Project Concept
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Poultry and Sheep Farming is an alternative climate adaptive livelihood for Sundarbans fishermen families
Summary
Mathurapur Jelly Polly is a typical fishing village located beside the world’s single largest mangrove forest Sundarbans. The village is placed on the bank of a Sundarbans river named Chunkuri. Fishing is the key livelihood for the villagers. The villagers live beneath poverty level and live from hand to mouth. They don’t have any other profession without harvesting natural resources. Dropout students generally join their parents to collect Sundarbans natural resources. By this process, pressure is increasing on the Sundarbans limited resources every day. This community is neglected by the others in the society.
Education is the key to successes for all of initiatives; so, we always give priority to education and that’s why Give2Asia and Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS) have been conducting education service program among school going students and providing business skill among the dropout students under the “Literacy and Business Education for Fishermen's Children” fromJanuary to December 2016.
Initially, we had a plan for conducting a two years project. In the first phase; we selected 50 dropout students who cann’t be brought to formal education again so we provided different skill such as poultry & livestock farming and handicraft by the skilled trainer from the Youth Development Department, Government of Bangladesh. Finally, the trainees got the Government certificate. Now, the trained villagers are trying to start their business. But it becomes really difficult for those trained poor dropout children to manage the primary capital for the business. In this circumstance we need to arrange the primary capital for conducting poultry and sheep farming business for skilled dropout fishermen’s childrenand still we are conducting literacy education service program among 89 students.
What is the problem?
Poverty becomes the major problem for the fishermen community due to lack of working scope in the locality. So, the villagers are completely dependent on the Sundarbans resources. But they are doing this job by their own life risk. After getting different skill from BEDS, the trained dropout children want to divert their profession from fishing to livestock (Sheep) raring and Poultry farming (Duck). They are showing their keen interest to start the business. Because, Sheep and Duck are actually climate adaptive animals and can survive in any climate and they do not need excessive space for raring. But the main problem for them is lack of primary capital for these businesses. At this moment, they need primary capital to start their business.
How this project will solve this problem?
Through this project the 50 trained dropout children will be able to start their business. If they will take proper care of those Sheep and Ducks; they will definitely get profit from it. In a short time they will be able to expand their business. Through their business they will be able to reduce their poverty and give up the habit of going to the forest. As a result, their socio-economic condition will be developed and they will be able to meet up their basic needs without facing the similar trouble what they had to face in the past. So, their social status will be changed and developed. Through diverting their profession, they will contribute in reducing the pressure from the Sundarbans.