Enhancing Resources and Increasing Capacities of Poor Households towards Elimination of their Poverty (ENRICH)’ is a human-centered total development approach. The overall vision that underpins ENRICH is to work with the poor, to create humanly dignified living standards and to enjoy universal human rights. It is not just a collection of individual projects, rather it is an integrated approach. It adheres to the motto of sustainable development which is ‘leaving no one behind.’ ENRICH covers all aspects of human life from mothers’ womb to the grave. It focuses on components such as education, healthcare, nutrition and employment generation, youth development, beggar rehabilitation, etc. Palashipara Samaj Kallayan Samity is implementing this program in 2 unions (Monakhali and Tetulbaria) of 2 upazilas (Mujibnagar and Gangni) of Meherpur district.
Healthcare and Nutrition: A total of 5 ENRICH Health Officers and 30 Health Visitors are working in the ENRICH Unions. Household visiting, Static clinic, satellite clinic and health camps are being arranged regularly.
The ENRICH health component is designed to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services to all the households in the selected unions. Each household is visited at least once a month by a Health Visitor who collects health-related information of all its members. The collected information and data are recorded in the household health-cards. The field work is supervised by the Health Officers, who conduct static clinics in ENRICH unit offices every day to attend to patients, usually advised by health visitors to go there. Patients needing further treatment are advised to visit the satellite clinics held once a week in each Ward. Satellite clinics are conducted by MBBS doctors. There is also a referral arrangement with both public and private hospitals and clinics for patients who need specialized medical services. Costs are substantially subsidized; and for the extremely poor, services are provided free of cost.
Besides, 300 members had their eye cataracts removed through surgeries provided for free at 10 eye camps held under this component.
Education: The ENRICH education component primarily seeks to address the problem of drop-out of children from primary level education. This is implemented in 2 ENRICH unions; and this service is available to all the households in both of the unions. Under this component, at least students up to Class 2 are helped in the educational assistance centres to prepare the next day’s tasks, given that there are no facilities and educational support for many students at their homes. These centres operate from 3PM to 5PM every day except Friday. Children come to these centres after attending their regular schools. Children are not only helped with their studies but also assisted in extra-curricular activities such as recitation of poems, dance, singing etc. Also, the children are treated in a friendly manner. They therefore find these centres very attractive to attend. Palashipara Samaj Kallayan Samity (PSKS) are operating 40 Education Assistance Centers are helping 1200 students to prepare their daily lessons given by their schools.
Youth in Development: The youth development component has been specially designed to help the youth acquire skills in accordance with their respective aptitudes and, at the same time, be imbued with human and social values. That is, the purpose is to equip them to find employment on the one hand and help create healthy social environment in their locality by getting rid of such social ills as child marriage, teasing of girls, violence against women, child labor, dowry taking and drug addiction. At the same time, they will also help raise awareness in favor of ethics, minority rights, and fairness. Regarding employment, efforts are made to create both self-employment and wage or salary-based employment opportunities. Those who choose self-employment opportunities are assisted with market information, access to appropriate technologies, and marketing of their products.
Sports and Culture: An initiative has been undertaken to promote sports and cultural activities, which are important ingredients of fuller and richer human lives, among children in educational institutions and other appropriate facilities. It is very encouraging that children are participating with enthusiasm in this programme and school authorities, teachers, and parents are supporting it.
Rehabilitation of Beggar: First of all, genuine beggars are identified in a union through a thoroughly investigative process. It has been found that a lot of motivational work is needed to convince a beggar to give up begging and agree to be rehabilitated into a normal life. In some cases, it takes months of counselling and convincing. Once, a beggar, a man or a woman, agrees to be rehabilitated, the PO officials sit with them to assess their health conditions and other circumstances and what they would like to take up in terms of economic activities. Once that is settled, the beggar is given a grant of BDT 100,000 (about US$1,250), but not in cash. The amount is deposited in a Bank Account, operated jointly by the grant recipient and an official of the PO. The recipient is in fact given support in kind, using the money from that account. If the beggar has a place to live, the house is repaired if and as required or if person has land but not a house, a small house is constructed for her/him to live in and also to accommodate the livestock (such as cow, goat) provided as an income earning source. If the beggar has no land, a piece of land is found for her/him in khas land or through donation by a local generous person or from a relative and a house is constructed for the beggar. The beggars have chosen such activities as livestock, grocery or other types of shops, auto van, paddle van etc. Several of those and other appropriate items can be given to a beggar as long as the total cost does not exceed BDT 100,000. The progress of the beggars under rehabilitation is strictly monitored. It is arranged that the Union Parishad (UP) chairman or a UP member or a distinguished local person agrees to help a beggar as her/his mentor. Up to June 2023, 5 beggars from Monakhali union have been rehabilitated and they are now living with dignity in society. The full rehabilitation process usually takes one to two years. So far, there has been no drop out. Once rehabilitated, they are known as rehabilitated members or enterprising members in accordance with their newly acquired social dignity (and not as rehabilitated beggars).
Special Savings: Under the component, 29 families have deposited BDT 5,03,494 and BDT 10,06,988 grant has been returned to 29 members after their savings had been matured.
Community-based Development: In 02 ENRICH areas, 34 tube wells and 606 family-based sanitary latrines have been installed. More than 61,803 people are benefited from these.