Examples of ADB supported pro-poor growth programs include rural electrification programs in Bangladesh and Bhutan. In areas where four out of five people lack power, electricity transforms lives. Irrigation pumps raise crops and incomes, men and women operate electric equipment for fishpond and livestock-rearing schemes and children switch on lights when they do their homework in the evenings. A second key pillar of ADB's poverty reduction strategy is social development. One such example is ADB's effort to bring education to girls in Pakistan, a country where more than 90 percent of females are illiterate.
Education brings multiple benefits.
Better-educated women are more empowered, they contribute more to the national economy, and they give children better care and opportunities. Another pillar of ADB's poverty reduction drive is good governance. The poor suffer most from weak governance, which affects the delivery of public services such as basic health care. Good governance ensures the transparent use of public funds, promotes effective delivery of public services and helps to establish the rule of law, especially the enforcement of contractual and property rights. The private sector, as the engine for economic activity in generating new business and jobs, is an essential partner in the fight against poverty.