by lwang | Sep 28, 2012 | BRAC, Education, Fazle Abed, Poverty Reduction, Sustainable Development
Isn’t it remarkable how one individual can transform an entire country? Kravis Prize winner Sir Fazle Hasan Abed can most definitely be credited for Bangladesh’s tremendous progress over the last 40 years as the founder of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), the largest nongovernmental development organization in the world. The Asia Foundation’s Alma Freeman — blogger for In Asia, a weekly insight and analysis from the foundation — had the privilege of sitting down with the 2007 Kravis Prize winner to discuss the changes he has witnessed in Bangladesh and his goals for the future. “The most dramatic change has been women’s role in society. Women’s literacy rate used to be almost 30 percent less than men, now it’s almost equal. It has been wonderful to see so many children being educated…I can see that BRAC has changed people’s lives dramatically, particularly for those children who have had the advantage of education.” Based on the prediction that Bangladesh will become a middle-income country by 2021, Abed remarks: “If a country attains middle-income status, and 10 percent of the population is still under extreme poverty, if they can’t feed themselves and their children, then it doesn’t mean much to me… Bangladesh has done well, but that doesn’t mean that we have attained all of the things that we still want to do with our country.” To learn more about the inspiring work of Sir Fazle Abed and BRAC, go to our page. “In Conversation with BRAC’s Sir Fazle Hassan Abed”[The Asia Foundation, September 19,...
by lwang | Aug 30, 2012 | BRAC, Fazle Abed, Poverty Reduction, Sustainable Development
Kravis Prize winners are always innovating to help solve pressing problems in today’s world. For example, BRAC, founded by 2007 Kravis Prize winner Sir Fazle Abed, has reworked microfinance to create a new “graduation model.” The groundbreaking model was featured in Live Mint: “The model targets the ultra-poor and initiates a multi-pronged intervention with them, typically comprising mandatory savings, a subsistence allowance, transfer of a productive asset (usually livestock), health and livelihood trainings, etc. The basic idea is to provide the ultra-poor a safety net and an opportunity to start thinking of savings and investment in some form of productive livelihood activities.” Since BRAC introduced this program, the graduation pilots have been replicated in multiple sites around the world, “as an intervention to reach out to the poorest of the poor with a time-bound investment aimed at providing a social safety net and building their productive capacities.” The model has been adapted and implemented in eight countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, Pakistan, Peru, Yemen and India. Through continuous evaluation, researchers are monitoring the impact of the graduation pilots. In fact, researchers studying the pilot in West Bengal found that per capita food consumption increased 15 percent; per capita income increased 20 percent, while income from livestock and agriculture also showed significant gains. According to the research, there is an impressive 27 percent rate of return on the program investments! To learn more about the amazing work of Sir Fazle Abed and BRAC, go to our page. “The ‘graduation model’ in microfinance.” [Live Mint, August 14,...
by lwang | Jul 5, 2012 | BRAC, Community Development, Poverty Reduction
In their efforts to tackle some of the world’s most challenging social issues, Kravis Prize winners always go one step further. BRAC works to alleviate poverty in Bangladesh by offering support services in the areas of human rights and social empowerment, education and health, economic empowerment and enterprise development, livelihood training, environmental sustainability and disaster preparedness. In fact, when cyclone Aila hit Bangladesh’s southwestern coastal region three years ago, BRAC supported the villagers financially and helped build cyclone-resistant homes. According to the Guardian, BRAC University consulted the villagers and designed 43 cyclone-resistant structures at Adarsha Gram. BRAC also imported two desalination plants from China to provide drinking water for the village! Today, BRAC is promoting alternative economic activities for the villagers, since their livelihoods from shrimp farming were wiped out after Aila. These include teaching villagers to grow salt-tolerant rice and maize, as well as crab-fattening. Until June 2011, BRAC has covered almost 50,000 households in the region with different agro-based interventions. Jossi Rani from Deyara village, 23 kilometers from Adarsh Gram, shared how BRAC has impacted her life: “I’m earning good money. Crabs are more profitable than shrimp.” It’s plain to see that BRAC really goes the extra mile in their initiatives! “Bangladesh villagers still struggling after Cyclone Aila’s devastation” [The Guardian, March 5,...
by lwang | May 16, 2012 | BRAC, Fazle Abed
Here at the Kravis Prize, we’re proud that our winners are acclaimed leaders in their fields. Their groundbreaking work has even received recognition from renowned political leaders. On May 6, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, 2007 Kravis Prize winner and BRAC Founder, and Grameen Bank Founder Muhammad Yunus on a recent visit to Bangladesh to discuss U.S.-Bangladesh relations with Clinton. Clinton said BRAC, the world’s largest non-governmental organization, and Grameen Bank were “viewed internationally as the two best development organizations in the world.” Abed and Yunus are “national treasures,” she added. That’s very high (and well-deserved) praise from our very own U.S. Secretary of State! “Work for strong democracy, Hillary urges Bangladesh leaders” [The Hindu, May 7,...
by lwang | Apr 6, 2012 | BRAC, Fazle Abed, Poverty Reduction
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...
by lwang | Mar 21, 2012 | Award Ceremony, BRAC, FAWE, Landesa, Vicky Colbert
The big day is here! In addition to the 2012 Kravis Prize winners mother2mothers and INJAZ Al-Arab CEO Soraya Salti, we’ll be joined by past winners including Landesa Founder Roy Prosterman, BRAC, FAWE, Escuela Nueva Foundation Founder Vicky Colbert. Our winners will be offering their expert advice and insights on a variety of topics including grassroots innovations for poverty alleviation, innovation in education and community engagement and much more! Check out the live stream here and our live Twitter...
