ENRICH Program
Goals and Objectives of ENRICH Program
The whole world is currently undertaking various steps and programs in view of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. In line with that ENRICH Program is one of the initiatives taken up by PKSF.
Human livelihood, poverty and development are multidimensional. Therefore, it is not possible to alleviate poverty substantially only by providing small loans, let alone talking about sustainable socio-economic advancement. So, in real sense, to alleviate poverty, it is imperative to ensure development of other ingredients related to the life and livelihood of the poor folks by implementing effective activities towards health services, nutrition, education, enhancing social consciousness and infrastructure development.
Considering the above context, in early 2010 PKSF provided with an outline of the basic structure for ensuring human centric concerted development. On the basis of it, objectives of the ENRICH Program have been set out to be addressed by PKSF, targeting poor families at grassroots level in order to alleviate their overall poverty by enhancing wealth and capacity of the mass poor. The main objective of this Program is to empower the participating families by extending to them necessary advice and assistance considering their present wealth and capacity, so that they can optimize using their available wealth and capacity; and they can advance towards getting out from the clutches of poverty by gradually enhancing their wealth and capacity and march forward socio-economically on the basis of sustainability and can also establish each of them by their own efforts in respectable position in the society.
This Program is being implemented in Adompur, Rajnagar, Monsurnagar, Munshibazar and Panchgaon Unions of Moulvibazar and 5 Number Aylapatakata Union of Barguna keeping in view the goals and objectives of the ENRICH Program on the basis of mutual cooperation among PKSF, HEED Bangladesh, Union Parishad and the participating families.
Health Camp:
Under the activities regarding Health Services and Nutrition, 4 camps are organized annually at the Number 5 Aylapatakata Union covered by the ENRICH Program. Tests and investigations about diseases of eyes, gynecological issues, medicine, diabetes, skin & venereal diseases, Ear, Nose & Throat related complications are done and proper treatment is given at the Health Camps and necessary advice are also provided with. In order to ensure health services to the poor masses of that Union medical treatment is provided free of cost by specialized physician. In FY 2021-2022 a total of 456 patients were given health services through 4 Health Camps. So far a total of 25 Health Camps have been organized and a total of 4002 poor folks have received health care services by specialized physicians.
ENRICH Home
Special attention and advice were given in order to carry on cultivation of seasonal vegetables and other income enhancing activities. None can be left over. The underprivileged should be prioritized. Willingness and to provide labor is more important here than having money.
Achievements of the Program
During the Corona period (Year 2000) special attention and advice were given in order to carry on cultivation of seasonal vegetables and other income enhancing activities.
Income enhancing training activities
Objectives of activities
Various trainings are imparted in order to ensure better management of basic income enhancing activities of the members of families and raising their technical efficiency; as for example, rearing up ducks and hens, cows and goats; cattle fattening, vegetable cultivation at homesteads, producing vermicompost fertilizer by using leftover materials of the houses and training on pisciculture.
Achievement of activities
Training on income enhancing activities among members of Micro Finance Activities at Aylapatakata Union in 2021:- 03 batches, 100 participants.
Influence of activities
By conducting this activity, technical skill of the members has been increased; the members are being able to conduct their own income enhancing activities, for which production cost is being reduced. Knowledge earned through training is being utilized by trainee members and thus they are being benefited in many ways.
Elderly Maintenance Allowance
Elderly Allowance is now being distributed at Aylapatakata Union under the supervision of HEED Bangladesh and funding by PKSF. At the beginning 75 people were given Elderly Allowance, which was later expanded to 3028 persons. Those who are now the beneficiaries of this package are satisfied having the service. They are grateful to the organization as they are being able to contribute a little to their family of hardship. Some are buying medicine for themselves by the Elderly Allowance and some are raising roofs on their houses.
Last rites of the dead
An amount of Taka 2000/- is given for the last rites of anyone dying at the age of 60 and above, under the purview of the Aylapatakata Union Elderly Program, as per rules of the organization. Poor and helpless elderly people of the locality are being enormously benefited by this. According to the rules of the organization, 5 people are given this assistance in every month. When a poor person of the locality passes away, members of the Elderly Ward and Union Committees contact the concerned family on their own and work earnestly so that this service reaches the family easily. People of the locality are being benefited enormously through this service.
