PKSF’s Prosperity programme working for sustainable poverty alleviation

If people are poor or extreme poor, it is because they lack choices, and Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) is relentlessly working to diversify their choices and come out of extreme poverty. 

PKSF Chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad made the remark during a webinar on Wednesday. 

The webinar was organised to share the progress of a multidimensional extreme poverty programme titled Pathways to Prosperity for Extremely Poor People, being implemented by PKSF with joint funding from UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO; formerly DFID) and European Union.

Senior Secretary of Finance Division of the Ministry of Finance Abdur Rouf Talukder, spoke at the webinar as chief guest while Financial Institutions Division Additional Secretary Arijit Chowdhury, FCDO Development Director Judith Herbertson and EU Head of Delegation to Bangladesh Maurizio Cian were special guests.

Popularly known as “Prosperity,” the 6-year-long programme is working to lift 10 lakh people belonging to 2.5 lakh households out of extreme poverty by 2025, a press release from the organisation reads. 

The programme, launched in April 2019, is covering nearly 200 unions of 43 upazilas under Kurigram, Thakurgaon, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Magura, Patuakhali, Bhola, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj and Habiganj districts. 

People living in these districts face present and future climate shocks that threaten their lives and livelihoods, the press release further says. 

During the first year of the Prosperity programme, more than 30,000 extremely poor households have been brought under its coverage.

Delivering the welcome speech, PKSF Managing Director Moinuddin Abdullah hoped that the Prosperity programme will make significant contributions in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 7th Five Year Plan of the Bangladesh government.

The Chief Guest noted that the Prosperity programme’s multidimensional interventions are addressing poverty and its causes in a sustainable way.

Speaking at the webinar, Judith Herbertson of FCDO and Maurizio Cian of EU acknowledged Bangladesh’s impressive progress in poverty reduction and reiterated their commitment to support poverty alleviation programmes.

Top officials from different line ministries and departments, deputy commissioners and Upazila Nirbahi Officers of the programme’s working areas, representatives from development partners and development organisations, extreme poverty experts and academicians also attended and spoke at the webinar.