44 BRAC Annual Report 2011
2011 Highlights 60,800
Ultra poor households received enterprise development training
43,800
Ultra poor households received income generating assets from STUP programme
17,000
Ultra poor households received soft loans from the OTUP programme
16,999
Ultra poor households received inputs for agricultural activities and small enterprise development from the OTUP programme
60,800
Ultra poor households received subsistence stipend
203,347
Ultra poor households received tailor made healthcare services
Targetting the Ultra-Poor
Success in bangladesh and abroad The TUP programme’s success has received significant attention from various organisations in Bangladesh and abroad. Governments and NGOs in nine countries including Ethiopia, Honduras, Peru, Yemen, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ghana and Haiti, have drawn a significant amount of inspiration from our programme and adapted the methodology in their respective projects under the auspices of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) and the Ford Foundation. It is difficult for the poorest people to benefit from microfinance. However, a larger proportion of the poorest population need not be seen as permanent charity cases. They need a carefully sequenced set of supports that provide livelihood security, confidence building, skill development, asset transfer and support for and institutionalisation of their improved position within the local economy and society. The poorest households can develop the capacity to engage with the economy in ways that permit them to sustain their improved position without further subsidies or transfers. During the implementation of our programme we have learnt that capturing the heterogeneity amongst the poorest is critical for improving their livelihoods. Intensive handholding is another must, requiring an exclusive monitoring mechanism. One innovative aspect of our ultra poor programme is the substantial asset transfer – a one off gift of a micro business, so that they have the material resources (e.g. poultry, livestock, animal sheds, land for vegetable farming, veterinary support, etc.) and non material resources (e.g. technical skills and social support) required to start a business. In addition to that, weekly stipends and health services provide basic security for programme participants. Another innovation that contributes to the success of this programme is the village poverty reduction committee, where local elites are engaged in volunteering to support TUP participants and other vulnerable groups in the community to help and sustain our intervention.
Plans for 2012-2016 Our plan for 2012-2016 is to cover 250,000 ultra poor households under the ‘full grant based’ approach and 150,000 ultra poor households covered under the ‘grant plus loan’ approach. The programme will be expanded to urban slums and ecologically disadvantaged areas such as chars and haors. Addressing the recent issues associated with climate change, TUP is constructing a specially designed programme to reduce the vulnerability and adversity of the poorest population living in the coastal belts. Initially by 2012, the programme will be implemented in Khulna, with plans to expand in a few other coastal areas.