history

November 9, 2022

A tribute: Ela Ramesh Bhatt, the gentle revolutionary

This tribute comes with the passing of Ela Bhatt, whose work created an employment support programme in India for women who live in poverty. Ela started a trade union Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) was established in 1972, the same year as BRAC. 
July 29, 2021

Jamdani and Aarong: A love affair spanning half a century

A jamdani saree graced the French Riviera this month, as actress Azmeri Haque Badhon represented Bangladesh at the Cannes Film Festival. While jamdani is a symbol of sophistication, beauty and grace, and has always travelled across the world, the story behind the weaving technique is not well known - the art of weaving jamdani almost became extinct just decades ago.
May 5, 2021

From Sulla to the world: Happy birthday, Abed bhai

Sulla, the location of BRAC’s very first project initiated in 1972, would lay the cornerstones of what would become the world’s largest and fastest growing development organisation. Remembering Abed Bhai on his 85th birthday, we look back on BRAC's beginning in Sulla and reflect on the many lessons to be carried forward.
January 13, 2019

She was the heart and soul of BRAC

Ayesha Abed, one of the most instrumental figures in BRAC’s history, is the person behind the birth of Aarong. She initiated many of the major activities, identifying and experimenting with various crafts that women could easily produce at home. Dr Martha Chen shares her tribute on one of her most cherished friends.
January 4, 2018

An accountant with a mighty vision

This post is the first in a series shedding light on the early years of Bangladesh, and a man whose contributions were instrumental in the remarkable strides the country has made since then. The post has been translated after it originally appeared on Prothom Alo, Bangladesh's leading daily newspaper.
April 26, 2016

A tribute to a champion of the deprived

I can think of few people who have done more for the world's deprived population than Fazle Hasan Abed. His contribution spans Bangladesh where BRAC, the organisation he founded in 1972, services close to 10 million of the country's underprivileged households.