equality

October 8, 2023

Artificial limbs change lives: Here’s how we can scale them up in low-income countries

Roksana Khatun lost her right leg when the building she was working in collapsed on top of her. The Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh was the deadliest accidental structural failure in modern human history, killing almost 1200 people and injuring thousands more. Rokhsana didn’t think she'd ever walk, let alone work, again. Today, armed with a prosthetic leg, she is not only back in the workforce, but is earning more than what she made in Rana Plaza. Her story is emblematic of the work of the BRAC Limb and Brace Centre, which has equipped 42,000 people in Bangladesh with customised, affordable prosthetic limbs to date.
August 29, 2023

Six suggestions to strengthen public spending in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is tackling multiple challenges at the moment - recovery from COVID-19, international instability, rapidly multiplying climatic impacts, an upcoming election - as well as meeting fiscal conditions imposed by global bodies such as the International Monetary Fund. What insights from the ground could help to ensure the effectiveness of national spending, especially for those who need it the most?
August 27, 2023

Getting women to use mobile money: Insights from a decade in Bangladesh

BRAC has been trying to figure out how to get women in Bangladesh to use mobile money for the last decade. Along the way, we have learnt a lot about what works and what doesn’t. In this blog, we share five insights to help organisations seeking to drive up the use of digital financial services in communities.
August 12, 2023

“The future is lit! (Because our planet’s burning)”

What’s on young people’s minds in Bangladesh? How to get a job, how to find a scholarship…the climate crisis?
August 7, 2023

How mothers’ networks are promoting breastfeeding at work in Bangladesh

Breastfeeding is crucial to ensure proper growth and development of newborns. A new initiative in Bangladesh is building mothers’ support networks to ensure that the workplace doesn’t become a hindrance to breastfeeding. So, how is the initiative faring?
July 30, 2023

What’s it like to live with the person who sold you?

Globally, 27.6 million people are estimated to be victims of human trafficking at any given time. Many of them fall prey to human trafficking after being coerced by the very people they trust the most. Survivors of human trafficking are left shattered by the trauma they had faced. For them, it is crucial to have a comprehensive support system which includes components of community engagement, comprehensive training, and reintegration support.
July 25, 2023

Tackling non-communicable diseases with social capital and smart tech

Non-communicable diseases are responsible for 70% of deaths in Bangladesh. BRAC is partnering with the Government of Bangladesh to tackle this, through a combination of community health workers and technology.
July 11, 2023

Ayesha Abed: The soul of BRAC

Ayesha Abed led a life dedicated to work. At the core of her philosophy was the quest to ensure welfare of the people who were oppressed by the social systems pervasive in Bangladesh. She was a social worker, an organiser, and a visionary - all at once. In her personal life, she was a source of affection and love for her family members and friends.
June 23, 2023

A New Global Financial Pact: 5 asks from Bangladesh

$1.8 trillion in climate investment by 2030 can generate $7.1 trillion globally, but investment in climate is still falling woefully short, year after year. Policymakers from all over the world gathered to negotiate a new deal for climate finance at the The Summit for a New Global Financial Pact in Paris this week, and there’s hope that change is ahead. Climate experts from Bangladesh, one of the most climate-impacted nations in the world, share five recommendations they took to Paris:
June 22, 2023

Green and social investments in the global south will show returns worldwide

As global leaders gather in Paris for The Summit for a New Global Financing Pact on 22-23 June, BRAC and Groupe SOS directors, two global champions of social entrepreneurship, are calling for large scale investment in innovations in countries on the frontlines of social, environmental and climate crises - not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is the smart thing to do.
June 19, 2023

5 tips for developing your very own behavioural board game

How can we expand our tools for facilitating impact beyond traditional programming? BRAC’s Social Innovation Lab has been experimenting with games for behavioural change programming for quite a while now and based on this wealth of experience, here we have curated 5 pointers for people looking to create their very own behavioural change board game.
June 6, 2023

The entrepreneurs continuing Bangladesh’s sanitation revolution

Bangladesh’s drive towards zero open defecation led to an increase in demand for high-quality latrine building materials in both rural and urban areas. This created an opportunity for people to unlock their entrepreneurial spirit while contributing to better sanitation in their communities.