Sohail RK Hussain, managing director of City Bank, presents a dummy cheque as part of a CSR programme to Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI, and Mobinul Islam Mobin, editor of The Gramer Kagoj, at a programme recently. Rokia Afzal Rahman, former caretaker government adviser, and Meher Afroz Chumki, state minister for women and children affairs, were also present.

Businesses can complement government efforts to empower women and ensure welfare of children as part of corporate social responsibility by helping vulnerable women become self reliant, said Meher Afroz Chumki, state minister for women and children affairs.

Chumki spoke at a function to mark the signing of the second phase of an agreement between City Bank, MRDI and Gramer Kagoj, at the head office of the bank in the capital. The bank also handed over a cheque for over Tk 67 lakh for the initiative, MRDI said in a statement yesterday.

Under the second phase of the initiative, another 160 women of the village will be trained and the educational expenses of 105 children of the members of the association will be borne in the next five years. The bank's total financial commitment to the programme is about Tk 1 crore and 25 lakh in two phases, according to the statement.

The first phase of the programme resulted in a successful women's livelihood programme at Basatpur, Jessore as a CSR intervention initiated by the Management and Resources Development Initiative with support of the City Bank.

Providing support to children's education is a positive step to ensure future impact of the initiative, Rokia Afzal Rahman, former adviser to a caretaker government, said at the programme.

The government is providing 10 percent tax rebate on CSR expenditure, said Mir Mustaque Ali, member (information management and service) of the National Board of Revenue. Such successful initiatives will open the possibilities of ensuring more policy incentives for CSR, he said.

Women trained under the first phase of the initiative are now applying their skills to earn money and support their families, MRDI said.

They have learnt to stitch and sew as well as developed capacity to run business through their registered association, according to the statement.

Their products are being retailed through Gaon Swapna, a marketing outlet of their own.

The Basatpur centre is a good example of a successful CSR initiative that could be replicated elsewhere, said Sohail RK Hussain, managing director of City Bank.

To ensure total welfare of the families, educational support is being provided to the children of the members of the association, Hussain said.

MRDI's advocacy for promoting CSR as a sustainable alternative source of development has demonstrated a sustainable impact through the success of this centre, Hasibur Rahman, MRDI's executive director, said at the programme.