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LightCastle Partners, in partnership with iDE have organized 30 advocacy sessions to connect over 593 out-of-work women garment workers with various financial service providers. This included 270 women from Gazipur, 208 women from Savar, and 115 women from Narayanganj.
This has been followed by organizing 4 loan disbursement events. Overall, 200 participants accessed financial services under the Oporajita Project, with a total of 49 receiving loans.
In Savar, 14 participants received loans provided by multiple providers, including the Department of Social Welfare (DSW), the Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB), the Department of Women Affairs (DWA), and the LightCastle Partners’ Buy Now Pay Later (LCP-BNPL) program on 23 September 2023 and 27 February 2024.
Through the LCP-BNPL program, two of iDE’s clients have been selected, one receiving a sewing machine and the other an oven. In Gazipur, 25 participants received loans from TMSS, Uddipon, Society for Social Service and the LCP-BNPL program. Under the LCP-BNPL program, one of iDE’s clients has been selected and received an electric sewing machine.
The iDE client receiving the solar panel has also received circular business training in collaboration with CAIF, another partner under the Oporajita consortium. In Narayanganj, 10 participants received loans through the Oporajita Project, facilitated by Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha (TMSS). Initially, 11 participants were selected to receive loans. However, due to the unfortunate passing of Ms. Sufia after an illness, TMSS, her loan provider, has waived the loan obligation.
Representatives from the Society for Social Service (SFSS) and TMSS attended the loan disbursement events in Gazipur and Narayanganj, respectively. They engaged with participants, provided detailed information about the loan application process, and addressed any questions or concerns raised by the attendees.
The advocacy sessions and loan disbursement events were primarily organized and facilitated by LightCastle Partners, with significant support from iDE. Krisha Rana, Project Manager for the Oporajita project at iDE, oversaw the advocacy and loan disbursement events. The LightCastle Partners team included Omar Farhan Khan, Senior Business Consultant and Project Manager; Nazmul Al-Mehmud, Senior Business Consultant; and A K M Mushfiqur Rahman, Business Analyst.
One of the participants Ms. Mousumi, who received the BNPL service in Savar said, “After receiving an oven through LightCastle’s BNPL program, I was able to meet my daily requirement for the number of cakes I needed to bake much faster, so I now have more time to address other business activities”
Funded by the H&M Foundation, the Oporajita Project aims to enhance the employability of 1,500 out-of-work women garment workers through entrepreneurial and financial literacy training. The initiative is a collaborative effort funded by H&M Foundation in partnership with 12 organizations.
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