EU Head of Development Cooperation visited PPEPP-EU project working area
A high-level delegation from the European Union (EU) to Bangladesh conducted a three-day visit from 6-8 February 2025, to assess the progress of the Pathways to Prosperity for Extremely Poor People – European Union (PPEPP-EU) project in the coastal regions. The delegation included Michal Krejza, Head of Development Cooperation; Trijntje Talen, Head of Section, Finance, Contracts & Audit; Nicolas Merville, Finance Manager; and Meher Nigar Bhuiyan, Programme Manager (Livelihoods). They were accompanied by Dr Sharif Ahmed Chowdhury, Project Director of the project.
Meeting with the POs
On 6 February, the delegation met with PPEPP-EU implementing Partner Organizations (POs) in the coastal areas. PO representatives highlighted PKSF’s crucial role in strengthening their capacity through training, technical assistance, institutional development, monitoring, policy guidance, innovation, and research. PKSF continues to equip its POs with the resources and expertise needed to support vulnerable populations and reduce poverty in Bangladesh.
Visit to Kaikhali Union, Shyamnagar upazila
On 7 February, the EU delegation visited project activities in Kaikhali Union, Shyamnagar upazila, Satkhira. They met with the Kakorghata Khalpara Village Committee, where members shared how the project had improved their livelihoods.
The delegation observed various income-generating activities (IGAs), including bamboo and cane crafts, fishing gear production, agro-food processing, live fish fry selling in oxygenated vans, mobile servicing, fish processing, crab fattening, poultry and sheep rearing, vegetable cultivation, tailoring, and mustard oil seed production.
The delegation also visited a ‘Social Development Center’ for adolescent girls, where they learned how project interventions are preventing early marriage, enhancing health awareness, and fostering self-reliance. Members of the ‘Mother and Child Forum’ shared their experiences in promoting the maternal health and nutrition of children under five, contributing to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
Lastly, the delegation visited a ‘Prosperity House’, a model for sustainable poverty alleviation through income diversification. The household runs 14 farm and non-farm IGAs, generating over BDT 15,000 per month while ensuring family nutrition.
Visit to Baradal Union, Assasuni upazila
On 8 February, the EU delegation visited PPEPP-EU project interventions in Baradal Union, Assasuni Upazila, Satkhira. They visited an eye camp organized under the project, which provided vision checks and cataract screenings.
They then visited a climate-resilient, high-value safe-vegetable cultivation cluster, where extremely poor households cultivate crops such as brinjal, onion, garlic, tomato, cauliflower, turnip, and beetroot. Climate-resilient farmers among the project beneficiaries have led the farming community from its traditional single-crop system (Aman rice only) to a multiple-cropping system, boosting the area’s economic growth.
The delegation also assessed the PPEPP-EU project’s financial performance at both branch and head offices of the POs. They commended the progress and emphasized on the importance of continued collaboration in uplifting Bangladesh’s extremely poor people.
