Challenging The Frontiers of Poverty Reduction : Targeting the Ultra poor A BRAC INITIATIVE

1. Challenging The Frontiers of Poverty Reduction : Targeting the Ultra poorA BRAC INITIATIVE

2. Targeting the ultra poor • Ultra Poverty : Bangladesh Scenario • Total Population : 130 million • Ultra Poverty : 26% of the population (World Bank 1995) • The Ultra Poor spend 80% of their income on food • Still fail to reach 80% of their recommended calorie intake.

3. Targeting the ultra poor BRAC’s two major programs for addressing ultra poverty are : • Income Generation for Vulnerable Groups Development Program (IGVGD) since 1987 • Special Investment Program for the Specially Targeted Ultra Poor (STUP) since 2002

4. Targeting the ultra poor • IGVGD Program Model : Special features • Partnership program • Selection of beneficiaries done by the Government • Program implementation model developed jointly by all partners • Group approach • Food support in terms of monthly wheat ration for 24months • Enterprise development Training • Social Awareness raising education • Credit support • Savings • Close Follow-up and supervision for 24 months

5. Targeting the ultra poor • Major Lessons from IGVGD : • Most often the conventional microfinance program look at the ultra poor as high risk group • Disciplines of microfinance do not suit the livelihood pattern of the ultra poor • Ultra poor members do not feel confident about repayment of the loan • Absence of adequate social protection measures in existing MF interventions • 60%-65% of IGVGD members can benefit from the IGVGD program model. The rest - drop out • Something else needs to be done for those category of ultra poor who cannot make use of Food+credit model.

6. Targeting the ultra poor THEREFORE , BRAC’S NEW TAILOR MADE APPROACH FOR THE ULTRA POOR SINCE 2002 : Special Investment Program for the Specially Targeted Ultra Poor

7. Targeting the ultra poor Objective of the program Creating solid economic and social capital base for the ultra poor population in rural Bangladesh

8. Targeting the ultra poor • Definition of the Ultra Poor • households with < 10 decimals of land • earns livelihood as beggar, day laborer, domestic aid • no productive assets • children of school-going age • taking up paid work • no adult male active member in the household

9. Targeting the ultra poor Identification process • Districts and Sub-districts with severe food insecurity , and very high poverty level , identified • NGO Survey carried out to see the volume and types of NGO interventions addressing the ultra poor in those districts and sub-districts • More specific villages identified which had severe concentration of ultra poverty • Participatory Rural Appraisal meeting held with the villagers, Primary list of Ultra poor produced by the villagers through Social Mapping and wealth ranking • Door to door survey by BRAC's Staff / preliminary selection • Final Selection after Verification

10. Targeting the ultra poor • Some Base line information : sample size 5000 • Only 2.6% of the ultra poor household reported ever participation in NGOs • 53.7% completely landless • 70% depends on day labourer for income source • 5.7% earns from begging • 16.9% households reported always food deficit • 48% of household cannot afford two meals a day • only 6.8% pregnant mothers had their Blood pressure checked as ANC • Death rate of <1year children - 49.3% • 32.6% ultra poor member dies without accessing any sort of treatment • 95% ultra poor have no fixed place for sanitation • 45.1% do not use delivery kit for child delivery • 96.2%do not take iodized salt

11. Challenging The Frontiers of Poverty Reduction Targeting the Ultra Poor • Programme Coverage • Year : 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total • Members • served : 5000 5000 10,000 25,000 25,000 70,000

12. Challenging The Frontiers of Poverty Reduction Targeting the Ultra Poor Support provided to the ultra poor • Enterprise Development Training • Assets Transfer to start an enterprise • Stipend • Social awareness raising education and community mobilization • Essential Health care , health education , financial assistance .

13. Targeting the ultra poor • Enterprise Development Training • Class-room Training on Enterprise Development : 3-day basic ; 11 refresher courses in the following 11 months. • Hands on Training in terms of weekly individual follow-up • Ensuring technical support to run the enterprise • Create market link for different enterprises

14. Targeting the ultra poor • Asset Transfer to the enterprise • Livestock rearing • Poultry Rearing • Vegetable Cultivation • Non-farm Activities • Horticulture Nursery • Wage employment ( shoe factory , bakery , napkin centres)

15. Targeting the ultra poor Some Exclusive Features of the Special Investment Component • Value of asset : Average US$ 100 • Support in kind • Weekly stipend for short term income support • Close supervision for 24 months

16. Pattern of Enterprise choice

17. Targeting the ultra poor • Tailor made Social Development program for the Ultra poor • Weekly informal discussion session on paralegal issues • Confidence Building Training after 18 months. • Local Community Leaders Workshop to activate and enhance the commitments of the local authorities. • Legal support from BRAC’s Legal Aid Clinic . • Popular Theatre • Advocacy workshops , seminars

18. Targeting the ultra poor • Community Mobilization Through Village Poverty alleviation Committee • 7-9 member Village Poverty alleviation committee formed • Social security ensured , social conflicts resolved by this committee • tube well , sanitary latrines installed through locally mobilized funds and resources. • houses repaired/ rebuilt through locally mobilized • funds and resources. • children of ultra poor families enrolled in schools by the committee

19. Targeting the ultra poor • Tailor madeHealthInterventions for the ultra Poor • First strategy: Social Mobilization , Health Awareness raising , Basic Health Care. • Second Strategy : Financial Assistance For Mild and Severe morbidity - Health ID Card for the Ultra Poor - Create Strong Linkage with other Health Service providers

20. Targeting the Ultra Poor • Some findings from External Evaluation 2004 and 2005 • The program is assisting the ultra poor members to move out of extreme poverty on a sustainable basis. • Ultra Poor members are making solid progress in growing their asset base • 75% of members have built the foundation for a sustainable livelihood.

21. Targeting the Ultra Poor • An indicator of improvement is diversification of IGAs. Over 90% members have more than two sources of income. • The dominant plan among STUP women looking to future investment is to acquire their own land • 84.5% now eats three meals a day (54% at base line) • 89.4% of school aged children are enrolled in school ( 65% at base line)

22. Targeting the Ultra Poor • Lessons Learned • Close supervision model is a must for any program for the ultra poor • supervision must address assessing the current needs and counseling on how to graduate beyond ultra poverty • Educating the ultra poor members about their future planning is crucial

23. Targeting the Ultra Poor • Lessons Learned • Special efforts needed to change the mind set of the participants who might consider the assets transfered to them as a “relief” item. • Community mobilization effort is necessary in order to ensure social security and to create enabling environment within the community.

24. Wider Learning • Products Assets and Access Grants and Targeting Broad-based Intervention Village Institutions • Management Supervision • Training Empathy and Commitment

25. Targeting the ultra poor For more information about BRAC’s Ultra Poor Program Pls. see our website : www.bracresearch.org THANKYOU