Many persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the PPEPP-EU project have made significant strides by engaging in income-generating activities with the support of the project’s carefully designed intervention package. In recent years, they have made remarkable progress in terms of income gain, diversification, and growth, contributing financially to the family and in decision-making, and inspiring others in their changemaking process.
The PPEPP-EU project organises appreciation events for these successful PWDs to recognise their achievements and inspire their potential for further advancement. In the event, selected PWD members receive gifts as a token of appreciation for their success in income generation, livelihood restoration, and contributions to societal change.
Until March 2025, the project has organised 58 events with the participation of around 1500 participants, including PWDs and community members, to uphold the success of PWDs through their shared experience.
Lipa Akhtar is one of the successful PWD members from PPEPP-EU who recently attended a similar event in the Chouganga union of Itna upazila, Kishoreganj. Lipa’s three-member family, including her husband, Md Shofikul and a little child, lived from hand to mouth, with no reliable income source or arable land. Despite her physical disability, she was always eager to contribute to her family, but struggled to find a sustainable income-generating opportunity for herself.
Joining the PPEPP-EU project in 2021, she received a month-long tailoring training, followed by a sewing machine and other materials to start a home-based business. Over time, she received increasing orders, and her work became popular locally. Subsequently, Lipa took a BDT 10,000 loan from Dustha Sastha Kendra (DSK), a partner organisation of PPEPP-EU and began selling cloth pieces as an additional source of income.
With her initial earnings, Lipa borrowed 25 decimals of land for her husband to cultivate crops during the season. She also has 20 chickens and a goat, valued at over BDT 15,000, and saves money at home. In addition, she obtained her ‘Suborna Nagorik’ card (a government disability identity card) and receives a monthly disability allowance with support of the PPEPP-EU project. In total, she earns around ten thousand taka per month from all her income sources.
“I am happy to support my family’s expenses and no longer depend on others. I am also grateful to my family and community members for their encouragement. I want to expand my business by opening a tailoring shop,” says Lipa after receiving her award at the appreciation event organised with successful PWDs by DSK.
These events provide a rare opportunity for successful PWDs to share their stories with the community and other PWD members, empowering and motivating them to engage in income-generating activities and achieve self-sufficiency.