Women saved from extreme poverty in Odisha by Bandhan Konnagar

Leading NGO Bandhan Konnagar is all set to launch a drive in Bhadrak district with an aim to uplift over 2,000 families out of debilitating poverty.

The NGO will launch the drive in Bhadrak after successfully uplifting around 1,800 poor women in Odisha's Kendrapara district.

"We are now taking our unique programme - 'Targeting the Hardcore Poor' (THP) - to Bhadrak district where 2,000 women-headed families have been selected as beneficiaries of this THP programme," Chandra Sekhar Ghosh, founder of Bandhan Konnagar, said.

"We are glad that we have been able to uplift 1,800 families in Kendrapara from the clutches of extreme poverty.

The mission of the THP programme is to help such women live with dignity. Work in Bhadrak will start from August 1," he said.

Ghosh was here for the graduation ceremony of Bandhan Konnagar's just concluded THP programme in Kendrapara district.

He said funding for the programme in Bhadrak will be provided by Bandhan Bank through its CSR activities.

Odisha's Women and Child Development minister Prafulla Samal lauded Bandhan Konnagar's efforts at uplifting extremely poor women.

"Bandhan Konnagar has done a commendable job in bringing succour to these very disadvantaged women-headed families. The state government will extend all help to the organisation to do more such work in Odisha," he said.

Bandhan Konnagar'S THP programme had targeted women from seven blocks of Kendrapara, Ghosh said.

The women successfully claimed their rightful place in the mainstream society after years of extreme struggle for survival. The areas covered were Mahakalpara, Marsaghai, Derabish, Aul, Rajnagar, Pattamundai, Kendrapara Municipality and Rajkanika.

Explaining the THP programme, Ghosh said it uses a 24-month rigorous graduation model to assist vulnerable women as they forge a pathway out of poverty through micro-entrepreneurship.

In Odisha, the program was launched in 2015, with funding from USAID-DIV and in collaboration with J-Pal, a global research and policy organisation.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)