Green Finance Programme (GFP)
Ashrai’s green finance programme helps people to make less use of forest materials as fuels and make judicious use of solid wastage from livestock farms as cooking fuels. While livestock rearing is considered as an easy and effective way to reduce poverty for poor people, safe disposal of household solid wastage is major concern for environment. Ashrai’s GFP is an effective solution to disposal of farm solid wastages and deforestation/ increasing needs of use of forest materials. GFP supports to make use of renewable solar energy, improved cooking stove (Unnoto Chulla), bio-gas, etc. Establishment of bio-gas plants for supply of fuels to neighbouring families has proved to be a sustainable enterprise.
Ashrai has planned to cover 11 Upazilas of 3 districts in Barind region under improved cooking stove (Unnoto Chulla) and bio-gas supply. MDP provides such GM through its ten branch offices in 11 upazilas and MDP plans to gradually cover entire MDP operational areas.
Improved Cooking Stove (ICS) (Unnoto chulla)
About half of the world’s populations depend on Coal, Bio gas, Fire wood, Agri-remains, cow dung for the cooking resulting air pollution from the smoke. About 2 million people die every year from air pollution around the world (source: World Health Organization). The worst victims of air pollution are women and children. On an average, the women of Bangladesh cooks for two/ three times of the day and are most affected by the air pollution. This project includes 149,855 members.
Bio-gas
GFP provides loan for development of village-based Bio-Gas Plants with assistance from IDCOL. The proprietor of a community-based Bio-Gas plant receives loan up to Taka 500,000 from Ashrai’s GFP.
Solar Energy
Electricity is important development of quality of life. It has made life easy and modern. But electricity is not available in all areas of Bangladesh. Kerosene is used for lighting purpose at night in areas where electricity is unavailable that causes health hazards, diseases and pollution. To solve the problem, Ashrai has implemented environment friendly Solar Energy Project under the Green Microfinance Programme (SREP) covering 1,255 families.