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Started in January 2006
and funded by Ireland-based donor organization Concern, this
five-year project aims to help households of char island dwellers in
northern Bangladesh receive vocational skills training in sectors
such as cow fattening, rug-making and groundnut-growing and then
match them with a private sector partner that will purchase their
products.
Concern, through the
broad-based Nodi o Jibon
Project, works with numerous local NGOs, including JOBS,
to improve the livelihood conditions of the extreme poor living in
selected chars of the Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat and Pabna districts.
Chars are islands that have been raised from the flow
of the river. Every year these islands experience flooding,
decreasing the volume of cultivable land, and washing away newly
raised chars, leading to frequent relocations of families. Due to
this uncertainty, livelihood options such as education, primary
health care, sanitation, continued wage earnings etc. are very
limited in the char islands.
JOBS works to create
opportunities for beneficial private sector linkages and provides
training for those NGOs working in the geographical area in order to
strengthen their capacity as service organizations. As a pilot
project within the broader Nodi o Jibon concept, JOBS
selected cattle-rearing focused on the Pabna chars. Following the
implementation of this activity, JOBS will turn to ground nut-growing
in Lalmonirhat, and jute-based garment production in Nilphamari.
Objectives:
To
date, JOBS has partnered with JSKS and BOSS, local NGOs
working in the targeted areas, and Bengal Meats, the private sector
partner contributing to the cattle-rearing program and providing a
market for the fattened cattle.
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