12.9% of the population in Bangladesh live below the global poverty line of USD 1.90 per day.
People living in ultra-poverty are confronted by a multitude of interconnected and cyclical problems. They have little or no land or productive assets and simultaneously struggle to cope with food shortages, poor health, social stigma, and a lack of basic services like clean water and sanitation. They are mostly excluded from social services and healthcare, generally live in remote areas disconnected from markets, and are often unable to work due to prolonged illnesses or disability in the family. Conventional development programmes have not been able to cope with these complex, interrelated needs.
The UPG programme are the pioneers of the Graduation Approach, a globally recognised model for its innovative and holistic solution to ultra-poverty.
The Graduation Approach is a comprehensive, time-bound, integrated and sequenced set of interventions that aim to enable extreme and ultra-poor households to achieve key milestones towards sustainable livelihoods and socioeconomic resilience, in order to progress along a pathway out of extreme poverty.
IMPACT

75-98% of participants worldwide meet graduation criteria in 18-36 months, as demonstrated by early RCT results.

Positive results ripple beyond economic measures of poverty. Preliminary results show vast improvement in socio-economic dynamics and educational opportunities of children.

Adapted by 114 programmes in 45 countries by NGOs, governments and multilateral institutions.
WHAT WE DO
Asset transfer, grants, and soft loans to procure a market-viable asset or start a business along with technical skills training.
Support basic income security such as consumption support and crisis relief, and access to health, education, and employment opportunities through linkages with government services.
Direct access to convenient, formal or informal access to financial services, accompanied with financial literacy training.
Regular check-ins and life-skills support on health and social issues that build confidence, resilience and promote social inclusion.
HOW WE DO IT
WHY IT WORKS

Targeted approach
Spatial poverty maps,community wealth ranking, and verification surveys to identify households with the greatest needs

Focus on skills development
Enterprise-specific training and awareness building on social issues

Community engagement
Engage the community as a positive influence on participants’ lives, creating easier access to mainstream services

Adaptability
Ability to adapt of programme interventions based on research and knowledge from field operations
GRADUATION STORIES
Participant has improved house conditions considering the respective geographical context.
Household’s school-aged children are going to school.
Household has multiple sources of income
Household has increased income and better access to nutritional foods