examinations. They provide health check-ups, treatment, and advice for family members. Each health inspector completes an inspection of 500 houses under their jurisdiction every month. In the following month, it continued to visit cyclically to the camp in a similar manner. During the visit to the camp, health-awareness discussions were held with the members of the camp station, and in many cases, they held courtyard meetings together with the people of some houses. So far, 12,040 courtyard meetings have been organized.
Health officials organize static clinics and counsel patients at the local level. Distribute medicines to pregnant women and children. Scheduled satellite clinics ensure the participation of MBBS doctors. Organized advanced health camps and eye camps for advanced treatment. Antenatal services were provided to 166 people through health officials; so far, 3865 people have been served. During the current financial year, 410 static clinics were organized through Enrich Health Officers with 3,697 patients. So far, 12,518 static clinics have been organized where 1,28,376 patients were served. Two hundred forty satellite clinics have been organized in the current financial year through MBBS doctors, and 2660 people have been served. So far, 1,904 satellite clinics have been organized, and 45,502 have served. 2 high-level health camps have been organized with expert doctors in this financial year. Six hundred seventy-seven people got service from these camps. The number of health camps tagged 85, and 14350 people were served. Forty-six people have undergone cataract surgery through eye camps, and 840 have undergone cataract surgery through 14 camps. Free deworming tablets have been distributed this year.
Underprivileged children enrolled in government primary schools to provide evening education assistance. One hundred educational centers have been set up after surveying the working area. 28-30 students are enrolled in each education support center. A female teacher in the area teaches in the afternoon at each education support center. There are 2990 students, with 1519 male and 1471 female students, in this program’s existing 100 education centers—an average student of 21.9. The average attendance is 96%. This year 840 guardian meetings were held, and so far, 7617 guardian meetings have been completed.
Five hundred forty youths have enrolled in the committee with the aim of inculcating honesty, ideals, devotion, and patriotism. They have completed different types of activities with a motivational approach. There are 18 youth committees of the Youth Society for Development in 2 Unions. There are 594 youth members on the committee. 74 youth ward and union meetings have been held this year, and this figure is 396.
Families with disabled children or female-headed families were included. Special savings programs have been introduced for their financial support. The amount of money that the members of these families can deposit in the bank from their income in a certain period is given as assistance from the Enrich program at the end of the period. 8,87,488/= BDT has been deposited by 54 families of disabled and women heads. 17,74,976/= BDT, including the PKSF grant, has been refunded to them.
Sammriddhi Bari attempts to make the homestead economically self-sufficient, ensuring maximum land use. 146 Sammriddhi Bari have been set up in the working area to ensure proper use of homestead fallow land to produce vegetables and fruits for familial needs throughout the year and earn additional income.
Out of these, 64 houses are of quality, 54 are of medium level, and 28 are at an average level. Three hundred thirty-six vermicompost plants have been set up. 1,40,269 kgs of fertilizer have been sold from these plants. Its price is Tk. 16,83,228 at an average of Tk. 12 per kg. So far, 19,029 small and large leaf farmers have been created through incentives. These farmers have sold dry leaves worth Tk. 3,68,980 to the Square Pharmaceutical. The training was provided to 200 loanees through 8 training courses this year to enhance their income-generating activities. Eight hundred twenty-five people have been trained in 33 batches.
18 Sammriddhi Centers have been set up to increase public participation and local accountability in the development process. Sammriddhi Ward Coordinating Committee consisted of elected public representatives, local elites, youth representatives, geriatric representatives, and officials of SANGRAM. One meeting is organized every month at the Sammriddhi center. This year 108 meetings were held, and four were held in the Union Parishad auditorium presided over by the Union Parishad Chairman. So far, 1002 Ward Coordination Meetings and 25 Union Meetings have been organized.
Twenty beggars from the working area have been rehabilitated. A grant of Tk.1,00,000 (One lakh) was given to each, totaling Tk. 20,00,000 (Twenty lakhs). These successful people are called dynamic members. Among them, 12 in Patharghata Union and 8 in Dowatala Union. 14 of 20 members are alive, and six are dead.
The soft loan has been distributed to 4585 persons through the Enrich program through 5 branches. The income-enhancing loan has been given to those involved in income-generating activities. Quality of life improvement loans is provided to the members to overcome the temporary problems associated with Enrich loan. Asset Creating loans are provided to the Enrich members to buy assets relating to their life and livelihood. Under these three loan schemes, Tk. 185,15,60,394 (accumulated) loans have been disbursed so far. The loan outstanding is Tk. 20,59,69,219. The savings balance is Tk. 1,57,91,156.
A total of 20 energetic members (beggars) have been given a grant of Rs.20,00,000 in two unions. Six active members have passed away. An energetic member has broken his leg while working and lost his assets for treatment. All others are in good condition. The amount of current assets is Tk. 30,12,000. Under the program to improve the quality of life of geriatric people, 200 people in two unions were provided geriatric allowance. In October 2021, when the government decided to provide a geriatric allowance in Dowatala, Sangram’s grant was suspended. Currently, 90 people are alive in Patharghata Union who were enrolled in this program. Tk. 49,28,500 has been provided as a geriatric allowance. Tk. 2000 was provided to each family of those who died in the two unions. Four hundred twelve people have been paid Tk. 8,24,000 for cremation. Eighteen wheelchairs have been provided to physically challenged geriatric people.
The Enrich Program is an integrated initiative through which the families of Patharghata and Dowatala Union can use their resources and experience to transform their socioeconomic conditions. When it is possible, Then it will be the standard of development. We hope that SANGRAM will be able to open a new era using the spirit of Enrich program participants.
