You are here
65 projects (9 areas) successfully completed to benefit thousands of people in the SAARC Member States
65 projects (9 areas) successfully completed to benefit thousands of people in the SAARC Member States
65 projects (9 areas) successfully completed to benefit thousands of people in the SAARC Member States
The SAARC Development Fund’s Social Window has approved a total of 97 projects (16 areas) until date covering all the eight SAARC Member States with a total fund commitment of USD 92.41 million.
The Social Window funds the projects, inter alia, on poverty alleviation, social development focusing on education; health; human resources development; support to vulnerable/disadvantaged segments of the society; funding needs of communities, micro-enterprises, and rural infrastructure development.
A total of 65 projects (in 9 out of 16 areas) have been successfully completed meaning that the results from these SDF-funded projects were achieved in order to benefit thousands of people in South Asia. The projects are:
1. Strengthening the livelihood initiative for home-based workers in SAARC Region – A project through which more than 16,000 home-based workers were trained, 23 sales outlets are established and run by women workers, employed over 9,700 workers and generated a total of more than US$2 million income for these home-based workers.
2. Strengthening Maternal and Child Health Including Immunization in the SAARC Member States – Through the project, 51 Special Newborn Care Units were established, equipment were provided for 52 district hospitals, and trained more than 450 doctors, nurses and bio-medics.
3. Scaling up of Zero Energy Cold Storage (ZECS) technology for the horticultural commodities in the high hills of SAARC countries - 12 Zero Energy Cold Storage were set up in all the four SAARC Member States benefiting about 12,150 Farmers and 50,000 community people from the cold storage technology.
4. Empowering Rural Communities, "Reaching the Unreached” - 115 Community e-Centers (CeCs) established.200 community people of the Unions in Bangladesh, 60gewogs in 18 districts of Bhutan, 20 atolls in Maldives and 81 Village Development Centers in Nepal and there are 638 CeC Operators/ entrepreneurs.
5. South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC) - More than 251,700 outreach/awareness materials on Child Protection printed and distributed; Developed 2005 IEC materials on Child Projection; More than 5,243 people (media, parents, students and parliamentarian) were sensitized on Violence against Children (VAC).
6. Post-Harvest Management and Value Addition of Fruits in Production Catchments in SAARC Countries - Established 12 pack houses, 6 processing centers, 6 cold stores, 2 fruit ripening chambers and 3 banana value addition facilities to benefit hundreds of farmers in the SAARC Member States.
7. Strengthening of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in selected areas of SAARC Countries - More than 30,000 women/household workers/ farmers provided with safe drinking water and adequate water for small scale livelihoods, such as home garden cultivation, floriculture, animal husbandry, and food processing etc.
8. Masters in Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed implemented by the Center for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP), Bangladesh Health Professions Institute (BHPI) – Program caters to all the SAARC Member States. It has provided direct benefit to 150 students from SAARC Member States and 660 graduate and under graduate students as secondary beneficiaries annually, and 2,34,432 patients or the disabled or people with chronic health conditions per year as ultimate beneficiaries.
9. Networking of Women Entrepreneurs (SMEs) from SAARC Countries-Developed a Web Portal (www.saarcweportal.com)for networking of women SMEs in SAARC region to promote, Women entrepreneurial networks for advancement of their businesses at regional level, Co-operation and partnerships for promotion of their products at regional level and Facilitated more than Women entrepreneurial activities for betterment of their economies.