Development Support Services to Women under the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) Programme

The Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme is one of the largest social safety net programmes of the government of Bangladesh which aims to increase the earning potential and social empowerment of the most disadvantaged ultra-poor households and vulnerable rural women. During a 24-month cycle, wheat/rice is provided to give women a temporary break from the struggle to find food and allow them to participate in training programmes and attend courses focused on market-based income-generating activities, provision of savings and credit, and functional education (health, nutrition, literacy, etc.). These activities have been successful in improving the food security of the households headed by widowed, divorced, separated/abandoned women and women with disabled husbands. It also helps improve the nutritional status of malnourished women and children. Currently, about 750,000 women participants (about 3.75 million beneficiaries) from ultra-poor households receive a monthly food ration combined with a package of development services. The development package includes life skills and income-generating skills training as well as a personal savings programme and access to mainstream development programme by linking them to microcredit/NGO membership.

BLF has been implementing this project since July 2019 in nine unions of Dowarbazar upazila in Sunamganj district of Sylhet division with 2,207 women VGD participants supported by the Department of Women Affairs (DWA). The objectives of the project are to build the income-earning capacities of the VGD women and empower them socially through imparting training to them on raising awareness, a variety of income-generating activities (IGAs), provision of credit, and other support services during and beyond the food assistance periods; and ensure the sustainability of development results and provide women with opportunities to further improve their livelihoods through mainstreaming them in regular NGO development programmes on completion of the VGD cycle.

The major components of the program are:

1. Income-Generating Activities (IGA)
2. Entrepreneurship Development
3. Environmental Development
4. Life Skill
5. Deposit Scheme and Loan
6. Health, Food, and Nutrition for Mothers, Children & Adolescents