Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB) was established in 2002 with financial support from the Royal Dutch Government under its MMRP program. Its main objective is to support research aimed at identifying strategies and programs that could ensure sustainable, progressive alleviation of poverty in Bangladesh. Despite the efforts of successive Governments and many Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working over the years on poverty mitigation in the country, there are still serious and unresolved issues concerning the self-sustaining potential of these efforts. Lack of peoples’ participation in problem identification and program design, imposition of donor goals and priorities, predetermined resource modalities, lack of local resource mobilization and ownership, and continuing donor funds and expertise dependency often lead to the withering away of these projects soon after the departure of external partners or their resources.