About shiree

economic empowerment of the poorest in Bangladesh About shiree

How we do it

Where we work

The Economic Empowerment of the Poorest (EEP) programme is a partnership between UKaid from the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 1 of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. shiree, the Bangla word for 'steps', has been adopted by EEP to describe the programme approach: to support and enable households to climb out of extreme poverty. (shiree: stimulating household improvements resulting in economic empowerment.)

shiree is a ‘challenge fund’ that provides resources to national and international NGOs selected through a competitive three stage bidding process. The NGOs are assessed by an Independent Assessment Panel which forwards recommendations to a GoB-headed National Steering Committee for approval. shiree partners with the approved NGOs to monitor and support the implementation of extreme poverty reduction projects.

shiree currently supports 9 scale fund and 27 innovation fund projects, implemented in 92 upazilas of 24 districts in Bangladesh.

What we do In partnership with NGOs, shiree helps the poorest 10% of the population achieve sustainable livelihoods. In addition, shiree assists extreme poor households to gain improved access to government services, develop better health and hygiene facilities, improve nutritional intake and enhance resilience to seasonal disasters and climate change. In order to break the vicious cycle of inter-generational poverty, shiree strives to eliminate all forms of social exclusion and is committed to women's empowerment.

shiree provides two types of funds: a scale fund and an innovation fund. The former allows NGOs the opportunity to expand successful existing programmes and the latter to design new approaches to reduce extreme poverty in urban and rural areas. shiree also creates learning and advocacy platforms to build and share knowledge with the government, the private sector, donors and NGOs to transform the way in which we approach extreme poverty.

House 5, Road 10, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Phone : 880 2 8822758, 880 2 9892425, Email : info@shiree.org

Who we are Harewelle International Ltd and PMTC Bangladesh Ltd manage the EEP Challenge Fund/shiree in consultation with consortium partners, the Centre for Development Studies at Bath University, the British Council and Unnayan Shamannay.

www.shiree.org SCALE FUND Organisation

Project Goal CARE Bangladesh nurtures skills for non-farm based income (such as honey, kathas, shoes) and employment, improves access to common resources and promotes asset building @ Rangpur, Nilfamari, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha Dushtha Shasthya Kendra provides assets and cash stipends to start small businesses amongst women-headed households in slums @ Dhaka Netz Bangladesh distributes productive assets to women-headed ethnic minority households, creates market linkages & improves access to safety nets @ Rajshahi, Naogaon, Dinajpur, Chapainawabganj Practical Action Bangladesh uses sand-bars, under-utilised, barren lands and water resources to develop diversified farm (pumpkins) & non-farm (handicraft) skills & creates market linkages to generate income in Riverine areas @ Rangpur, Nilfamari, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat Save the Children diversifies livelihood options through asset transfer, skills building, cash stipends & creates market linkages in disaster-prone areas & secures safety nets @ Khulna, Bagherhat Uttaran transfers khas land to extreme poor households & helps them develop income generating opportunities through asset & skill transfers @ Satkhira, Khulna Caritas supports agro-forestry income opportunities, improved food security & education outcomes @ Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachari Concern Worldwide supports land-leasing & cultivation with flood-resistant cropping technologies & other non-farm income opportunities @ Sunamganj, Habiganj, Kishoreganj Oxfam builds Community Based Organisations (CBO) to engage households in climate change-resilient livelihood initiatives @ Pirojpur, Borguna, Patuakhali

INNOVATION FUND Organisation

Project Goal Aid Comilla provides artificially inseminated cows that produce more milk to extreme poor households & creates market linkages with dairy processors @ Feni Centre for Natural Resources Studies distributes agricultural inputs & khas kanda land in Haor districts & encourages savings @ Sunamganj Green Hill creates economic opportunities for ethnic minorities through conditional cash transfer & the development of community based savings, loan & insurance systems @ Bandarban, Rangamati Helen Keller International widens market access for women through training, tools for contour farming, low-cost post-harvest storage & processing technologies for fruits & spices @ Khagrachari Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation introduces different agricultural technologies for improving livelihoods of extreme poor in haor areas & combates seasonal hunger through cow rearing & bio gas technology @ Sunamganj, Rangpur Shushilan is introducing floating garden & crab fattening technology to reduce extreme poverty in climatically vulnerable areas @ Jessore, Saatkhira, Barguna ActionAid leases land & provides extreme poor households with technical training for bio-diversity centres @ Nilfamari Mahideb Jubo Somaj Kallayan Somity reduces seasonal food insecurity through artificially inseminated, high yield dairy cows @ Kurigram National Development Programme improves nutritional intake of extreme poor households through diversified vegetable farming @ Bogra Panchbibi Upazila Adibashi Multipurpose Development Organisation reduces food insecurity by providing access to land & support for IGAs to ethnic minority women headed households @ Joypurhat SKS Foundation promotes strawberry & high value fruit production on leased land to generate alternative livelihoods for the extreme poor @ Gaibandha Action for Disability and Development builds capacity of disabled people for employment in the private sector @ Dhaka

INNOVATION FUND Organisation

Project Goal Concern Worldwide creates economic opportunities for street dwellers through mobile food shop development @ Dhaka Gono Unnayan Kendra provides vocational training so extreme poor can access garment sector jobs in cities @ Gaibandha Plan Bangladesh creates economic opportunities for street children through training @ Dhaka Save the Children provides need & capacitybased livelihoods programmes, skill training, & vocational education to urban streetdwellers & adolescent girls @ Khulna, Barishal Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha trains households on three-tier farming techniques using solar powered training boats to help landless people adapt to climate change induced flooding @ Pabna Bangladesh Organisation for Social Services creates sustainable opportunities to help to build social and economic linkage between marginalised & mainstream communities @ Pabna Ethnic Community Development Organisation promotes commercial cultivation of medicinal plants to provide livelihood security to indigenous beneficiaries @ Bandarban Handicap International improves the functional autonomy of persons with disabilities through access to community-based rehabilitation services & income-generating opportunities @ Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar HelpAge International combines livelihood, market linkage & social inclusion approaches to provide elderly beneficiaries with ‘age-friendly’ income opportunities @ Lakshmipur, Kurigram International Development Enterprises uses a conditional cash transfer approach to promote above-ground homestead production among extreme poor women & teenage girls @ Barisal PRIP Trust provides technical skills, equipment support & income opportunities to vulnerable female construction workers @ Dhaka TARANGO provides stable income & sustainable livelihoods for indigenous communities through traditional handicraft business development @ Bandarban