financial inclusion

December 24, 2019

Women’s financial inclusion: The smart thing to do

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July 11, 2019

Jhorna Fabrics: Fit for a queen

Jhorna Islam is somewhat of a local celebrity in Tongi, Duttapara. While there are many clothing shops in the area, the uniqueness of her designs stand out, and the quality of the cutting and material used is noticeably high. 
November 14, 2018

An engine of our growth

Agriculture plays a powerful role in poverty reduction, according to a study done by BRAC’s research and evaluation division. The study revealed that the agricultural sector can reduce poverty-related sufferings faster than other sectors.
October 31, 2018

How does microfinance support social transformation?

Microfinance is the idea that individuals from low-income backgrounds are capable of lifting themselves out of poverty if given access to financial services. This starts with what most of us take for granted - savings, insurance and credit facilities.
September 5, 2018

Give credit to a woman – and you uplift her family

Access to finance – be that credit, or savings, is a universal need. People living in poverty are disproportionately excluded from the formal financial system. Access to finance is particularly difficult for women in Bangladesh with 64% of women left out of formal financial services.
August 9, 2018

From health to wealth: Sanitation standards shifting in rural Bangladesh

Bangladesh has largely succeeded in providing access to basic sanitation. Using latrines in rural communities is now no longer seen as a luxury reserved for upper-income households, but a necessity at all levels of society.
July 15, 2018

Eliminating extreme poverty: How can we make Graduation more cost-effective?

With governments and others, increasingly looking to integrate Graduation into national programmes, cost and complexity are major barriers. Yet, practitioners need to be wary of looking for simple solutions to complex problems. Cost-effectiveness is not about finding a lower cost model for graduation but rather, understanding what is optimal in each context to achieve long-term, sustained, positive outcomes.
April 30, 2018

IamBRAC: Money, guns and thugs in Bangladesh

Nazma manages four offices, supervises dozens of people, grants loans, raises a daughter and occasionally rolls up her sleeves to lock horns with gun-wielding thugs.
April 23, 2018

IamBRAC: Women stand strong when the going gets tough

Shahana Akhter spends her days on her little red scooter looking for small businesses. She works in BRAC’s microfinance programme, and has spent seven years distributing loans and collecting repayments to enable all types of entrepreneurship to expand.
April 15, 2018

Women on wheels in rural Bangladesh

Mitali Dhar loves her bike. She has travelled far and wide on her two-wheeler. It has not always been met with respect - she was pushed off her bike once during a visit many years ago to a remote spot in Sylhet. “ I sat beside the tube well and cleaned myself up, wept and went straight back to the office,” says Mitali.
January 2, 2018

Financial inclusion for the ‘missing middle’

The capability to borrow money when needed, whether for short-term or long-term purposes, is a convenience valued by everyone. Access to credit is not only helpful for investing in enterprises, or managing crises, but it also provides the opportunity to access better standards of living.
December 17, 2017

Social enterprises: More than women-friendly spaces

When women have more access to financial as well as physical assets, it provides them with a base of authority that is important in staking her claim for equal or fair treatment.