Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment

The development objective of the Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment Project for Bangladesh is to provide services that can enhance earning opportunities for low-income urban youth, urban youth impacted by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and returning migrants. The project comprises of five components. The first component is curriculum and systems development for economic inclusion. It consists of following sub-components: (i) curriculum for economic inclusion program; and (ii) information system. The second component, economic inclusion program describes the activities, goods, and services that will be financed to deliver the economic inclusion program targeting urban and low-income youth applicants. It consists of following sub-components: (i) community engagement, orientation, and profiling; (ii) informal apprenticeship; (iii) business management and entrepreneurship development; (iv) microcredit for self-employment and informal microenterprise; and (v) partner organization-level implementation. The third component, reintegration of returning migrants will have longer term functions and benefits in serving outgoing and voluntarily returning migrants, as well as their households and communities. It consists of following sub-components: (i) strengthening welfare services for migrant workers; and (ii) integrated information systems. The fourth component is project management and implementation. It consists of following sub-components: (i) project management, implementation, and capacity building of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF); and (ii) project management and implementation of Wage Earners Welfare Board (WEWB). The fifth component, contingent emergency response component (CERC) will support situations of urgent need of assistance. In the event of an eligible crisis or emergency, the project will contribute to providing an immediate and effective response to said crisis or emergency.