RAJSHAHI, Nov 22, 2023 (BSS) - Around 64 youths, both male and female, were given jobs after imparting them with training on different trades and vocations during the last six months in the city.

Apart from this, 112 persons with special needs were given support to get Subarna Cards from the local office of the Department of Social Services.

More than 527 marginalized families were given livelihood support aimed at improving their living and livelihood conditions.

 In order to reduce urban poverty and hunger, the slum households were brought under food support amid public private collaborative efforts.

 These were revealed at a dialogue with government and non-government officials concerned, public representatives, members with the civil society and community leaders related to the city level social safety net today.

 BRAC Urban Development Programme (UDP) organized the meeting at the Councilor office of Ward number 12 of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) discussing and devising ways and means on how to elevate living and livelihood conditions of the marginalized families living in slums and other poverty-prone areas.

    The meeting was told that six community toilets and two submersible pumps were installed in the targeted slum areas for improving health and hygiene of the underprivileged people.

Ward Councilor and RCC Panel Mayor Shariful Islam Babu and regional coordinator of BRAC Farzana Parveen addressed the meeting as focal persons.

 Assistant Director of the Department of Social Services Bayezid Hossain Wareshi and Assistant Director of the Department of Youth Development Shamsunnahar Khatun and Community Leader Nazmun Nahar Khatun highlighted their respective promotion activities related to employment generation and poverty eradication.

 Farzana Parveen said around 11,500 households consisting of around 57,300 population living in different slum areas in the city are getting the time-fitting tools to improve their living and livelihood conditions through reducing multidimensional poverty and deprivation.

 An empowering situation has been created so that the targeted people are able to get access to adequate safe drinking water and sanitation, affordable housing, basic and inclusive services and upgraded slums.

 Under the project, the families are getting empowerment and entrepreneurship privileges through need-based promotional activities.

 As a whole, the UDP is intended to promote the socio-economic empowerment of the beneficiary people.