Since 2002 NETZ has together with its partner organisations developed a model for the economic and social empowerment of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in Bangladesh and the betterment of their livelihoods. So far, at least 175,000 people have successfully freed themselves from extreme poverty and hunger through this approach. The approach addresses the interconnected problems of the multi-dimensional marginalization of extreme poor families and combines an asset transfer model for income generation with a broader rights-based approach aiming at the structural causes of extreme poverty. The main stakeholders in this long-term empowerment process are women, who, due to prevailing gender-based discrimination and inequalities, are the most disadvantaged.
Overall, our approach is built on the following core elements:
Based on these elements our approach encompasses three inter-related stages:
(1) improve people’s immediate economic situation, i.e. their basic livelihoods;
(2) foster solidarity and collective action, by supporting the establishment of self-help structures at grassroots level that serve as an organisational platform and a social force at the same time;
(3) assist to anchor those structures at several levels within the existing social web and enable the participants to run them without external support and exercise their rights.
The following model illustrates the graduation of the project participants from extreme poverty and how economic and social empowerment are emphasized during the graduation process:
Want to know more details? The following pages provide a comprehensive overview of this approach including its procedures and tools employed. Specifically you will find detailed information on the following components of our programme:
(Please also use the navigation bar on the right to browse through the different components)
