To ensure sustainable livelihoods of rural people of Bangladesh, UNDP sponsors the project Rural Poverty Alleviation in Kishoreganj in 202 villages in the Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila.
Kishoreganj project is used here to refer to both the regional and national projects.
At the same time, the project seeks to instil service providers at the local level, such as government departments, NGOs organisations and the private sector, with an understanding of the needs and concerns of the poorest and most vulnerable, including awareness that women and men have different needs. In addressing the situation of women, the project assumes a gender mainstreaming, broad-based approach, rather than explicitly targeting women. The stock of social capital in the project area has increased, as measured by the enhanced trust in among VO members, increased sense of security, and the many community endeavours organised by the VO members. The security situation has improved markedly. The number of court cases filed by VO members has dropped from 40 to 5 cases yearly.