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Sir Fazle Hasan Abed honoured with Leo Tolstoy International Gold Medal
02 June 2014, Dhaka. BRAC founder and chairperson, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed has been awarded the Leo Tolstoy International Gold Medal by The Russian Children Foundation (RDF) on the occasion of International Children’s Day on 1 June 2014. He received the award at Moscow's historic Bolshoi Theatre after a Gala concert for orphaned, disabled and disadvantaged children, where he was present as the Guest of Honour. About 11,000 children from all around the country gathered in Moscow to participate in this event.
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed receiving the Leo Tolstoy International gold medal award from the The Russian Children's Foundation's leader and famous writer, Albert A. Likhanov
The award was given by the organisation’s leader and famous writer, Albert A. Likhanov. Every year, the Russian Children's Foundation awards this medal to an outstanding humanist who has made a significant contribution to the education and care of children. Previous awardees include Mother Teresa, Albert Sabin (inventor of the oral polio vaccine), and Swedish children's writer, Astrid Lindgren. Upon receiving the award, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed said, “I thank the Russian Children Foundation for the honour they have shown me and BRAC. BRAC has been focusing on empowering people, particularly vulnerable women and children, and creating opportunities through education for the last three decades. I have great appreciation towards the work of RDF by which they are protecting countless underprivileged children in Russia.”
The Russian Children’s Foundation, the country’s first public organisation for the protection of children was formed in September 1991. It currently has 74 regional offices actively working to provide social assistance to needy children in Russia in cooperation with public authorities, businesses and other community organisations.
BRAC, established in 1972, is a development organisation dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor, and helping to bring about positive changes in their lives by creating opportunities for them. So far its work has touched lives of an estimated 135 million people all over the world.
BRAC Dairy and its innovative efforts highlighted in an international academic thesis
29 May 2014, Dhaka. Yoni Blumberg, a student of Carleton College in USA, has recently completed a thesis that uses BRAC Dairy as a case in point to study and analyse social enterprise strategies and the resulting impacts. The thesis looks into the many strategies that social enterprises use to create social and economic change; Blumberg traces how BRAC Dairy, in particular, is helping small farmers in Bangladesh, using innovative methods in different levels of its operations to tackle poverty. The writer identifies how Bangladesh, throughout the 1980s, imported nearly all of the pasteurized milk it consumed as a result of the domestic milk market being underdeveloped, and how it is an entirely different story today. BRAC Dairy’s use of business to address social needs finds well-researched evidence. A summary of Blumberg’s thesis can be found in the poster provided below.
Read more about the research and finidings
Seminar held on ‘Creating accessibility in transportation and road infrastructure for the disabled’
BRAC’s road safety programme held a seminar on ‘Creating accessibility in transportation and road infrastructure for the disabled’ on 6 May 2014, at BRAC Centre. It was a collaborative initiative between BRAC and BRTA.
Consultant in traffic planning and researcher of Lund University Helena Svensson, PhD gave a presentation on the topic. She identified insufficient footpath and a lack of arrangement for disabled people to get into public transport as major problems. She suggested that places like the parliament house, public parks and shopping malls in the capital should have special arrangements for disabled people to move freely. The guests present in the seminar emphasised on making proper law and enforcement for the disabled in transportation.
BRTA chairman Md Nazrul Islam said, “The Bangladesh government will soon start a ‘transport and traffic act’ in order to ensure accessibility of the disabled people in transportation.” Ahmed Najmul Hossain, director of BRAC’s road safety programme concluded the seminar saying, “this is the first initiative and we look forward to work with the government more on this issue to make a difference”.
Additional DIG of police Nazmul Haque, MD of Shohag transportation Md Faruk Talukder and director of CIPRB Dr AKM Fazlur Rahman was present amongst the guests.
A call for action to end malnutrition
Civil Society Alliance for Scaling Up Nutrition, Bangladesh (CSA for SUN) celebrated a “Global Day of Action” on nutrition with 18 other countries on 4 May 2014 at Spectra Convention Centre. Inaugurated in 2012 by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, SUN is a unique movement founded on the principle that all people have a right to food and good nutrition. BRAC is facilitating Secretariat responsibility to achieve the objectives of SUN Movement.
The purpose of the Global Day of Action is to display the strong public support behind the nutrition issues of Bangladesh, and reflect this internationally. Art and quiz competitions were held in 14 districts across 7 divisions of Bangladesh in April. An art exhibition with the winning artwork from all 14 districts was displayed in the event.
“We must not allow under-nutrition to prevail and only with coordinated efforts we will be able to overcome malnutrition” said the chief guest of the event, State Minister for Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki, MP. Representative of World Food Programme Christa Rader and member of SUN Civil Society Network, Dr. Sultana Khanum attended the event as special guests. Dr. Michael Foley, Director, Save the Children & Executive Member of CSA for SUN, Dr. Rukshana Haider, Chair, CSA for SUN, Bangladesh, Kaosar Afsana, Director, BRAC & Member Secretary, CSA for SUN were also present.
