GTZ is now GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
Since 1 January 2011, GIZ has brought together under one roof the long-standing expertise of DED, GTZ and Inwent. For further information, go to www.giz.de/.
Since 1 January 2011, GIZ has brought together under one roof the long-standing expertise of DED, GTZ and Inwent. For further information, go to www.giz.de/.
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Rural infrastructure improvement projects I & IIProject description
Title: Rural infrastructure improvement projects I & II
Context
Agriculture remains the foundation of the Bangladeshi economy. Over 70% of the approximately 160 million Bangladeshis live in rural areas, most of them directly engaged in farming or related activities. Agriculture contributes 20% of GDP, and the rural non-farm sector, which is also largely dependent on agriculture, makes up another 30%. Selling agricultural produce requires access to markets, but for a long time this was difficult because the rural roads and market infrastructure were underdeveloped and poorly maintained in many places. Schools, health facilities, local government services and employment opportunities were also difficult to reach. The local governments responsible for maintaining their respective sections of the infrastructure lacked the means to do so. About 20 years ago, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), which is part of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (MLGRDC), understood that sustainable rural development requires roads that ensure year-round access to the small rural trading centres where the markets, schools, health centres, and local government services are located. Building and maintaining those roads would also create jobs. Since then, on behalf of the German Government, GTZ (now GIZ) has been supporting efforts to achieve this vision. ObjectiveThe rural poor enjoy greater economic opportunities thanks to improvements in local governance, social development, gender equality, and better rural infrastructure, such as roads, markets, local government buildings, bridges and boat landing sites. Approach
In its support for two LGED rural infrastructure improvement projects, GIZ has drawn on expertise developed over more than 20 years of cooperation with the department. The current projects are aimed at reducing rural poverty by constructing and upgrading roads, building bridges and culverts, planting trees alongside the roads, redeveloping trading centres, rural markets and boat landing sites, and by constructing flood shelters, submersible roads and buildings for the union parishads (rural bodies for local administration). GIZ encourages the general public to get involved in project planning. It particularly supports the participation of women at all levels. In each of the redeveloped rural markets, a special area is even designated for female shop owners. Committees were formed to decide what needs be improved by the project. These committees consist of local people, including doctors, teachers, farmers, rickshaw pullers and local officials; on average 18% of the committee members are women. The project supports the LGED's efforts to implement a sustainable management and maintenance system for the upgraded roads, markets and boat landing sites, and to promote road safety. It is also helping to improve local governance at the union parishad level through capacity development for the local officials and market management committees. As the infrastructure has improved, traffic in the area has increased. In response, GIZ lent its support to a road safety campaign. This involved teaching basic road safety in around 200 schools located near to the roads, which was carried out in cooperation with the non-governmental organisation BRAC. The use of reflectors on rickshaws and rickshaw vans was promoted to increase their visibility at night. Finally, a handbook was developed by the project and published by LGED's Road Safety Unit to raise awareness among bus and truck drivers. Results achieved so farThe communities and the contractors have become more strongly aware of the rights and roles of women; more of them are employed, and they earn higher wages than previously. Employment has been created while the infrastructure has improved. Since the GTZ support began, more than 90,000 person-years of employment have been generated, as well as direct employment and income-generating opportunities for 9,500 women from poor households. Work to maintain the new infrastructure after its completion has generated direct employment worth more than 44,000 person-years, bringing a combined income of over 2.11 billion Bangladeshi taka (c. EUR 22 million). Today, all major LGED projects include a road safety component where previously they did not. Thus, road safety awareness has been enhanced along the redeveloped roads. Local government staff in charge of the roads are better qualified to carry out and monitor the work needed to ensure they stay passable all year round. Service-delivery, transparency and financing have also improved at the local government level. The improvements to the infrastructure have had indirect benefits as well. Motorised traffic on the roads has increased by 140%, while non-motorized traffic rose by 57%. As a result travel time has fallen tremendously. Depending on the form of transport, journey times were between 38% and 224% lower per km than on control roads. Transport fares, too, fell by 35% to 85% compared to the control roads. The number of shops open alongside the project roads has doubled, which also provides people with jobs and income. Among women shop owners, incomes have increased by 64% over a year-long period. Visits by health assistants to households increased by about 50%, while the food sufficiency status of households has also considerably improved, with 69% of households now reporting 12 months of food sufficiency or even surplus. 
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