In its Poverty Matters blog, The Guardian recently focused on extreme poverty in Bangladesh and on the extraordinary impact of our 2007 Kravis Prize winner Sir Fazle Abed in reducing poverty and empowering the poor. Through BRAC, Sir Abed has been tirelessly working to help the bottom 10 percent of Bangladesh’s poorest – or the “ultra poor,” as they are often referred to.
A 30-year-old Bangladeshi woman Maleka Begum was among the ultra poor when she first heard about BRAC. “I have been doing manual labour, digging holes,” said Maleka. But with the help of BRAC’s asset-transfer program, she was provided with livestock and a monthly payment for two years, as well as visits from a BRAC program organizer every five days to check on her livestock, teach her about basic hygiene and give her family planning advice. Now, thanks to BRAC, Maleka is helping her family escape extreme poverty through food security, asset ownership and better education.
Today, BRAC, which celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this year, has expanded its poverty-reduction model to other poor countries, serving more than 110 million people per year.
To find out more about 2007 Kravis Prize winner and BRAC Founder Sir Fazle Abed, go to our page.
