But when they meet with me, they see that no, The Hunger Project will not provide money, and will provide only for skills, provide only for empowerment and training, to increase their strength. They see that when they've been provided money, it created dependency. This way they gain power, build up confidence, and then they can take risks. The villagers of Vellacob in Gaibanda District decided they needed funds to build a small fishing industry, which would provide income as well as food. But we provide some ideas and say, 'Every day you spend just one or two taka and waste it, like with smoking.
Some people are thinking they have no reserve fund, so they do the work.
They identify how much time they have spent doing the labor. They convert that into taka and this money is invested in the project. In one year there's been a 50 percent return on their investment, families are being fed and children schooled. People say, 'Please, Joli, provide some money for our project because we have no money. Often they submit a big budget.