by lwang | Jan 26, 2012 | BRAC, Escuela Nueva, FAWE, Fazle Abed, Landesa, Pratham, Roy Prosterman
The Global Journal just released their January/February 2012 issue, which for the first time ranked the top 100 best nongovernmental organizations in the world. We’re delighted to announce that FIVE Kravis Prize winners were ranked among the top 50 NGOs! BRAC even made it into the top five and has a nice feature on the website, which also mentions 2007 Kravis Prize winner Sir Fazle Abed. “Established by former Shell Oil executive Sir Fazle Hasan Abed in 1972 soon after the independence of Bangladesh, BRAC was part of an influential wave of organizations – alongside the Grameen Bank and ASA – that went on to revolutionize development strategies not only in their home countries, but across the world. Unlike its counterparts, however, which focused on refining and expanding their pioneering micro-credit and micro-finance models, BRAC also added a range of social programs to the mix and has continued to diversify and leverage its unique ability to achieve economies of scale over time.” Check out what else they had to say about BRAC here and the other Kravis Prize winners that are part of this year’s list, including Escuela Nueva (Founder Vicky Colbert, 2011), Pratham (2010), FAWE (2008) and Landesa (Founder Roy Prosterman,...
by lwang | Dec 22, 2011 | BRAC, BRAC USA
It’s evident in their work that Kravis Prize winners are making great strides towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. One example is BRAC, which offers programs around the world that span topics from microfinance to girls’ education and health care. BRAC-USA CEO Susan Davis recently was featured on ABC News and discussed BRAC’s involvement in the Million Moms Challenge, which aims to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health: “Things have really improved. Just look at the number of deaths that have happened from women dying from childbirth. We’ve been able to almost halve it to 12,000 a year to 7,300. … So in terms of setting a goal for the year 2015 that the whole world is striving to achieve, we’ve gotten there, at least in these few areas. And I think for Bangladesh, we’re on track to get there and that is dramatic.” She also discussed BRAC’s strategy to implement change: “BRAC has figured out a way to prevent the leading causes of death during childbirth. The solutions aren’t particularly high-tech or don’t often require advanced medical degrees. They only require that we work directly with the poor, within their communities, and trust them to do the things that are needed, with a small amount of proper training, to take care of their neighbors.” To read more of what Davis has to say, click here for her op-ed and a brief video. To find out more about 2007 Kravis Prize winner and BRAC Founder Sir Fazle Abed, go to our...
by lwang | Nov 3, 2011 | BRAC, Poverty Reduction
The Huffington Post published another article by BRAC USA President and CEO Susan Davis, who discussed the organization’s partnership with the MasterCard Foundation. The MasterCard Foundation is helping BRAC implement their anti-poverty solutions in Africa and has committed $45 million to help BRAC reach 4.2 million people by 2016. BRAC’s Uganda program is not only offering microfinance loans, but also professional training, medical treatment, new schools and a network of micro-franchised entrepreneurs. According to Davis, these additional services are crucial for increasing the effectiveness of microfinance based on BRAC’s experiences. BRAC is also focusing these initiatives on girls and women, which has been shown to promote “healthier families, a more flexible workforce, lower HIV rates and a more stable society.” From Uganda, Davis wrote about the results they’ve seen so far: “An estimated 1.2 million Ugandans are HIV positive, yet of the women and girls who have participated in BRAC’s programs in Uganda, 67 percent report always using a condom if and when they have sex, versus only 38 percent of a random control sample. There’s an apparent spillover effect, too: Even among those who don’t participate, 54 percent of those in villages where we’ve set up programs say they use condoms, suggesting the spread of good habits among peers. Rates of early motherhood have fallen, too, with 12.4 percent of girls in the control group having children since an initial survey in 2008, versus only 8.7 percent of our program participants.” Judging from these statistics, this partnership is just like any another reward from MasterCard: priceless! “Letter From Uganda: Given the Tools to Fight Poverty, Africa’s Women Tend...
by lwang | Nov 2, 2011 | Award Ceremony, BRAC, Fazle Abed
Here at the Kravis Prize, we love to see our previous winners inspire the world through their leadership, which is why we were thrilled to hear that Sir Fazle Abed, the 2007 Kravis Prize winner and founder of BRAC, is the recipient of the inaugural WISE Prize for Education! On November 1, Abed was honored with a specially designed gold medal, bearing the word “education” in over 50 languages, in Doha, Qatar, by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Abed received the medal and recognition for his commitment to education before 1,300 delegates at the opening session of the third World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). He’s accumulating quite a collection for his trophy cabinet! To learn more about Sir Fazle Abed’s work, click here. “Bangladesh activist receives Qatar education prize” [Associated Press, November 2, 2011] “Inaugural WISE Prize for Education Goes to Bangladeshi Fazle Hasan Abed” [PR Newswire, November 1,...
by lwang | Oct 19, 2011 | BRAC, Poverty Reduction, Sustainable Development
The Huffington Post published an article by BRAC USA President and CEO Susan Davis, who discussed this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners: Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemen’s Tawakul Karman. To Davis, the newest Nobel laureates highlight the importance of female empowerment. “For BRAC, the organization I am privileged to be a part of, these leaders symbolize everything we stand for: The empowerment of women clears the path to peace and prosperity.” Davis recalled that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf urged BRAC to bring its strategies to Liberia in 2007. BRAC responded and has been working to create sustainable development in Liberia and many other countries. “Founded in 1972, BRAC is on a drive to apply solutions created in its native Bangladesh to defeating poverty in Africa. We do this by removing the causes of poverty and hunger at the root with a comprehensive approach geared toward individual empowerment. This includes providing millions of micro-entrepreneurs with better opportunities via micro-loans, improving access to markets, and building institutions to provide better health care and education.” In just 39 years, BRAC has expanded all over the world – and now you can trace its influence to a Nobel Peace Prize winner. “Women Like Sirleaf and Gbowee Clear Africa’s Path to Prosperity” [Huffington Post, October 7,...
by lwang | Jun 27, 2011 | BRAC, BRAC UK, BRAC USA, Escuela Nueva, Fazle Abed, Kravis Prize, Vicky Colbert
Congratulations to Vicky Colbert from Escuela Nueva Foundation! We are so happy that Vicky is being honored with this tremendous award. It is a well-deserved and hard-earned recognition. This year’s award announcement brought back memories of my own experience in 2007. When I was awarded the second annual Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership, the news brought a whirlwind of excitement, gratitude, inspiration and exhilaration for all of us at the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). The Prize’s financial award had an immediate impact as it helped BRAC establish offices in the United States and United Kingdom. These offices have helped to support and grow BRAC’s programs beyond Bangladesh. Since 2002, BRAC has expanded to nine other countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Uganda and recently Haiti. The Prize helped not only to begin our work in the U.S. through BRAC USA, but also to give our new institution credibility in the U.S. Though BRAC began in 1972 and is today one of the biggest development organizations in the world, not many people living in the U.S. had ever heard of it and even fewer were aware of its remarkable history and successful track record. The recognition we received from the Kravis Prize allowed us to establish BRAC USA and begin telling our story to a new audience in America and the U.K. Throughout 2010, BRAC USA has been working to tell the story of our organization’s successful approach to development. Members of the BRAC USA team have attended and participated in several conferences and panels in the last year. We also have...
