The American International University-Bangladesh(AIUB), the implementing institution of a research project to explore pathways for economic empowerment of slum women in Sutrapur held a dissemination program about the findings and significant recommendations. The Project Partners composed of the British Council, University Grants Commission, ActionAID and Nari Moitree participated in the program to lend support to AIUB. The Vice Chancellor, Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna delivered a welcome message followed by the representatives of the project partners: Dr. Borendra Tripura, Project Manager-Bristish Council, Mr. Reefat Bin Sattar, Director Program Quality and Impact-ActionAid and Ms. Taslima Huda, Program Coordinator-Nari Moitree. The Project Team members headed by Prof. Dr. Charles C. Villanueva, Pro Vice Chancellor, coordinated the entire program. The other team members are: Ms. Farheen Hassan, Head Management Department, Ms. Hafsa Maryam, Asst. Professor, Department of Management, Prof. Dr. Faruque Hossain and Mr. Pronoy Anthony Costa, Research Assistant.
The women faculty, students, officials of the university, NGOs and other private sectors were present to share the importance of this undertaking promoting the welfare of women especially in a deprived and disadvantaged location like Sutrapur. The research revealed that the women of Sutrapur have the potentials to be economically empowered given the appropriate support and encouragement from the various sectors, the family and community. The research has also contributed in the strengthening of the university-community engagement of AIUB where students and faculty had directly participated in exploring and characterizing the women and the community for viable intervention in improving the community life especially those of the women. It was recommended that the women has to expand its livelihood activities such as handicrafts, food packaging, food preservation, and others to earn more; conduct Teach-in during weekends to improve their knowledge on health care, entrepreneurship, human rights, peace and order, roles and responsibilities; low cost movable/flexible housing projects to improve their living condition; encourage businessmen with incentives to be provided by the government like tax holiday, soft loans, provide security in the area to set up small scale business in the area for women to engage in; improve health care services; and extend old age pension benefits to the old women of Sutrapur which the government presently provides to old women in other parts of the country. Efforts will be exerted together with the project partners to tap concerned GOs and NGOs to implement recommendations of immediate impact to the women beneficiaries.
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