Begger Rehabilitation

Under this component, genuine beggars are at first identified in a Union through a thoroughly investigative process. It has been found that a lot of motivation is needed to convince a beggar to give up begging and agree to be rehabilitated into a normal life. In some cases, it takes months of counseling. Once a beggar agrees to be rehabilitated, the PO officials speaks to them to assess their health condition and what sort of economic activities he/she would like to take up.

A successfully rehabilitated beggar in his shop provided under ENRICH at Panchari Union in Khagrachari

Once the assessment is made, the beggar is given a grant of BDT 100,000 (about US$1,250). The amount is not paid in cash; rather it is deposited to a bank account, operated jointly by the grant recipient and an official of the PO. A major portion of the amount is utilized to arrange an income source for the recipients so that they do not have to seek alms. They are usually provided with livestock animals or a small shop. The rest of the money is used to improve their livelihood, for example, to repair the existing house of the recipient if it is in a dilapidated condition.

It is one of the most challenging components of ENRICH. As its nomenclature denotes, and in pursuance of the mission of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)–‘Leave No One Behind’, financing is extended to the beggars to engage them in income-generating activities. The ENRICH-implementing POs supervise their graduation on a regular basis. As of April 2022, 1,331 beggars have been successfully rehabilitated into dignified lives under ENRICH.

PKSF Chairman, Managing Director and DMD (Admin) visiting a successfully rehabilitated beggar at Dhamrai, Savar