Microfinance
March 30, 2011
Published by BRAC at Mar 30 2011
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BRAC and The MasterCard Foundation today announced the expansion of a $45 million partnership to scale BRAC's innovative microfinance multiplied model in Uganda. The announcement, which was made at the opening plenary of the 2011 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, will enable BRAC to expand its network to 129 branches, benefiting more than four million Ugandans."The MasterCard Foundation aims to scale innovative microfinance programs in Africa to improve the lives of people living in poverty," said Reeta Roy, President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation. "BRAC's holistic approach integrates microfinance and livelihood services to help women to become productive economically and build assets to benefit their families."
March 25, 2011
Published by BRAC at Mar 25 2011
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Artisans make products for Aarong, a fashion house that supports the lives and livelihoods of 65,000 rural artisans and handicraft producers. Photo: BRAC/Shehzad Noorani
March 23, 2011
Published by BRAC at Mar 23 2011
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I met Margaret on my most recent trip to West Africa. Margaret is a BRAC Sierra Leone health promoter in Grassfield, south-east of central Freetown. In only three months after joining, she is already very active in health education in her community. "I first learned about many health topics from BRAC - importance of breast feeding, TB, Malaria, personal hygiene, safe drinking water, and more." She is noticing changes in the level of cleanliness and hygiene maintained by members in the community that she covers.
March 7, 2011
Published by BRAC at Mar 07 2011
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On behalf of BRAC, I am expressing my concern at the recent development concerning Grameen Bank. Grameen Bank is an extremely important institution serving almost 8.3 million of Bangladesh’s most underserved population. The welfare of these borrowers and the continuous progress of the institution must be given the highest priority for any decision affecting the organization.
February 23, 2011
Published by BRAC at Feb 23 2011
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Anthony Muljadi, a former BRAC Bangladesh intern and a student at Harvard Business School writes about the importance of partnerships for the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference blog.
February 4, 2011
Below is an article published on the Nourishing the Planet blog by Matt Styslinger, who worked as Student Researcher at BRAC in 2008/ 2009, conducting field research on BRAC’s Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH) Program.
January 28, 2011
Published by BRAC at Jan 28 2011
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The Microcredit Summit Campaign, a project that was launched in 1997 by US-based nonprofit advocacy group RESULTS Educational Fund (REF), today released a report indicating that between 1990 and 2008 approximately 10 million Bangladeshis rose above the international poverty line of USD 1.25 a day. The study attributes this improved economic status to microfinance programs that enable poor people to start small businesses and access savings and insurance services. The study is based on a survey of approximately 4,000 Bangladeshi households from mostly rural communities and some urban slums that was conducted between February and August 2009 by a team led by Sajjad Zohir of Economic Research Group (ERG), a Bangladeshi nonprofit organization. Alex Counts, President and CEO of the Grameen Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, supports the report saying, “There are quite a few people who believe that microfinance has lost its way. This Bangladesh survey reminds us that, even in the most difficult circumstances, major progress can be made.”
January 10, 2011
Published by BRAC at Jan 10 2011
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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
Published by BRAC at Dec 29 2010
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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
Published by BRAC at Dec 21 2010
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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.
December 14, 2010
The New York Times yesterday published a piece about the security and dangers faced by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Afghanistan (Link to article). There is no question that security is the #1 challenge to BRAC's work in the country. But since we first began operations in 2002 after being invited to work there, BRAC has become the largest NGO operating in Afghanistan. It is a fairly unique form of South-South collaboration in Afghanistan in the area of poverty alleviation that we are very proud of.
November 24, 2010
Published by BRAC at Nov 24 2010
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In Microfinance:For its reporting on Social Indicators, BRAC Pakistan is a 2010 recipient of the Silver Award from Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), sponsored by CGAP. Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and Ford Foundation. “We are much delighted and inspired by the award,” says Mr. Muhammed Faridur Rahman, CEO of BRAC Pakistan. In 2009, BRAC in Bangladesh was also a recipient of the same award from MIX.