An employment project involving repair of rural roads has benefited 24.444 poor women in six districts of the country.

The project run by the Local Government Division of the Local Government and Rural Development and Cooperaftives MipistfY ria financed mainly by the European Commission. UNDP and the government are also providing the funds.

The five-year project titled Rural Employment Opportunities for Public Assets (REOPA)' is being implemented in 388 union parishads in Narsingdi, Feni, Sirajganj, Satkhira, Barguna and Habiganj from 2007.

The union parishads helped select the women who are mainly from vulnerable groups. Project director Akmol Hossain said at a media dialogue at the National Press Club yesterday.

The women are engaged in repairing rural roads in their villages, he said, adding that each woman getsTk 100 a day.

Each woman receives Tk 100 a day, of which Tk 70 is paid in cash and Tk 30 is deposited with their bank accounts. They can withdraw the money from the bank at the end of their two-year work period, Akmol said.

Rehana Begum of Narsingdi, who is working under the project, said, "1 am now financially stable and can afford to send my two children to schools.'

Dr Klaus-Dieter Gautsch, counselor delegation of the European Commission. Goran Jonsson, international team leader of the project, also spoke at the media dialogue moderated by AP Bureau Chief Farid Hossain.