Bangladesh

April 28, 2020

COVID-19: Update from Asif Saleh (27 April 2020)

The holiest month for Muslims arrives one month into economic shutdown in Bangladesh. BRAC has provided 198,182 families with cash support. Read the latest on the situation in Bangladesh and BRAC’s response.
July 31, 2018

Creating sustainable deathtraps

Living in Dhaka is a challenge, no matter who you are. Traffic is manic, there are motorcyclists cruising the footpaths and people are forced to walk on the streets. There are no designated bus lanes and no bus stops. The roads are home to everything and everyone. Buses, cars, rickshaws, CNGs and people coexist in a situation where anything can happen at any time.
April 5, 2018

IamBRAC: Putting the law to work in remote Bangladesh

In a world that can sometimes feel like it was made purely for men, the mother of two's work has earned her the title of a ‘Joyeeta’, the national platform that recognises women from all backgrounds for dedication towards social progress.
March 22, 2018

Localisation of humanitarian response: A proven frontier for BRAC

Let us take the recent Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh- dubbed as the world’s fastest growing humanitarian crisis- as a case to see why and how BRAC can be a model for the localisation in humanitarian response.
January 24, 2018

Milking cows save marriage in Pabna, northwestern Bangladesh

Northwestern Bangladesh - Par Bhangura, a little known village within Bhangura, a sub-district of Pabna, is home to some of the most enterprising people in the country. Many are unaware of the fact that Par Bhangura also happens to be the birthplace of the first Bangladeshi Ambassador to the United States, M Hossain Ali.
January 23, 2018

Over 9,000 “dignity kits” distributed. What even are they and why are they important?

A woman’s handbag seemingly contains a world of mystery. Her phone, keys, wallet, some tissue to wipe the nose, a sanitary pad just in case, maybe sunglasses, and receipts from the supermarket. But what does one carry in a crisis?
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.
December 18, 2017

The uncertain future of the Rohingya children

People stretched as far as I could see. Young, old and every age in between, all standing in lines for hours to receive food.  What most shocked me was the number of children. There were just so many of them. So many hungry eyes.
December 7, 2017

Preparing for exams on a remote island

Standing on a distant piece of land in the middle of the haor (wetlands) of Sunamganj in northwestern Bangladesh, a sea surrounds the school. The water stretches as far as the eyes can see, with a few patches of croplands peeking through the horizon. It is the only school in an area of eight square kilometers.
October 31, 2017

Of dignity and dream homes: Transforming a slum in 3 steps

Chinta Didi just got a new, two-storied house. It costs less than USD 1,500 - and her neighbours built it for her. She has been partially blind since birth, and relies on the little income that her husband earns from working at a welding shop.
October 20, 2017

A midnight cow hunt

It was 3am when Abdur Rahim received a panicked phone call. There was a thief on the loose, and a cow had gone missing.
September 15, 2017

The doctor without a degree saving hundreds of lives in Bangladesh

It is 5:30am in Kaliyakoir, Gazipur, and Nilufar Yasmin’s patients are waiting already outside, lined up beside a sign that says ‘BRAC Shasthya Shebika’. They are farmers and shopkeepers, and they have come to ‘Doctor Apa’ to get their daily dose of tuberculosis medicine before heading to work.