Partner of Fazlu Mallik’s struggle for life
Brief life sketch, a saga of struggle
Fazlu Mallik, father: Ismail Mallik, village: East Keorabunia, Union: Aylapatakata, Upazila: Barguna Sadar, Distrct: Barguna. He was born on 20 June 1947 at village East Keorabunia, under Aylapatakata Union in Barguna Sadar Upazila of Barguna District. Father of Fazlu Mallik was very poor, so he could not go to school owing to financial hardship. Fazlu Mallik lost his father in 1958 when he was only 11 year old. Two years after he lost his mother too. For two daily meals he had to work at other people’s homes losing his both parents at an early age. He continued to pursue his life in such a way. He got married in the year 1978. His wife’s name is Rabeya Begum. He had no cultivable land. He used run his family working as a day laborer. A boy child was born to their family in 1988. Fazlu Mallik would struggle a lot to run his small family; he had no source of income in the family. Suddenly, Fazlu Mallik fell ill and lost the ability to work, his right hand got paralyzed, face impaired and vocal quality degenerated. Since then his family started facing acute financial hardship. After some time, in view of poverty and hardship in the family, his only son left home in 2006. Fazlu Mallik, the sickly person, frustrated as well by losing his son, opted for begging alms as a living to quench hunger.
The helpless Fazlu Mallik
He had high hopes that the son would remove all his sufferings by earning a livelihood. But there was no trace of his son as days passed by and 15 years had passed. So, he had no other alternatives but to beg alms from door to door, though it was not his choice at all.
ENRICH Program and Rehabilitation Activities
In 2016 PKSF took up a coordinated activity namely ENRICH Program at Aylapatakata Union under Barguna Sadar Upazila in Barguna district targeting each man to raise his capacity. Under that activity they started health service and education assistance programs. Under the community based activities, joint efforts by PKSF and HEED Bangladesh led to materializing massive activities including installing tube wells and latrines at various social institutions, constructing small ring culverts on rural roads, arranging training for youths and assisting them to get jobs, providing loan facilities to the middle class and the lower class according to their needs, special savings program for the ultra-poor, etc. The PKSF management decided that a maximum amount of Taka 100,000/- (one lac only) would be spent for each family and they will be brought back to the mainstream of the society. At the outset under the jurisdiction of the ENRICH Union, a list of 42 beggars was prepared with the help of the associate organization. Decision was taken to rehabilitate two families of the Union from among such families, considering the intensity of their poverty.
Post rehabilitation condition:
Fazlu Mallik and his wife are at their own land
A Rehabilitation Committee was formed by the associate organization of HEED Bangladesh in accordance with the ENRICH Rehabilitation Guidelines which was entrusted to select families for rehabilitation activities and undertake overall post rehabilitation measures. That Committee Included Fazlu Mallik in the activities and he pledged that he and his wife would do something by themselves abandoning seeking help from others. He had a piece of land just beside the road around which there was a vast area to procure grass from. His house was also very suitable for rearing cow and goat. Considering all aspects, the Rehabilitation Committee, in consensus with the family of Fazlu Mallik decided to rear up cow, goat, duck and hen; accordingly a rehabilitation plan was sent to PKSF.
According to the rehabilitation process, the following financial expense was estimated for the rehabilitation:
Statement of milk sale and income-expenditure of Fazlu Mallik during the past months
Currently, though sale of milk of his cow has reduced a bit, over and above, Fazlu Mallik’s family has been running very well. People of the community has started giving him and his wife due importance. He finds positions in various committees in the society. The Rehabilitation Committee and officials from HEED Bangladesh are observing them closely. They are also advising him regularly regarding increase in his income, savings and capital as well as maintenance of his family, etc.
Fazlu Mallik is now a member of the mainstream of the society. He is dreaming as to how to increase income of the family by raising a small poultry farm on the premises of his homestead. Seeing this family none can guess that only eight months ago, they could not light an oven, feed themselves without seeking help from others. ENRICH has made the opportunity to live worthily, upgrading a struggle-some life into human dignity.
