The Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction
– Targeting the Ultra Poor (CFPR/ TUP)
Programme was launched in 2002 with the vision
of enhancing economic and social capabilities of
ultra poor households in Bangladesh in a manner
that could be sustained by the participants. It is
widely accepted that most common governmental
and non-governmental development interventions
in Bangladesh fail to include the ultra poor.
Microfinance, even if targeted towards the ultra
poor, cannot bring about sustainable growth for
the poorest of the poor (Matin 2002, Morduch
1999). This is because the ultra poor are crippled
by multiple evils – malnutrition, illiteracy, lack of
access to basic health services, limited access to
community support – that keep them chronically
poor (Sen and Hulme 2004). Transfer payments
help the poor over the short term, but do not by
themselves trigger sustainable income growth for
the ultra poor. Government programmes targeted
towards the ultra poor include Vulnerable Group
Development, several forms of stipends and
allowances and the Rural Maintenance
Programme.