Social Protection
Bangladesh has recognized and acted on the importance of social security as a core strategy to address the problems of poverty, vulnerability and marginalization. The poor and vulnerable groups cannot cope with the risks and vulnerability only with their own efforts. They need external supports to emancipate from poverty by breaking its vicious circle.
To convey the support for the vulnerability section of the community by addressing the key indicators for social protections RIC is conducting the following projects with the support of national & international donors:
Slum-based Citizen Action Network (SCAN) project: The project “Slum-based Citizen Action Network (SCAN)” implemented by RIC and Solidarités International (SI) in support European Union in certain slums of Dhaka City (10 slums and low-income settlement areas of 8 wards). Targeted participants were 60,000.The overall objective of the SCAN project was to enhance CSOs contributions to realizing the rights to effective Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) and Waste Management (WM) services of slum dwellers and marginalized groups in Dhaka City. It seeks to contribute to this through-
1. Citizen Engagement;
2. Sensitization of service providers;
3. Service Improvement; and
4. Governance Improvement
Older People Welfare Program: This Program has been designed to support poor and vulnerable older people through creating age friendly livelihood opportunities. Source of fund of the programme is some percentages of surplus of micro credit service charge, implementing in 26 districts of existing RIC micro-credit intervention area. RIC has been facilitating social and health services for the older people through providing economic and material support to the poor and vulnerable older people to solve their problems and meeting up their specific needs. Project components are organizing the Eye Camp, OPA formation, OPA monthly Meeting, OP center maintenance, Providing Stick/Umbrella/wheel and commode chair, Health Support, Winter cloths distribution, Funeral Support, Training on capacity building, Lobbying and Advocacy, Social awareness campaign on Elderly issues and National Day Observation. Total 2 lac older people directly and indirectly are benefiting through the implementation of such activities under RIC’s working areas. As a result of implementation of various activities under Older People programme, the older people community has become much organized, grown much stronger and capable with operations and leadership development.This has resulted in an intergenerational understanding which is directly helping the older people population and indirectly proving to be beneficial to their families as well.There are locally taken initiatives in providing social security to older people, assist in relief distribution during disasters and in the organizing of religious festivals.The aachievement and success of this program is that the older people are now much aware on their health issues and the frequency of older people visiting the healthcare service centers have increased. They now work with government institutions and NGOs and through advocacy, can play an active role in the establishment of older people’s rights. Older people now have active participation in the enlisting and distribution of Older People allowance. The older people community takes initiatives in improving the degree of cooperation and harmony between fellow elderly citizens. The inclusion of older people in the mainstream microcredit programme has enabled the older people to earn and make a contribution in their families. Thus, the older people have an active participation in social development.
Enhancing Resources and Increasing Capacities of Poor Households towards elimination of Their Poverty (ENRICH): ENRICH offers services in multiple areas such as health, education, special credit, savings, social capital formation, plant cultivation, youth development, planned homes, Social centres, welfare of freedom fighters, climate change, sports and culture etc.The ENRICH education component primarily seeks to address the problem of dropout of children from primarylevel education. The ENRICH Educational Assistance Centres (EACs) are operating in all ENRICH Unions. Here, students up to Class-II are helped for preparing the next day’s school tasks, as there are no facilities and educational support for many students at their homes. In 178 afternoon education centres in 07 unions, 178 Teachers are assisting 4450 students (girls and boys), as of June 2019.