‘Fight poverty and climate related risks collaboratively’

Md Kamrul Hasan, secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), stressed the need for international and local collaboration to fight poverty and climate-related risks in the upcoming years.

He made the call while speaking as the chief guest at a lessons-learned workshop titled “Nobo Jatra: A New Beginning Project,” organised jointly by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) and World Vision Bangladesh and funded by USAID.

The workshop was held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Monday, said a press release.

Secretary Md Kamrul Hasan said “I appreciate USAID for being a longstanding development partner of Bangladesh. They have been always beside Bangladesh.”

He also said that the coastal people have been suffering from different problems, but today’s event of NJP project will be a milestone of helping the coastal people.

“Nobo Jatra Project is very much aligning with Bangladesh’s 8th five-year plan and helpful to achieving the SDGs, said Md Kamrul Hasan, adding that “Let’s work together. We’ll continue to collaborate with international and local NGOs in reducing poverty and climate related risks in the upcoming years.”

Speaking as a special guest during the event, Ms Ellen de Guzman, BHA Country Lead, and Director, Humanitarian Assistance Office, USAID Bangladesh, said “The USAID has dedicated substantial resources to realize sustainable, gender inclusive and equitable food security and improve economic livelihoods for vulnerable communities in Bangladesh.

“It is important to integrate vulnerable populations and participants effectively into market system and connect them with private sector actors this will increase sustainability and scale up impacts,” she added.

The event was attended by special guests—Ms Ellen de Guzman, BHA Country Lead, and Director, Humanitarian Assistance Office, USAID Bangladesh; Dr Imam Abu Sayeed, Director, Policy Support Wing Bank of Bangladesh; Syed Abdul Momen, Deputy Managing Director & Head of SME at BRAC Bank Limited and Suresh Bartlett, National Director, World Vision Bangladesh.

The workshop highlighted Nobo Jatra’s experience and learnings from implementing an integrated layered Ultra Poor Graduation (UPG) programme featuring an inclusive Market Systems Development (iMSD); Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions to enhance individual and community level resilience capacities and prevent re-entry of participants into poverty.

World Vision Bangladesh in partnership with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) have been ensuring economic security for the less fortunate through integrated market system development with social safety net programmes in Khulna and Satkhira districts through USAID’s ‘Nobo Jatra – new beginning’ project.

Suresh Bartlett, National Director, World Vision Bangladesh, noted that, “Some women of Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) and UPG groups never left home and most of them were child brides. Today they have come out. They are creating an asset for their families. They are coming to ensure their children are not drop out from school or their children are not married early. This is the transformation. That is what we want to see. World Vision is looking into that.”

“Collaboration is an important approach that Nobo Jatra Project has promoted. We look forward to continuing that collaboration with different stakeholders for the transformation of vulnerable communities,” he added.

Vidya Diwakar, Phd, Deputy Director, Chronic Poverty Advisory Network and Mehzabin Rupa, Manager-Knowledge management, Communications and Advocacy, NJP, presented research findings in the workshop.