Delegates of the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh Visit M4C Project

On the morning of 23 September 2021, a delegation team from the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh led by Ms. Corinne Henchoz Pignani, Deputy Head of Cooperation, and Dr. Syeda Zinia Rashid, Senior Programme Officer, visited the Rural Development Academy (RDA), Bogura to meet the Making Markets Work for the Chars (M4C) project team. The delegation team was accompanied by the Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh, Mr. Mujibul Hasan. Considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the visit was conducted maintaining strict safety and health measures throughout.

The delegates of the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh met with Md. Khalil Ahmed, Director General (Additional Secretary) of RDA, at his office where they discussed M4C project’s ongoing activities, RDA’s current projects and concepts in rural development and poverty eradication, and Chars Development Research Centre (CDRC’s) implementation strategy for realizing the project’s goals. Dr. Abdul Majid, Project Director, M4C welcomed the delegation team and introduced them to the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) members. Team Leader, Md. Abdul Awal presented on M4C project’s current activities and way forward.

Ms. Corinne Henchoz Pignani shared her appreciation of the M4C team’s ongoing efforts in chars. Dr. Syeda Zinia Rashid noted M4C as a flagship project of the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh and shared insights into how the project has been making significant impacts in alleviating poverty in chars of Bangladesh. The delegation team along with Country Director, Mr. Mujibul Hasan engaged in an interactive session with the M4C team members, learning about notable experiences from field. Later, the team visited CDRC demonstration farm, PIU and CDRC office premises.

M4C is a project mandated by the Embassy of Switzerland and Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives, Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and implemented by Swisscontact in collaboration with RDA, Bogura. M4C and CDRC, a specialised centre of the RDA of the GoB, are jointly working towards building market linkages for char development and reducing poverty and vulnerability of char households by enhancing opportunities for income generation.