avatar

Isabel Whisson

Isabel has worked across BRAC and BRAC International for nearly a decade, with a focus on financial inclusion, ultra-poor graduation, and more recently, climate resilience. Her work at BRAC has taken her from capturing financial innovations in Bangladesh and post-epidemic resilience in West Africa, to guiding multilateral and government policy change on extreme poverty reduction in countries in Asia and Africa. She was an architect of the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative's "audacious" strategy. Isabel has a Masters in International Public Policy from University College London.

December 23, 2014
Published by Isabel Whisson at Dec 23 2014
Categories
financial inclusion, general, health

More than credit: Can microfinance also deliver affordable health care?

In Bangladesh, 65 percent of health expenditures are out-of-pocket payments. This lack of funded health care puts considerable pressure on the millions of people with debt from microloans. For many, a health emergency means much more than paying loan installments late; it can mean liquidating business assets that put an end to income-generating activity indefinitely, or going to informal money-lenders who charge exorbitant interest rates
Do you like it?0
0 Read more
September 2, 2014
Published by Isabel Whisson at Sep 02 2014
Categories
financial inclusion, general

How millions of women like Chobi are beating ultra poverty

“When it would rain, we did not have a dry area to sleep… I used old and torn rags to cover my children.” The video speaks for itself. A self-told story about how Chobi Rani, with the assistance of BRAC, brought herself out of the harshest forms of poverty, to feed and send her children to school, live in a comfortable home and maintain successful enterprises in farming.
Do you like it?0
1 Read more
July 9, 2014
Published by Isabel Whisson at Jul 09 2014
Categories
equality, financial inclusion, general

Inclusive microfinance – putting the ‘ability’ into ‘disability’

On  24 June, 2014, BRAC welcomed Joshua Goldstein from the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion, to Bangladesh. Josh, a key figure in the campaign for disability-inclusive development, is helping to galvanise a worldwide movement that takes financial inclusion that necessary step further- including persons with disabilities. Naturally - connecting with the world’s largest NGO seemed like a great place to start.
Do you like it?0
0 Read more
June 11, 2014
Published by Isabel Whisson at Jun 11 2014
Categories
general

‘Programme’ versus ‘program’

With a workforce of 135,000 – many of whom are non-native English speakers – BRAC faces significant challenges in delivering consistent and standardised English language communications material. BRAC Communications is therefore making a concerted effort to equip its huge body of staff with the linguistic tools and training to communicate clearly and effectively in English to its internal and external stakeholders.
Do you like it?0
1 Read more