Some 300 ethnic minority distressed people got blankets to protect themselves from the current cold bite in Rajshahi Barind area on Sunday. The warm clothes were distributed at Muslimpur Girls Academy playground under Nachole upazila in Chapainawabganj district on behalf of the Tradecraft Exchange Bangladesh Staff Benevolent Fund and ASSEDO.
Agriculture Sustainable and Socio-economic Development Organization (ASSEDO) organized the distribution programme through maintaining health guidelines.
Zila Parishad Chairman Ashraful Haque distributed the blankets as chief guest. Traidcraft Exchange Bangladesh Country Director Shahed Ferdous and its Finance Manager Monzurul Haque and Project Coordinator Shah Sufi Al Motayakkel Billah and ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Alam were present on the occasion.
Traidcraft Exchange and ASSEDO are jointly implementing a project titled "Fighting Forced Labour with Adivasi and Dalit Communities in South Asia" in 50 villages under Tanore upazila in Rajshahi and Nachole upazila in Chapainawabganj districts.
Main objective of the three-year project is to address the systemic and structural vulnerabilities of marginalized agricultural communities for eliminating the child labour.
Identically, the project is intended to make 4,000 youths of 2,000 households self-reliant engaging them in various income-generating activities.
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Earlier, 1,500 other youths including 800 females from 1,000 ethnic minority families were given different machines for making money with cash support, said Rabiul Alam.
Of them, 350 got building construction instruments, 250 electrical and house wearing, 190 Mobile servicing equipment, 60 beef fattening materials, 150 tailoring inputs, 105 tiles fitting materials and 100 goat rearing inputs.
Simultaneously, they were imparted practical training on the respective trades and vocational education to make them efficient.
At least 20 persons have got jobs in different private sectors and are doing their work successfully.
