PKSF

Programmed Initiatives for Monga Eradication (PRIME)  

[http://www.primepksf.org/]

PKSF introduced a unique livelihood project titled Programmed Initiatives for Monga Eradication (PRIME) in the year 2006 to fight against the extreme consequences of monga and monga-like situation. The primary focus of PRIME is to create wage employment and self-employment opportunities for the monga-affected people to ensure sustainable income throughout the year. PRIME is a very efficiently developed credit plus approach of PKSF. It delivers specialized financial and non-financial services. In continuation of the successful implementation in the north, PRIME has expanded its activities in the south-western regions of Bangladesh gradually to make a significant contribution to generate sustainable livelihood of the vulnerable poor nationwide.

Working Areas  

• Northern region: All 35 Upazilas of Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts. 
• South-Western region: 12 upazilas (Asasuni, Tala, Kaliganj and Shaymnagar of Shatkhira; Koyra and Dakop of Khulna; Hizla and Mehendiganj of Barisal; Amtali, Kalapara and Golachipa of Potuakhali and Dasmina of Barguna Districts). 
• North-Eastern Region: 3 upazilas of Jamalpur district (Ishanpur, Dewanganj and Melandah).

Activities 

At present, 16 POs are implementing PRIME (North) activities in 347 unions of Greater Rangpur region while 12 POs are implementing PRIME (South) activities. Up to June 2012, PRIME organized 3,32,243 beneficiaries in the North and 85,397 in the South.

Presently, PRIME provides an extensive range of services to support its target beneficiaries through seven distinctive components. These are: group formation; provision of flexible microcredit (FMC); provision of emergency loan (EL); technical service; skill development training; primary health care services and disaster management.

Microcredit Programme: PRIME provides different flexible financial services ranging from Flexible Microcredit (FMC), a resilient loan product in terms of repayment to Emergency Loan (EL), a soft loan for emergency situations. At present, around 59% of the organized PRIME beneficiaries are involved with FMC with a loan outstanding of BDT 1231.61 million. The average loan size of FMC is BDT 9,100. Till June 2012, 62,448 PRIME beneficiaries have borrowed an amount of BDT 162.94 million as EL.

Income Generating Activities (IGAs): At present, PRIME is supporting almost one quarter of a million IGAs in addition to various technical support. Among the PRIME borrowers, 25%, 42% and 33% beneficiaries are involved with crop, livestock and off-farm related IGAs respectively.

Training: PRIME provides training both at PO and beneficiary levels. Technical and vocational training on different trades are being provided to members of ultra-poor families with a view to create some year­long income opportunities both wage employment and self-employment. Up to June 2012, nearly 0.13 million beneficiaries received training of which 14% in agriculture, 79% in livestock and rest 7% in off-farming activities.

In addition, PRIME initiated vocational training (VT) on different demand-driven trades for eligible borrowers and their family members. Up to June 2012, 239 ultra­poor received VT in different trades like automobile technology, mobile servicing, sewing, electrical wire connection etc. of which 98% are already employed in various jobs.

Technical Support Services: Beneficiaries are made conversant with technologies for IGA implementation such as crop production, rearing of livestock and other farming IGAs. In this respect, IGA implementation officers and programme assistants (technical) of POs provide required technical assistance through regular visits. As pari of technical assistance, free vegetable seeds, vaccine and de-worming drugs as well as grant for the establishment of homestead model, vegetable farm and mini-plant for vermi-compost fertilizer are provided in all the three seasons a) Robi, b) Kharip-1 and c) Kharip-2. IGA mapping activities are being implemented with a view to identify sustainable income generating activities in the salinity-affected land of Southwestern region.

Primary Health Care Services: Till June 2012, over 2.89 million PRIME beneficiaries have been provided with healthcare services for common diseases through 10,897 satellite clinics while another 22,689 patients have been referred to different government and/or private hospitals and clinics. In FY2011-2012, free medicines worth BDT 1.9 million have been distributed among members (specially for mothers and children).

