forum

February 8, 2015

Can old development models serve the new bottom billion?

The sprawling and growing skyline of Ho Chi Minh City, the biggest city in Vietnam, is quite breath-taking. But do you notice anything else in the picture? Look across the river to the left and you will see a dark area, which is a slum. Welcome to the reality of middle-income countries- where a small percentage of the population enjoy the luxury that comes with economic growth but the rest are left behind. In this changing context, BRAC’s Frugal Innovation Forum 2015 poses the pressing question- Is the development sector up to date to tackle the emerging needs of the new bottom billion?
February 5, 2013

Let’s make stone soup: Introducing BRAC’s Frugal Innovation Forum

As a child, I was fed a healthy supply of fairy tales and fables. One of my favorites was that of “stone soup.” In the version I know, it’s about a community facing extremely harsh times during a war. Food was in short supply, and hope even shorter. A hungry traveller came to town and in the village center, put a big pot with water and a stone on a fire. Curious villagers came and asked what he was doing. “Making a tasty stone soup!” he would explain.
December 31, 2010

Creating Knowledge for Africa’s Development

We at BRAC realize that creating useful knowledge and making it work for poverty alleviation is a critical challenge for Africa. Knowledge becomes useful when it contributes to solving problems. This is possible when it is contextual, internally driven and evolves through application and critique.