In a packed programme on his August visit to Bangladesh, DFID Minister of State, Rory Stewart, MP, found time to meet Lady Beneficiaries from the EEP/Shiree Programme.
The Lady Beneficiaries told Minister Stewart about the hardships of enduring extreme poverty in the bottom five per cent of society. Often without three meals a day, surviving on someone else’s land, and excluded from the surrounding community, they explained how they had escaped extreme poverty, thanks to the work of EEP/Shiree and its Partner NGOs.
Each Beneficiary was given practical support to enter the economy through provision of a productive asset – a cow, goat, or geese – and a business grant to develop an income generating activity. With their determination, and with mentoring support from the Partner NGO, the Beneficiaries increased their incomes, savings, and the values of their assets. Now they have land, a good house, their children attend school and they are respected members of their community.
Minister Stewart thanked the Lady Beneficiaries for their inspiring example. He congratulated EEP/Shiree on a job well done, helping over 1 million people take steps out of extreme poverty.
EEP/Shiree
29 August 2016
