By dint of their relentless and sincere efforts, more than 1,230 underprivileged ethnic minority families of 30 villages under Godagari upazila in the district have attained food security and self-reliance.

‘The Aboriginals Village-based Sustainable Food Security Program’ has been playing a positive role in making them free from poverty and hunger through building food storage (Raksha-gola).

With this breakthrough the underprivileged and disadvantaged community people have built food security to mitigate their long-lasting sufferings during the lean period.

This was revealed at a daylong annual general meeting of all the benefited community members both males and females on Rajabarihat High school playground under the same upazila today.

Center for Capacity Building of Voluntary Organization (CCBVO) has initiated the programme in 2003 through disseminating updated ideas and extending some financial and technical support under the village-based community development approach.

Omor Faruque Chowdhury, MP, addressed the meeting as chief guest while CCBVO Executive Chief Sarwar-E-Kamal welcomed the participants with Proshen Ekka in the chair.

Former Registrar of Rajshahi University Prof Abdus Salam, Upazila Chairman Jahangir Alam and its Nirbahi Officer Nazmul Islam Sarker and Union Parishad Chairman Mohammad Akteruzzaman also spoke.

Some 6,236 community people including 1,792 women and 2,663 boys and girls from the organized families attended the ceremony hosted with financial assistance from Bread for the World, Germany .

The meeting was told that the community members have so far saved 3.17 lakh tons of rice and 96.96 tons of paddy in addition to capital formation of around Taka 60.46 lakh.

The villages are: Choitanyapur, Shahanapara, Kantapasha- Edulpur, Nimkuri, Patharghata, Beldanga, Golai, Geolmari, Gardaing, Mulkidiang, Daingpara, Neemghutu, Shreerampur, Biroil, Baganpara, Gonoker Daing, Farshapara, Dadour, Gunigram-Rajpara, Idulpur, Narshinghagarh- Adarshagram, Agalpur, Madhaipur and Udpur.

Besides, they disbursed 9.74 tonnes of rice and cash Taka 15.76 lakh for health, education and other family purposes to the needy members as risk reduction assistance during the current year.

Apart from this, the beneficiaries are engaged in various income-generating activities like homestead gardening and dairy and poultry rearing, through which, they also meet up daily nutritional requirement along with building their capacity.

Lawmaker Faruque Chowdhury assured the organized people that tube-wells will be installed in the villages besides concretization of all the katcha roads and re-excavation of the existing ponds