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Unit 20 Lesson 2

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Unit 20 Lesson 2
How can I be self-employed?
Objectives: By the end of the lesson you will have
• talked about self-employment
• read a passage about financial assistance
• written a summary of a passage and given a title
A What do you understand by 'self-employment'? Give some examples of self-employment. Do you know of any opportunities for self-employment in Bangladesh?
Which of the following could be self-employment? Which would you prefer to do yourself?





handcrafting, co-operative farming, fish-cultivation, pot-planting, poultry raising, dairy farming, chicken hatchery, data-processing and programming, pickle-making, private tuition, fast foods, rickshaw-servicing


What do you think are the obstacles to self-employment—money, initiative, attitude, social values? Discuss in pairs and note down your main points.
B Read the following passage about one type of financial assistance available for self-employment.
An efficient banking system, although important for economic growth, is often unable or unwilling to lend money to the poorer section of society, hence the need for micro-finance institutions. Bangladesh has a long history of micro-credit finance, with internationally acclaimed organisations such as the Grameen Bank providing credit to the poor, particularly rural women. These institutions, in addition to providing credit, emphasise the need to develop skills and raise consciousness among the rural poor. There are about 800 micro-finance institutions in the country with a total membership of about 7 million of which 82 percent are women. The cumulative disbursement made by these institutions since their inception is estimated at Tk. 44 billion, with current loans at Tk. 9.6 billion. It is estimated that they have created employment for about 54,000 people.
A recent survey of 1,798 households in Bangladesh indicates that about 45 percent of eligible households in Bangladesh participate in micro-credit programmes and that about two-thirds of the participants are women. The survey found that micro-credit programmes had a4 positive effect on socio-economic variables, including children's schooling, children's nutrition, and family planning. Borrowing by women particularly improved the nutritional status of both male and female children. Consumption by about 5 percent of programme participants increased to the point that their households rose above the poverty line. These findings about the importance of micro-credit in poverty reduction have been substantiated by other studies both in Bangladesh and in other countries.
Now read the passage again and write a summary in 50-70 words. Also give a title.
C In pairs discuss how some social welfare organisations have created opportunities for income-generation in your town or local area. Then together write a short paragraph about it.
Focus:
Skills.
Reading,
speaking, writing.
Functions.
Expressing attitude, expressing views.
Grammar/Structure.
Verbs and adjectives to express attitudes.
Vocabulary.
micro-finance, acclaimed, cumulative, disbursement, inception, socio-economic variables, nutritional status, substantiated.






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