PKSF Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation Poverty Alleviation Through Employment Generation
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PKSF Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation Poverty Alleviation Through Employment Generation PKSF Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation PKSF Who we are Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) was established in 1990 by the Government of Bangladesh as a ‘not-for-profit’ company, registered under the Companies Act 1913/1994. The principal objective of PKSF is to provide funds to various organizations for their microcredit programme with a view to help the poor who have no land or any credible material possession. Funds enable them to gain access to resources that lead to employment opportunities and enhancement of their livelihood. PKSF has a General Body consisting of 15 members and a Governing Body comprising of 7 members. The Governing Body, with the approval and supervision of the General Body, pursues and realizes the objectives of PKSF. The Managing Director is a member of the Governing Body. As the Chief Executive of PKSF, the Managing Director is comprehensibly responsible to carry out the functions of the foundation and to implement the programmes within set rules and deadlines. What we do PKSF provides assistance to the poor through different non-government, semi-government and government organizations; voluntary agencies and societies; local government bodies; institutions; groups and individuals. These organizations and institutions are largely called as Partner Organization (POs). PKSF, as the leading apex microcredit and capacity development organization in Bangladesh, has till date lent about US$ 1534.16 million (at present value) to its 268 POs covering more than 8.23 million borrowers of which more than 91% are women. Together with different financial supports such as microcredit, microsavings and microinsurance, PKSF assists its POs in their institutional development. A number of countries and organizations follow standards, guidelines and modalities developed by PKSF. In the last few years, PKSF has diversified its focus on non-credit programmes, such as training, education, health, awareness building, nutrition, direct employment linkages, and marketing supports with the objective to provide all-inclusive services for the persistent betterment of poor. Contents Messages | 04 Governance | 10 Management | 13 A Glimpse of PKSF | 16 Year 2011 | 22 Mainstream Programmes | 27 Projects | 41 Special Programmes | 55 Capacity Building Programmes | 65 20th Anniversary & Development Fair | 71 Auditor’s Report | 75 Partner Organizations (POs) | 89 Staff Profile | 107 From the Desk of the Chairman The PKSF is now focused on helping the poor to enhance their time due to adverse market behaviour and various other human dignity by extending to them necessary services and reasons. Recently climate change induced natural hazards creating an enabling environment so that they can increase such as changing and shifting pattern of rainfall, floods, their income, protect themselves from income erosion, cyclones, storm surges and salinity ingress, drought, river improve their human capabilities, raise their social standing, erosion, etc. are major sources of vulnerability. Bangladesh is and expand their choices. To that end, the PKSF has been one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. The supporting expansion of various activities already on stream poor are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate and adding new aspects and initiatives in respect of both change. The vulnerability of the affected people is economic and social development. Even in the case of exacerbated each time they suffer from a devastating extreme microfinance, the PKSF has further modified its traditional climatic event and such events are increasing as a delivery modalities to accommodate the hitherto excluded consequence of climate change. The cumulative effect of social groups (e.g. the ultra poor) and types of economic these disasters creates a vicious cycle, pushing the affected undertakings (e.g. seasonal economic activities such as non-poor to the ranks of poor, the poor to the ranks of extremely agriculture). poor, and the extremely poor to the ranks of destitute. Health, education and other social issues are being introduced Indeed, the PKSF is going to launch a project titled Community or their scope expanded along with financial and other Climate Change Programme (CCCP) under ‘Bangladesh necessary support provided for income generation within the Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF)’. The BCCRF is framework of various on-going programmes supported by the conceived as a ‘one stop mechanism’ with two funding PKSF and implemented by the PKSF partner organizations (POs) windows: one is on-budget window for public sector projects such as Programmed Initiative for Monga Eradication (PRIME), and the other is off-budget window for civil society and NGO Microfinance and Technical Support (MFTS) Project, projects. The PKSF has been given the responsibility to operate Microfinance for Marginal and Small Farmers Project (MFMSFP), the off-budget window. As per the decision of the BBCRF Board, Microfinance Support Intervention for Food Security for 10% of the total amount available over time under the Fund will Vulnerable Group Development (FSVGD) and Ultra Poor (UP) be utilized, under the management of PKSF, for supporting Beneficiaries Project and Finance for Enterprise Development adaptation activities and activities for enhancing the abilities of and Employment Creation (FEDEC) Project. The training people to adapt to adverse effects of climate change, department of PKSF has continued to facilitate implemented through NGOs and CBOs. felt-needs-based training activities for the staff of POs and the In order to reduce the vulnerability of the poor and help them to people participating in its various programmes. The number of secure their livelihood from several risks, the PKSF is now also trained hands has been increasing. focusing on insurance programmes. A pilot project entitled Poverty is not only about low income; it is crucially about “Developing Inclusive Insurance Sector Project” (DIISP) is now choices, well-being and human dignity of people. On the being implemented. This and other insurance-related piloting income front, the poor suffer from losses of income from time to activities of the PKSF are concerned with life, health, livestock, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation PKSF is now focused on helping the poor to enhance their human dignity by extending to them necessary services and creating an enabling environment so that they can increase their income and protect themselves from income erosion. and crops of the poor and low-income groups. Emphasis is on participating in the PKSF supported programmes but not limited minimal documentation requirements and flexible terms. In them, such as assistance during natural disasters and severe addition, the livestock insurance programme under the MFMSF illness, scholarships for the poor meritorious children, and project has been formulated with the objective of providing assistance for conducting social awareness activities. protection to the livestock rearers against the death of their This Report records the achievements as a result of the animals. This has started paying dividends for the livestock implementation of the PKSF supported various programmes, rearers who have joined the scheme. A wide range of other particularly the performance during the last year, and highlights services, aimed at reducing income erosion of the poor, is also the new directions and activities now focused on, including implemented under PRIME and FSVGD projects. sustained economic uplift through upgrading of skills and A household-based integrated development initiative entitled economic undertakings, widening of choices, and “Enhancing Resources and Increasing Capacities of Poor enhancement of human dignity of the people being served. Households towards Elimination of their Poverty” (ENRICH) is I would like to take this opportunity to convey my thanks to the being implemented in 21 unions in different parts of the Government of Bangladesh for the continuous support. I also country. Some, 80,000 households have been identified in thank our development partners for their co-operation. I express these unions through a rigorous survey for inclusion in the my sincere thanks to all the members of the General Body and programme. Most of these households have already been the Governing Body of the PKSF for their keen interest and included, and are being provided with wide-ranging support support. that his programme offers, on the basis of household plans prepared through consultation with the respective households. I appreciate the commitment and hard work of all PKSF In ENRICH, the overriding objective is to enhance the household personnel; the emerging commitment of the POs to promoting resources and human capabilities by providing wide-ranging human development and human dignity as explained above, support services and facilities including in the areas of health, breaking out of the confines of narrowly focused microcredit; education, training, services, and facilities to widen the choices and the hardworking ordinary people who have joined the and opportunities of the people coming under the programmes being implemented with a view to improving the programme, enterprise development, and innovative conditions of their life and living, thereby also contributing to microfinance. A special savings scheme has also been national development. In concluding, let me state designed. Under this scheme, an ultra poor household is categorically