22 women of USAID's Nobo Jatra Project II receive BRAC Bank's 'Jibika loan'

Twenty-two women who graduated from ultra-poor status through USAID's Nobo Jatra Project II (NJP II) received digital microloan of Tk30,000 each under BRAC Bank's Agricultural and Rural Credit service 'Jibika Loan' at Shyamnagar upazila in Satkhira on Tuesday (12 December).

BRAC Bank digitally transferred the credit to 14 women of Kaikhali Mohila Unnayan Somobay Samity Ltd and eight women of Dharoni Mohila Unnayan Somobay Samity Ltd at an event organised by USAID's Nobo Jatra Project II (NJP II), implemented by World Vision Bangladesh (WVB), reads a press release.

Attending the event, Lima Hanna Daring, chief of party, NJP II, WVB, said, "USAID's NJP II has been facilitating more than 30,000 ultra-poor rural women who formed over 1,600 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) for their financial inclusion through linkage building with government agencies and formal financial institutions."

She also said, "The ultra-poor women are not in their previous status anymore. They are united and through collective efforts, already 33 VSLA Cooperatives received government registrations from the Department of Cooperatives."

Tapos Kumar Roy, head of Agricultural and MFI Finance, BRAC Bank, said, "This is one of our very first initiatives in Bangladesh to come with Agricultural and Rural Credit service 'Jibika Loan' for financial inclusion of marginal rural women of VSLA and registered cooperatives through partnership."

"We're working through a partnership with USAID's Nobo Jatra Project II (NJP II), implemented by World Vision Bangladesh. We're open for new partnerships with other projects like Nobo Jatra," he added.