World Bank has approved an additional funding of $150.75 million to help Bangladesh expand employment and income opportunities for low-income youth and microentrepreneurs, with special focus on women and people living in climate-vulnerable areas. The financing will support the scaling up of the Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment (RAISE) Project, adding around 176,000 new beneficiaries to the existing 233,000 participants, bringing the total coverage to more than 409,000 people nationwide.
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Under the expanded programmed, participants will receive a comprehensive set of services including skills training, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship development, and access to microfinance. These supports aim to reduce barriers to employment and business growth for young people and informal sector entrepreneurs. The project will also introduce innovative measures to strengthen women’s economic participation, such as access to quality and affordable childcare and promotion of climate-resilient livelihoods to help communities adapt to climate shocks.
The new funding will extend the project’s reach beyond urban centers into rural areas, ensuring that marginalized youth and microentrepreneurs across the country can benefit. A key initiative includes piloting home-based childcare services by providing training and start-up grants to women. This approach is expected to increase female labor force participation, create new jobs in the care sector, and support early childhood health and development. Women participants will also receive life skills training to build confidence and long-term empowerment.
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In addition, the project will strengthen job placement efforts by organizing job fairs, connecting employers with trained candidates, and supporting marketing and contract negotiations. According to project results so far, more than 80 percent of apprentices secured employment within three months of completing their training, while young microentrepreneurs reported higher earnings and improved business practices. The expanded RAISE Project aims to build on these outcomes and create more resilient and sustainable livelihoods for Bangladesh’s low-income youth.