‘Finance-Plus’ Approach for the rural poor women: NGOs experience in Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh is over populated and developing country. Filling up all demand of the huge population is almost very difficult alone government. But government has signed up millennium development goals that are not possible for without support all. Various NGO come in front line to address the desired goals and for developing all phases of the nation at present GO and NGO work together. A growing number of NGOs in rural Bangladesh are reaching out to a vast multitude of poor women with various finance plus programs and collateral-free credit programs either by integrating them with their preexisting social welfare programs or by adding the welfare programs, thus providing a comprehensive range of services including vulnerable relief, consciousness-raising, functional literacy training, health services and group formation. It has been argued that the provision of such an integrated range of socioeconomic services not only reinforces the social and economic well-being of the poor women but also empowers them. In this paper I explore how the NGOs work in the rural area for developing ultra poor people especially women empowering. It has been also searched to see the changing pattern after engaging in NGOs in the rural area. The developments processes have been found out by discussion with twenty qualitative cases on the basis of poverty reduction theory. All cases have been selected purposefully that the selected are Jamalpur district in Dhaka division. This district has been selected for seemed undeveloped and all program of BRAC are being run. Here the sustainable livelihood framework is to be used to find out their real scenario. In the finding the basic programs and plus program are seen as the developmental tools and by these tools how much improved come out especially food security, health, education, empowering and after all social status. In the finding generally women's empowerment and improvement in all phase of their life are found to be significantly and positively associated with NGO membership and residence in an NGO program area. This Significant positive relationship of women is that contribute vital rules for improving their conditions. Comparing their before and after conditions it is found that most of the women have become self dependent and after all empowered more. Their consciousness have been dramatically changed that influence their work and mental set up. All of them now are more conscious about their health and right on everyday lives. So they always try to be neat and clean and become healthy. Whereas they were spiritually confined in their mind and obviously in their home now that scenario has been developed by the action of NGO socialization programs. BRAC is multidimensional services oriented NGO, in where most of the necessary services may be found for all vulnerable people as well as women. In the present study about twenty case studies are deeply discussed for knowing their changing pattern. After discussion it has been known that their all kind of recourses have been improved by connected with BRAC. Now they know how they should live in a sound family life because they got various training on various issues for instance neat and clean, keeping food fresh long time, sanitations, income generating programs, awareness of their right and becoming empowering. BRAC provide a wide range services for women about health. Women can get treatment about maternal and others gynecology services with others common services for all. So they are now more healthy found in the studies. In past time, it is known by finding that most of the women were unaware about their conditions and rights but after engaging with BRAC their life style are being improved gradually day by day, because in a family having not only male earner but also female earner earn more. So their financial capacities have increased more than the previous time. Another side of finding that whenever a women was generally insulted in the society and family now by earning money working in home or outside it has been turned to respect, at present women may get support to go outside and becoming independent on their wishes. Finally it is easy to say that NGO finance plus services make women empowered in all phases of life. They go mentally support from BRAC or other NGOs. On the basis of these NGOs they make their dreams gloriously to go ahead in golden future. And finally I gather some recommendation of beneficiary that they feel more for their secured future. They have no more demand but a common recommendation of all that they feel work place that may NGOs build and improve. Now they know that whenever they can earn more their all phase of live will be secured.