The statistics on world poverty are frightening. Close to half the world's 6 billions people live on less than Tk 130.00 a day, conversely 1% of the population has an income equal to that of the entire bottom 57%. But poverty is not only lack of wealth in monetary terms; it also implies the denial of various choices and opportunities basic to human development. There include the ability to lead a long, creative and healthy life, to acquire knowledge, to have freedom, dignity, self-respect and respect for theirs and to have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living. Community infrastructure is key to alleviation poverty-and thus engineers have an essential role to play. Without ready access to clean water and sanitation, productivity is severely reduced through illness and time spent in water collection. Without roads, the poor are unable to sell their goods in the market. Basic infrastructure is not a luxury that can wait for better economic items, but a precondition for creating them, and its provision is urgent and on-going requirement.