A/HRC/15/55* into a broad range of social policies and the provision of public services. Attention should also be paid to ensure that poor children from urban areas and from minorities are not further excluded from education. The Government should build more schools in urban areas, in particular in peripheral towns, to relieve pressure on the existing school system. 2. Assistance for women living in poverty: cash and asset transfers, and microcredits 89. Certain programmes, such as cash and asset transfers, and microcredit, specifically target women. Among these, the Vulnerable Group Development programme, implemented in rural areas, is the world’s largest programme exclusively targeting vulnerable women: around 750,000 women participate in the programme, ultimately reaching some 3.25 million beneficiaries.37 The Vulnerable Group Development started in the 1970s, evolving from an emergency relief programme aiming to sustainably improve the lives of “ultrapoor” households. It comprises two branches: the income-generating branch; and the food security branch. Both combine food transfers with either cash transfers or microcredit programmes. 90. According to a World Food Programme study38 in 2007, the Vulnerable Group Development has had a positive impact on food consumption, and daily per capita income had improved in all beneficiary households. However, after graduating from the programme, close to half the households still did not eat three meals a day, and almost all households had a per capita income of less than $1 a day. There is also evidence that the programme has empowered women, who have been given greater decision-making power and more control over spending and consumption. 91. Other programmes directed at women include the Allowances Programme for Widowed, Deserted and Destitute Women and the Vulnerable Group Development programme for “ultra-poor” women. Although these programmes have an important and positive impact on the beneficiaries, they have relatively limited coverage (reaching 920,000 and 80,000 women respectively).39 The level of transfers under the latter programme is Tk400 per month over two years, which is significantly more than the usual level of benefits. This suggests that the various policymakers have realized that the benefits need to be high enough to make a difference to the beneficiaries’ standard of living. However, the independent expert was concerned about the programme’s sustainability, given that funding was secure only until 2011, and that any abrupt cut of the programme would leave beneficiaries in a more difficult situation than before it was implemented. 92. The independent expert welcomes the fact that several programmes target women; nonetheless, she encourages the Government to refine the gender approach and evaluate comprehensively the impact of programmes on the enjoyment of human rights by women living in extreme poverty. Moreover, she notes that, if the legislative, procedural and cultural barriers that impede women’s participation are not removed, and access to land, credit and other productive assets are not given, women will remain unable to exercise their rights and lift themselves out of poverty. 93. Bangladesh has developed models of microfinance that have been replicated around the world. The independent expert recognizes that microcredit also greatly benefits women; however, she calls on the Government to ensure that microfinance programmes reach the poorest. The experience of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee has shown, for example, that the extremely poor are unable to benefit from conventional asset 37 38 39 22 Programme outcome report on Vulnerable Group Development Activity, World Food Programme Bangladesh, 2007. Ibid. Ministry of Women’s and Children’s Affairs: see www.vgdupdwa.gov.bd/. GE.10-15451