By Rina Akter from Singair, Manikganj
Rural women often remain excluded from government services because of limited information, weak institutional connections and lack of awareness about application procedures and eligibility.
BARCIK has been working since 2018 in Singair Municipality and Baira Union to strengthen women’s empowerment, gender equality and access to public services. Through community research and engagement with women, adolescent girls, youth and farmers, BARCIK identified significant gaps in rural women’s access to government training, allowances, credit and livelihood program. To address these barriers, BARCIK has facilitated community dialogues and meetings with representatives of government service providers, helping women understand available services and application procedures.
During 2025–2026, BARCIK facilitated five training initiatives at village, municipal, union and upazila levels. Around 150 women participated in training provided by the Department of Youth Development, while others accessed programs from the Department of Social Services, Department of Women’s Affairs, Agriculture Department, local administration and other institutions.
Training covered livestock rearing, homestead farming, tailoring, block printing, beautification and biogas production. Participants received certificates and training allowances and, in some cases, gained access to government credit facilities.
BARCIK also supports women in accessing social safety-net allowances by organizing courtyard meetings, consultations and dialogues with local government representatives. Through these initiatives, rural women have gained greater access to government services, skills and livelihood opportunities, enabling many of them to increase their incomes, contribute to household expenses and become more economically self-reliant.
These experiences demonstrate that better information, community facilitation and direct engagement with service providers can significantly improve rural women’s access to public services and economic opportunities that contribute to improving their livelihood status.