Ann Marie Almeida

March 7, 2014

Building a better Bangladesh

Since 1971, Bangladesh has made significant progress in achieving better development outcomes. The country’s achievements in reaching MDG goals in health and education are unparalleled when comparing to nations facing similar challenges. But despite critical gains in creating access to primary and secondary education, the need exists for a center of excellence in higher education—an institution where citizens of both developed and developing nations will have the opportunity to combine knowledge with practical experience.
January 20, 2014

Advancing a southern voice in the global development discourse

The BRAC Institute of Governance and Democracy (BIGD) at BRAC University is a resource center that promotes research, provides graduate training and builds knowledge to address the challenges of poverty, inequity and social injustice in the global south. BIGD takes an inclusive, multidisciplinary approach to fulfill its mandate to constantly challenge conventional knowledge and advance a southern voice in the global development discourse.
January 20, 2014

Higher education located in a laboratory of social innovation

Bangladesh was the original development “basket case,” the demeaning term used for countries that would always depend on aid. The country faced famines, floods, and military coups. When it split from Pakistan in 1971, many observers doubted that it could survive as an independent state. Yet over the past 20 years, Bangladesh has made big developmental gains, particularly in the areas of health, life expectancy, and education much of which is credited to BRAC.