The Economic Empowerment of the Poorest Programme (EEP/SHIREE (Stimulating Household Improvements Resulting in Economic Empowerment) closed in September 2016. It aimed to support the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 1 of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.
SHIREE funded a variety of programmes which enabled over 1 million people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty and achieve sustainable livelihoods by 2015. At the same time, the programme sought to reduce the vulnerability of the extreme poor to natural disasters, economic shocks, social exclusion and undernutrition. Shiree was also committed to addressing the needs of extremely poor women, children, the elderly and ethnic minorities and marginalised groups.
In addition to supporting direct interventions, EEP/SHIREE supported high-quality research and disseminated lessons learned and key findings from the programme’s experience with the aim of transforming the way in which extreme poverty is approached by government, donors, NGOs and the public. It sought to increase the knowledge base on the distinct experiences of extreme poverty in Bangladesh, and to raise awareness of extreme poverty in an international context.
EEP/SHIREE’s specific outputs were:
Output 1 – Scale Fund: Proven approaches to improving the livelihoods of the extreme poor taken to scale.
Output 2 – Innovation Fund: Innovative approaches to improve the livelihoods of the extreme poor tested, evaluated and successes ready for scaling up.
Output 3 – Research and Lesson Learning: Increasing consistency in the understanding, sharing and application of approaches to addressing extreme poverty.
Output 4 – Advocacy: Policy and practice at local and national levels shows increasing recognition of the needs of the extreme poor.
Output 5 – Nutrition: Direct nutrition support integrated across Shiree Scale Fund. Innovative approaches to improve protein intake among key groups tested and evaluated.
The website provides more information on the results of the Programme, its outputs, and some key lessons that can be used in future programming.