Within the SUN Movement, national leaders are prioritizing efforts to address malnutrition. With a shared understanding that many factors impact nutrition, each of us has a unique contribution to make. Together we are capable of achieving what none of us can do alone.
BRAC (Learning Division) signed a MOU with the Department of Women Affairs (DWA)
The Department of Women Affairs (DWA), Government of Bangladesh and BRAC has signed an MOU on 24 April 2014, aiming to sensitise DWA’s working couple groups in gender equality to create a sharing culture in their family through training. BRAC Learning Division and GJD are collaboratively working with the project, which will continue for one year from the signing date of the MOU. Md Ashraf Hossain, Director General, DWA and Asif Saleh, Senior Director, Strategy Communications and Capacity, BRAC signed the MOU from their respective ends.
MoU signing ceremony between BRAC and Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication and IT
BRAC signed a MoU with the ICT division of Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication and IT on 28 April 2014. The purpose of this partnership is to develop interactive multimedia contents for primary education on mathematics, science and social science. The content is based on NCTB primary (class 1-5) curriculum.
This will ensure conceptual clarity and better application of lessons for both students and teachers; improve the quality of education by shifting the style from teacher-centred to an interactive and engaging learner-centred. Teachers can use technology as an effective tool to deliver lessons in the classroom. The material will be developed involving relevant stakeholders and experts.
Md Nazrul Islam Khan, Secretary, ICT Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication and IT, Kamal Uddin Ahmed, Additional Secretary, ICT Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication and IT, Dr Mushtaque Chowdhury, Vice-Chairperson and Interim Executive Director, BRAC, Asif Saleh, Senior Director, Strategy, Communications and Capacity, BRAC and BRAC International, Dr Safiqul Islam, Director, Education, BRAC, Dr Jaya Sen Gupta, General Manager, BRAC Education Programme were present in the ceremony.
BRAC listed 32 amongst Global Think Tanks
27 April 2014, Dhaka. BRAC has been listed number 32 in the 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Index report by the University of Pennsylvania. BRAC secured this position in the category of social policy as the first organisation from South Asia amongst 50 countries worldwide. The list includes Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, RAND Corporation and Fraser Institute.
The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania conducts research on the role that the policy institutes play in governments and civil societies around the world. TTCSP examines the evolving role and character of public policy research organisations. Over the last 25 years, the TTCSP has developed and led a series of global initiatives that have helped bridge the gap between knowledge and policy in critical policy areas that improve policy making while strengthening democratic institutions and civil societies around the world. The TTCSP works with leading scholars and practitioners from think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborative efforts and programmes, and produces the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index that ranks the world’s leading think tanks in a variety of categories.
To know more please visit: http://gotothinktank.com/the-2013-global-go-to-think-tank-index-ggttti/
BRAC USA contributes $1.25 million to Bangladesh garment workers
The organisation’s Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund seeks donations from individuals, corporations and foundations for further support. Click here to donate directly to the Fund.
22 April 2014, New York -- The Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund, an initiative of BRAC USA, announces a grant of $1.25 million to create employment opportunities and secure sustainable futures for 250 garment workers from the Rana Plaza factory complex, which collapsed last year near Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BRAC USA is seeking additional donations to this fund. “Rana Plaza was like Bangladesh’s 9/11,” says Susan Davis, president and CEO of BRAC USA. “Those who died on April 24 did so working in dangerous conditions to provide a better future for their families and make our own clothing more affordable. For those still grieving, there's nothing that can offset the loss of their loved ones. But we can and should show our solidarity with those who survived.
“We're grateful to those who have contributed to the Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund so far, and welcome these contributions as a crucial first step,” Davis adds. “But more is needed. We ask individuals, corporations and others who have benefited from the hard work of Bangladeshi garment workers to challenge themselves to give more.”
The grant issued this month is the second of the Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund, which BRAC USA created in March as a part of renewed push for Bangladesh garment workers in the run-up to the one-year anniversary of Rana Plaza, which collapsed on April 24, 2013, killing more than 1,100 people.
Services provided to former Rana Plaza workers will include livelihood training, professional development, entrepreneurship training, assistance with access to employment, and personal counseling support. Services will be provided by BRAC, the global development organisation based in Bangladesh, of which BRAC USA is an independent North American affiliate.
The grant comes closely after the Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund’s first grant in late March, a $2.2 million donation to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund, which supports victims of the Rana Plaza disaster and their families. BRAC USA’s Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund seeks to address victim needs and garment worker safety concerns in part by contributing a portion of every gift to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund, established in November 2013 by a multi-stakeholder coalition with the International Labor Organisation serving as neutral chair.
