MESSAGE In keeping with its unfolding activities, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) in financial year 2008-2009 (FY 2009) has deepened its programs and widened its reach to provide a more comprehensive support to achieve poverty alleviation. It is a common acknowledgement that the relationship between economic growth and poverty reduction has not always been straight foreword. For economic development including poverty reduction to take place, a robust economic growth is necessary but not sufficient; economic growth must be pro-poor in nature. The financial allocation as much as the sources of finance play a crucial role in implementing the poverty eradication development-endeavors and achieving macroeconomic objectives like growth, employment, and price stability. Widely known as an apex organization providing credit and regulatory guidelines to its Partner Organizations (POs), PKSF has stepped forward to innovate, develop and strengthen programs to address the critical issues of access to finance, skill and capacity building, health and education. In the midst of economic recession and natural calamities such as SIDR, AILA etc., PKSF was able to strive forward with timely programs that addressed the unexpected needs of the moment. Deparation by disaster is in many ways a symptom of underdevelopment. Lack of access to safe drinking water, shelter and finance are common phenomena of natural calamities. PKSF responded quickly to the impact of AILA 2009 that devastated the southern belt of Bangladesh by employing efforts in providing access to safe drinking water, implementing cash for work for employment generation and disbursing fund to help rebuild houses and livelihoods of the severely affected people of the region. In the wake of price hike basic food, rising food inflation, inflation, high unemployment, and the consequent lack of fund available with the poor people PKSF was able to achieve 36 percent growth in disbursement of fund in its mainstream programs. PKSF’s Microenterprise (ME) program launched the first of its kind, a value chain development (VCD) project with the focus of strengthening non-financial support services that are vital for successful implementation of Microenterprise. This will entail developing forward and backward linkages of the targeted sectors. This is a challenging initiative that will encompass issues such as product diversification, market access, and access to raw materials at low cost. The predominantly inherent goal of microenterprise loan is to generate employment. Throughout the year, PKSF continued to deepen and scale up its programs. The success of Programmed Initiatives for Monga Eradication (PRIME) project, which was designed to address the needs of the monga-prone areas in northern Bangladesh, has led PKSF to replicate the project in the southern region of the country. PRIME incorporated health services for the monga-prone poor in the north. PKSF launched agriculture sector loan program targeted for the small, marginal, and tenant farmers. Implementation of Microcredit for Ultra Poor, which is the largest ultra poor program in Bangladesh covering around 1 million poorest households admittedly, is a noteworthy achievement of the organization. To respond to the evolving needs of the poor, PKSF has become a house for financial and programmatic innovations. A number of initiatives are in the process of development, including micro insurance, health and education initiatives, advancement of use of IT in management, development of foreword market linkage and so on. Some of the focal points of intervention are to encourage the use of appropriate technology, increase productivity and facilitate product marketing. PKSF has been moving towards providing a comprehensive approach to development in the rural area under the banner of a proposed flagship program titled ‘Comprehensive Development: One Union One PO’. Its strength of credit disbursement will be combined with non-credit components such as skill development, health, education, marketing, awareness-building, and optimum economic use of homesteads of poor households in a union. To begin with, the program will get piloted in 21 preselected unions. The eminent members of the board of directors, the POs and most of all the people who work at PKSF all helped to better implement the PKSF programs and policies. I would also like to thank the development partners including International Fund for Agricultural Development, Asian Development Bank, UK Department for International Development, and the Government of Bangladesh, for their continuous support that has contributed to expanding and deepening our programs and launching innovative approaches in this fiscal year. I look forward to diligently working together to alleviate poverty through employment generation. |   |
Managing Director