1,230 ethnic families achieve food security in Godagari

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RAJSHAHI, Dec 30, 2017 (BSS) – With their relentless and sincere efforts, more than 1,230 underprivileged ethnic minority families of 30 villages under Godagari Upazila of the district have attained food security and self-reliance.

The villages are Choitanyapur, Shahanapara, Kantapasha- Edulpur, Nimkuri, Patharghata, Beldanga, Golai, Geolmari, Gardaing, Mulkidiang, Daingpara, Neemghutu, Shreerampur, Biroil, Baganpara, GonokerDaing, Farshapara, Dadour, Gunigram-Rajpara, Idulpur, Narshinghagarh- Adarshagram, Agalpur, Madhaipur andUdpur.

‘The Aboriginals Village-based Sustainable Food Security Programme’ has been playing a positive role towards making them free from poverty and hunger through building food storage (Rakkshagola).

By dint of their own initiatives, the underprivileged and disadvantaged community people have built food security to mitigate their long-lasting sufferings during the lean period.

Center for Capacity Building of Voluntary Organization (CCBVO) has initiated the programme in 2003 through disseminating updated ideas and extending some financial and technical support under the village-based community development approach.

These were revealed at a daylong annual general meeting-2017 of all the benefited community members both males and females on Rajabarihat High school playground under the same upazila today. CCBVO organized the function in association with the Bread for the World, Germany.

Omor Faruque Chowdhury, MP, attended and addressed the inaugural session as the chief guest with ethnic minority leader Proshen Ekka in the chair.

Writer and Columnist Prof Fazlul Haque, CCBVO Executive Chief Sarwar-E-Kamal, Headmaster of Rajabarihat High School Md Kamruzzaman, Union Parisad Chairman Mujibur Rahman and ethnic leaders Golna Rani and Manik Ekka also spoke. Apart from this, the beneficiaries are engaged in various income-generating activities like homestead gardening and dairy and poultry rearing, through which, they also meet up daily nutritional requirement along with building their capacity.

Some 6,236 community members including 1,792 women and 2,663 children from the 1,230 organized families attended the ceremony.

The meeting was told that the community members have, so far, saved 2.62 lakh kilograms of rice and 79,452 kilograms of paddy in addition to capital formation of around Taka 57.05 lakh.

Besides, they disbursed 2.95 lakh kilograms of rice and 26,744 kilograms of paddy and cash of Taka 29.67 lakh for health, education and other family purposes to the needy members as risk assistance during the lean period.