“Bangladesh has seen significant gains in living standards, halving poverty rates in the last 20 years, thanks largely to women’s empowerment. The garment industry has played a tremendous role in this,” said Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of BRAC, last month when the Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund was announced. “But these gains will mean little if we allow tragedies like Rana Plaza to continue. The words ‘Made in Bangladesh’ should be a mark of pride, not shame.”
BRAC’s involvement in Rana Plaza relief began in the immediate hours after the building’s collapse, when first-response medical teams from BRAC’s health, nutrition and population program worked alongside the Bangladesh Army’s medical teams at the site. Later, staff and counselors from BRAC, BRAC University and Dhaka University provided psychosocial support to 473 survivors and victims’ families. The BRAC Limb and Brace Center in Savar, the Dhaka subdistrict in which Rana Plaza was located, provided braces to 29 survivors with spinal injuries and prosthetic limbs to an additional 12 survivors.
With support from others, BRAC will continue to provide financial support, livelihood training, seed capital and apprenticeship training to hundreds more victims. Meanwhile, working with other stakeholders, including retailers, government, trade unions and factory owners, BRAC is advocating for a long-term solution to Bangladesh worker safety issues.
BRAC USA welcomes additional contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. Walmart, Asda, Walmart Foundation, The Children’s Place, Gap Foundation, VF Foundation and others, including many individuals, have already made initial contributions. Donations to the Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund will be directed to three specific program areas: support for the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund, continued support for BRAC’s work to provide counseling and rehabilitation to garment workers, and a reserve that can be used to support a “social safety net” for workers impacted by other tragedies.
All gifts to the Bangladesh Humanitarian Fund are tax-deductible in the United States and will be administered by BRAC USA, an independent 501(c) 3 charitable organisation registered in New York State, with fiduciary responsibility resting with its board of directors.
First online training on advocacy, behavioural change communication and promotion (ABP)
20 April 2014, Dhaka. BRAC held its first online training session on advocacy, behavioral change communication and promotion (ABP) on April 10, 2014.
It was a joint initiative of Advocacy for Social Change (ASC), BRAC Leaning Division (BLD) and BRAC ICT. Opening enormous possibilities to expand training for all, this event was an excellent example of cross section cooperation.
Afsan Chowdhury, senior advisor, BRAC advocacy facilitated the session from BRAC Centrein in Dhaka while Kazi Monzur Hasan, senior learning facilitator, BLD, Uttara facilitated from BLC, Jessore. 27 participants from ASC, BEP, CEP, DECC, HNPP, HRLS, PSU, WASH, FPAB and YFPAD attended the session.
BRAC can now build capacity of many more people particularly from the field in this area with minimum cost. The future plan includes scaling up this training opportunity through BLCs by end of 2014.
To see a short doc (33 sec) please click the following link: http://youtu.be/kkSwJbtxsk8
GSMA Women grants BDT 14 million of Innovation Fund to BRAC
15 April 2014, Dhaka. The Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) mWomen programme based in London announced BRAC as one of its Innovation Fund grant recipients on 11 April 2014. The grant is for BDT 14 million.
This fund will launch a mobile service for adolescent girls to develop their English skills to improve their employment prospects. BRAC will partner with Robi Axiata and the British Council in Bangladesh to launch the service. 3,000 adolescent girls from BRAC Adolescent Development Programme (ADP) have been selected for the first batch of 5-month-long training. They will work as peer leaders to disseminate their learning to their communities. In addition to this, Robi Axiata will run the training for 8,000 ADP clubs across Bangladesh after the successful completion of the pilot batch. Since a portion of these girls are thought to one day work in the garment sector, the British Council will adapt the curriculum of the training course accordingly. BRAC and the British Council plan to provide users who have completed all modules of the course with a certificate of achievement through a mobile identity solution developed by Robi Axiata.
Sr programme manager of BRAC’s ADP, Rashida Parveen said, “This fund will create more opportunities for our ADP girls through which they can contribute to our national economy while empowering themselves and bringing positive changes to their lives as well as their communities.”The GSM Association (GSMA), formed in 1995, is an association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardising, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system. The GSMA mWomen Global Development Alliance is a programme in partnership with USAID, Australian DFAT, GSMA and Visa Inc. It works to increase women’s access to and use of mobiles and life-enhancing, value-added services in the developing world.
The other winner of this innovation fund is Human Network International (HNI), a global organisation dedicated to bringing the benefits of technology to development. Over the course of both these projects, the programme hopes to generate insights on how life-enhancing value added services can increase women’s access to and use of mobile services.
To find more about this please visit: http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/gsma-mwomen-awards-innovation-fund-grant-to-hni-madagascar-and-brac-bangladesh
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