Disaster management: PRIME has an efficient disaster management system to safeguard the ultra­poor from unexpected natural hazards with additional emphasis on Aila and Sidr-hit areas. During FY 2011­12,2.94 million man-days' work have been completed with the participation of 40,206 beneficiaries under cash for work (CFW) programme through 10 POs in 26 unions of 8 upazilas of 5 districts.

Learning and Innovation Fund to Test New Ideas (LIFT)

Realizing the significance of innovation as a pathway towards growth, PKSF has stepped out from its conventional microfinance activities and exclusively designed a project titled Learning and Innovation Fund to Test New Ideas (LIFT). With this project, PKSF expects to explore inventive prospects for the poor to widen their income opportunities. Since its inception in 2006, LIFT promoted considerable pro-poor initiatives and innovations through diversified use of microfinance. PKSF has extended its project support under LIFT to some non-POs for the first time in order to enact broader changes.

As per the conceptual idea of LIFT, "Innovation is an incremental or radical improvement in products/ services, processes, marketing or organizations so as to improve the quality of life, create sustained economic and employment opportunities and improve productivity, livelihood, health, education/knowledge, social and other living environment of poor people."

Elements of LIFT innovation include a movement toward something new or better than what already exists, economically viable and environment-friendly, something that optimizes natural resource utilization, poor-friendly, and scalable as well as replicable. It could be any proven idea and activity with widespread appeal but not supported/scaled up by the public or private sector because of the risk associated or low profit outcome. Since July 2010, PKSF has incorporated an innovation matrix, which is a framework used to classify innovation and evaluate LIFT proposals. LIFT fund is utilized in the form of loan, grant or technical assistance depending on the nature of different LIFT projects. LIFT finances innovative pilot ventures of which successful and viable ones are later expanded or replicated.

Activities  

up to June 2012, LIFT has supported a total of 35 innovative initiatives across the country through 40 organizations of which 23 are operated by POs and the rest 17 by non-POs. An amount of BOT 333.33 million has been sanctioned against these projects of which BOT 305.97 million has been allocated as loan and BOT 27.36 million as grant. Against the total amount sanctioned, a total of BOT 279.21 million has been disbursed, of which BOT 261.52 million as loan and the rest as grant.

Achievements

LIFT promotes innovative proposals and prospective pilot ventures to accelerate income generation and productivity of the poor. By far, LIFT has demonstrated visible diversity in promoting innovative ideas with successful implementation. A number of LIFT initiatives have exerted remarkable impact on sustainable poverty alleviation of both poor and ultra poor. For example, LIFT has introduced a specialized loan for efficient rearing of Black Bengal Goat. These beneficiaries are members of Wave Foundation at Chuadanga. It has generated sustainable economic growth as well as enhanced food security. Jagorani Chakra Foundation, Jessore and Jakas Foundation, Joypurhat have started replication of the programme.

The char land lease loan product for extreme poor of the char and remote areas is another successful contribution of LIFT. It has strengthened the capacity of ultra poor to fight against extreme poverty by ensuring self-employment opportunities and food security. This land lease programme was initiated in the char areas of Brahmaputra, Kurigram by RORS Bangladesh and is currently replicated in different char areas across the country by'S POs covering 6000 ultra poor beneficiaries.

Support from LIFT has enhanced the capacity of Sojag, a PO of PKSF, for the successful dissemination of eco­friendly urea super granule (USG) technology among the farmers of Ohamrai upazila of Dhaka. This has resulted into increased productivity of rice (by 20%), decreased cost of production (especially fertilizer by at least 25%) and also prevention of environment pollution. About 30 thousand Sojag beneficiaries are now practicing USG technology. The gradual expansion of this particular initiative is continuing.

LIFT has created an opportunity of access to financial services for many of the poor of hoar areas in Kishoreganj and Netrokona districts where Padakhep Manobik Unnayan Kendra (PMUK) is operating this programme. This initiative has resulted into financial and social upliftment of around 15 thousand ultra poor beneficiaries of haor areas.

LIFT has made remarkable progress in monga mitigation through poor-friendly craft-based enterprises. Production and marketing of export -oriented Omanian cap by Samaj Palli Unnayan Sangstha (SORS) has ensured year-round wage-employment for thousands of monga-affected households at Gaibandha.