09 July 2011, Dhaka. At an informal opinion exchange programme with the journalists, BRAC's 2010 Annual report was launched today at the Jatri Auditorium.  Addressing the need for accountability and transparency, BRAC's Executive Director Dr. Mahabub Hossain presented the report in light of national and millennium development goals.  He stressed that BRAC is performing a complimentary role to the government in attaining the millennium development goal for the country and highlighted some of the success stories.   Various questions from the journalists were answered by the Executive Director, BRAC International's deputy executive director Dr. Imran Matin, BRAC Group's chief financial officer S.N.Kairy, communications director Asif Saleh, director of education programme Dr. Safiqul Islam, Agriculture programme head Dr. Monoranjan Mondol,  Disaster and Environment and Climate Change Director Dr. Babar Kabir, HRLS director Dr. Faustina Perrera, Community Empowerment Director Anna Minj, Associate director Health Dr. Kaosar Afsana, Associate Director Rabeya Yasmin and various other programme leads.  

In this report, it was highlighted that there has been considerable progress in Bangladesh in attaining the millennium development goal.  In this light, BRAC's performances in addressing the 8 MDGs were discussed.  Particularly in the field of health and education and poverty reduction, the results have been very encouraging.  BRAC's pre-primary education programme to encourage enrollment had almost 3,29,000 children.  In primary education, the rate of primary school enrollment nationally is now almost 100%.  BRAC is currently working on reducing the drop outs and reaching the areas which are hard to reach and have fewer government schools.  Its non formal primary school in 2010 had almost 610,000 students.  Similarly, in health in BRAC areas of operation of 10 districts the rate of maternal mortality has come down to 141 per thousand in urban areas and 157 in rural areas -- remarkably close to attaining the MDG goal of 144.  TB detection rate in BRAC covered areas is 78% and recovery rate is 92% which is also well past the MDG target.  In the poverty alleviation front, beyond traditional microfinance, BRAC has reached out to almost 80,000 extremely poor household through asset transfer and technical assistant. It has also extended low interest loan to almost 100,000 tenant farmers. BRAC is also working on climate change issues and researching on climate proof crops for the coastal areas. 

Through these services of BRAC and BRAC International almost 138 million people throughout the world are within the reach of some kind of BRAC services.  Outside Bangladesh BRAC has expanded to 9 other countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbeans. In Afghanistan and Uganda, BRAC is now the largest NGO.  Outside Bangladesh almost 30 million people are within BRAC's reach.   In terms of number of people engaged, BRAC is now the biggest development organisation in the world.  

Next year BRAC will celebrate its 40th year of operation.  Innovation, Effectiveness, Integrity and Inclusiveness -- keeping these four values in mind, BRAC will continue to work in the coming days to bring the most disadvantaged back into the mainstream.  In this context, the executive Director highlighted some future plans which included:

• Keeping the MDGs in mind, having a more integrated development approach in selected upazillas
• Taking coordinated initiatives for Dhaka slum dwellers and street children
• Incorporating information technology in development activities to make it more efficient and cost effective
• Having an integrated development approach for the youth of the country in synch with their current needs.

In the programme, the executive director divided BRAC's programmes in three key groups --- poverty alleviation, social security and capacity building and lastly community empowerment.  BRAC also has social enterprises which started to address social needs but generates income for BRAC which is used for long term self sustainability of BRAC. Part of these profits is reinvested in the enterprises and the rest goes towards funding the development programmes. Approximately, 30% of BRAC's budget is from foreign grant and the rest of the fund is managed by BRAC.

• BRAC Annual Report 2010 Download [PDF-4 MB] or Read Online
• Annual Report Review (in Bangla)

25 June 2011, Dhaka. BRAC & Bangladesh Rice Foundation jointly organised a dialogue titled ‘Agriculture, Food Security and Social Security: An Analysis of Proposed National Budget 2011-12’ on June 25, 2011 at the BRAC Centre Auditorium. Dr. Mahabub Hossain, Executive Director, BRAC presented his analysis on the proposed National Budget 2011-12 while M. Syeduzzaman, Former Finance Minister, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Chaired the dialogue. The dialogue brought together the policy makers, bureaucrats, economists, academicians, lawmakers, businessmen and prominent civil society members as well as representatives from national and international NGOs who spoke about the proposed budget in relation to agriculture, food security and social security. All the speakers and the guests insisted in the proper implementation and utilisation of the proposed budget. They also shared their concern regarding transparency and accountability in implementing the proposed budget for the fiscal 2011-12. Following are the recommendations that come forward from the dialogue:

• Ensure fair prices to maintain food security for distressed people and distribute khas lands among the poor.
• Ensure government’s contribution to subsidise the agriculture sector considering the involvement of a very large section of the poor in it by cutting down on unnecessary expenditure.
• Adequate allocation for human resource development and research rather than reducing subsidy in Agriculture sector.
• Increase allocation in the social safety net programmes for food security of the ultra poor.
• Create buffer stock of arable lands for food security.
• Formulate a Budget Disciplinary Law to ensure accountability in the implementation of the proposed budget.

27 June 2011. Thirty-five years ago, thousands of school-aged children in Soweto, South Africa took to the streets to demand the right to a quality education and instruction in their native language. Over 100 of these children died, and more than 1,000 were injured. The Organization for African Unity (now the African Union) initiated the Day of the African Child in 1991 to commemorate this event. Since then, the continent has come together every year on June 16th to celebrate the hopes and needs of its children.

