A household is considered food secure when it can reliably gain access to food in sufficient quantity and quality for all household members to enjoy a healthy and active life. A variety of factors contribute to the food insecurity experienced by the poor in Bangladesh, including: large family size, old age (along with isolation from other family members), female household heads, and the disability of a prime income earner; ill health of a family member; work and wage-related factors have an important impact on foodsecurity, particularly seasonal unemployment and labor exploitation in the workplace. Key social, institutional, and environmental factors that contribute to food insecurity include: lack of access to common property/resources, exclusion from social security factors, and the financial strain caused by loan repayment. Natural calamities often disrupt markets, causing the poor to lose their sources of income. In addition to damaging assets and resulting in immediate food shortages, such shocks force poor households to dispose of assets in order to secure food. The condition of food insecurity, poverty, vulnerability and unemployment are worse in rural areas. SUS has been trying to change the condition through following programs/projects.
Thematic Objective
To enhance livelihood condition of poor and marginalized people by ensuring food security.
Program/project
Livelihood Development Program (LDP)(Upto April 2022)
Sabalamby Unnayan Samity (SUS) is running its Livelihood Development Program (LDP)with 6,800 (Male: 338, Female: 6,462)members from 443villages/areas of 96 unionsunder 16 upazila of 03 districts (Netrakona, Mymensingh and Sunamgonj) through 13 Branch Offices by aiming to increase income through creating employment opportunities as well as to raise awareness about the importance of unity, utilization of credit, depositing savings, education, health, law, rights etc.Presently, SUS is running the following types of IGAs such as: Buniad, Jagoron, Sufolonand Agrosor.
Strengthening Capacities of Adolescents through Sabalamby Entrepreneurship Development Center
SUS has been running Sabalamby Entrepreneurship Development project through handicrafts since its inception. At present, the skilled producers are producing batik, embroidery, handloom, bamboo & cane products. The products are being sold through SUS own sales center along with order collected from local and foreign markets. At present, 59 producers are producing block-batik (3), embroidery (8), bamboo-cane (37) and sewing (11) products and most of them are women and adolescent girls. Out of 59 workers, 38 are working at their homes.
Integrated Food Security for Aboriginal Communities (IFSAC) Project, Phase-2)
Sabalamby Unnayan Samity (SUS) has been implementing the program on peace, health and agriculture issues since September 2016-July 2021 with 525 members (Tribal: 329) from 21 groups of Dokkhin Maijpara union under Dhobaura upazila of Mymensingh district by the financial assistance of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Recently, program has been extended to ‘Ghoshgaon’ union of same upazilaby covering total 900 families (Adibasi: 670 and Muslim: 230). The program has been renamed as “Integrated Food Security for Aboriginal Communities (IFSAC) Project, Phase-2” and duration of the project is August 2021-March 2025.