entrepreneurship

May 22, 2013

The world’s biggest family

One of the newest additions to BRAC's family worldwide tells her story of discovering what BRAC really is. Originally published at The Huffington Post.
May 3, 2013

To train, or not to train

Variously called targeting the ultra-poor, just TUP, or more famously the graduation program (which we're not always sure is the right title), BRAC's work with the ultra-poor is officially titled Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction - Targeting the  Ultra Poor (CFPR-TUP). A mouthful yes, but not nearly as many mouthfuls as there have been recently about the effectiveness -- or lack thereof -- of a core component in the program: livelihoods training.
September 16, 2012

Engaging Youth: Going Beyond Skills

In Bangladesh, close to two million young people join the workforce annually. Many of the opportunities are not that of employment in the formal sector, but rather entrepreneurship in the growing informal service sectors.   BRAC works millions of youth and provides a range of activities, including many focused on income generation and livelihood.
July 25, 2012

BRAC microfinance borrower wins entrepreneurship award

BRAC Uganda microfinance borrower, Lydia Nojaki Birungi, 43, won the bronze prize in the 2011 Citi Micro Entrepreneurship Awards. Lydia, a BRAC small enterprise borrower since 2009, was recognised by Citibank and The Association of Microfinance Institutions of Uganda (AMFIU) for her entrepreneurial ability. Lydia runs an agrochemicals business in Kasese and also farms a 15-acre plot of land that provides food for a large section of her community. Lydia received a certificate and a prize of 1.5 million UGX ($600) from Citibank. She plans to invest her winnings in her business.
May 17, 2011

Omidyar Network Executive Forum (ONEF) Convening the World’s Leading Social Entrepreneurs

The following was originally posted by Alice Korngold on Fast Company.The heads of Kiva, Guidestar, BRAC, Wikimedia Foundation, DonorsChoose, Ushahidi, Refugees United, and others of their peers, will convene this week at the Omidyar Network Executive Forum (ONEF). As Sal Giambanco, Partner, Omidyar Network (ON) told me, this is ON's "signature event of the year that focuses on leadership.
January 10, 2011

Realizing the Potential of South Sudan: Joyce Invests in Entrepreneurship

Joyce has been a tailor for a long time. She makes clothes for her five children and then some. A new order has come in to make uniforms for the local kindergarten school nearby.“I taught my husband how to use the sewing machine, so he can help me when I have lots of work”, she says, as she beams at her black and gold sewing machine.There was a time though when life was much harder. Living in a household of 13 people means that everything must stretch, and in the war torn region of Southern Sudan even essentials are scarce.
December 29, 2010

Changing lives in Afghanistan and around the world

I want to share with you an article published by Reuters yesterday about Afghanistan. Unlike most of the news I've read about Afghanistan lately, this story has a message of hope - of positive change that is happening right now - and how BRAC is a part of it:
December 21, 2010

Realizing Potential: Ulfat’s story

Ulfat was just starting to feel the ground beneath her feet when, last July, life dealt Ulfat another hard blow. Born in the Nowshera district in the Kyber-Phaktunwa province, Ulfat was married off at 22, and divorced a year later because she did not produce a child within the first year of marriage. Upon her return to her father's house, Ulfat was determined not to let her circumstances get the better off her. She started helping her father by taking care of the family buffalo and selling the milk. To generate some additional income, Ulfat also started a small tailoring business from home.
November 4, 2010

Microfinance Impact and Innovation Conference: Targeting the Ultra Poor

A couple of weeks ago, BRAC USA President & CEO Susan Davis moderated a panel of researchers and practitioners providing resources to the "ultra poor" - women who are too poor to be able to take advantage of microfinance loans - at the Microfinance Impact and Innovation Conference.
October 29, 2010

MasterCard Foundation President & CEO writes about the importance of investing in youth in Africa

Below is a post written by The MasterCard Foundation President & CEO Reeta Roy about the importance of youth entrepreneurship in Africa. The MasterCard Foundation has partnered with BRAC in Uganda to invest in adolescent girls, providing them access to safe spaces, social and livelihood skill-building resources, and microfinance so that they can be agents of change in Africa.
October 8, 2010

The MasterCard Foundation: Women Driving Change

Below is a post from Reeta Roy, President & CEO of the MasterCard Foundation. She is currently visiting BRAC's programs in Uganda along with other members of the MasterCard team. She wrote this after visiting one of BRAC's microfinance groups.