For this year’s celebration of the Day of the African Child, the focus was on the estimated 30 million street children across Africa. BRAC Uganda, in collaboration with UNICEF, took part in this event by hosting a visit from the Honorable Barbara Oundo Nekesa, State Minister for Karamojan Affairs. Many of Uganda’s estimated 10,000 street children come from the Honorable Minister’s region of Karamoja. As one of the poorest regions in the country, these children were forced to migrate due to severe drought, poverty, food insecurity, and decades of conflict that ravaged this area.

Since the cessation of conflict in Karamoja, renewed attention has been paid to developing this region. As part of this effort, BRAC Uganda launched 120 Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents (ELA) clubs dedicated to the social and economic empowerment of young girls. In the morning, the clubs serve 25 pre-school children with care and stimulation through toys, games and support. In the afternoon, the clubs provide livelihood and life-skills training, as well as a customized microfinance program, for adolescent girls between the ages of 13 and 20.

The Honorable Minister had the opportunity to meet and speak to many of the beneficiaries of the ELA clubs, many of whom are former street children. The Minister was particularly touched to hear the testimonial of one young girl who, due to poverty, was separated from her parents and forced to find employment away from her hometown. Her journey first took her to Kampala by bus, and from there, she moved from city to city and even ended up in Southern Sudan.

Throughout this time, she struggled to find work opportunities, slept on the streets, and was unable to find food. When she returned to Iriiri, Karamoja last year after the long journey back home, she was finally reunited with her parents and joined BRAC Uganda’s ELA club. She explained how BRAC’s programs are providing the necessary support to keep her—and many other girls—off the streets.

After meeting with beneficiaries, the Honorable Minister inaugurated BRAC Uganda’s programs by distributing the assets of girls who were awarded for their successful completion of vocational training. Those who undertook courses in poultry rearing received a chicken coop, ten chickens, and a month’s worth of chicken feed. Those who undertook agricultural training received a variety of different seeds to plant during the rainy season. Throughout the next few months, club mentors and trainers will work closely with these girls to ensure that they are able to fully utilize their new assets in order to earn an income for themselves and their families.

At the end of her visit to BRAC’s programs, the Honorable Minister gave a strong message of support to BRAC Uganda and its partners in Karamoja. She reaffirmed the Government's commitment to programs like BRAC’s that provide key opportunities and support to children so that they will no longer be forced to migrate from their homes.

This article was written with contributions from Dr. Nicola Banks. Dr Banks works with BRAC's Research and Evaluation Unit in Uganda. She previously worked for BRAC's Research and Evaluation Division in Bangladesh, before completing her PhD in Development Policy and Management with The Brooks World Poverty Institute, The University of Manchester. She remains an Honorary Research Fellow at the Brooks World Poverty Institute.

21 June 2011. The Society for Peace, National Reconciliation and Reunification (SPNRR) has honored a Microfinance Company, BRAC-Liberia for what it termed "empowering" over seven thousand Liberians to acquire training in different skills.

The Chairman of the organization, J. Mayfield Copson said the company‘s commitment to improving the living conditions of Liberians shall remain commendable as Liberians have suffered for too long and now need a change in their livelihood.

During the honoring ceremony, which took place over the weekend at BRAC-Liberia’s head office in Congo Town, Mr. Copson noted that the gesture of BRAC-Liberia is one of the best things for human kind, saying that the company’s contributions would go a long way in the fight against poverty.

He used the occasion to call on all Liberians to make use of the available training opportunities in Liberia to enhance the rebuilding process of the country after 14 years of destruction.

Responding, the Executive Director of BRAC-Liberia, Mohammed Abdus Salam, disclosed that 32,873 Liberians have benefited from the company’s microfinance program so far.

According to Mr. Salam, the company was established in Liberia for the purpose of empowering people and communities in tackling the issues of poverty, illiteracy and disease among others.

He said the company has financially empowered many parents who now are capable of sending their children to school thereby helping to make them useful and assets to society.

Mr. Salam indicated that the company is also working in collaboration with the Liberian government in the promotion of peace and security as a way of buttressing government’s efforts aimed at implementing the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS).

Meanwhile, the BRAC-Liberia Executive Director has further disclosed that the company has extended its microfinance program to seven counties including, Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa, Montserrado, Grand cape Mount and Margibi.

Mr. Salam said additional counties would benefit from the program shortly. He felt short in naming the additional counties to benefit the Microfinance program.

According to the BRAC- Liberia Executive Director, since the establishment of the organization in Liberia, the company’s Microfinance program has changed the lives of about 69 percent of female Liberians.

Mr. Abdus Salam added that Liberian needs capacity building in order to empower the young people and improve their living condition as well.

During a visit to the Gorakpah town market in Sinkor, a beneficiary of the BRAC- Liberia microfinance program who sells fish, Annie Walker, age 49 said prior to the intervention of the organization, she sold fish in the market for several years without making gains or profits.

But, Madam Walker said when she received the first loan of 15,000 United States dollars from the microfinance company in 2009, things became to change and her life started to improve.

This article was originally written by Roland Davis and published in the Liberian newspaper, In Profile Daily.