This article was originally published on VoxDev on February 16, 2023. People living in extreme poverty face multiple kinds of deprivation. Lack of capital, limited skills, and distance to markets are often some of the first factors that come to mind. Recognising these intersecting barriers, the ‘graduation’ model was originally designed by the non-profit organisation … Continued
By Greg Chen | Managing Director, BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative BRAC’s founder, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, liked to say that “small is beautiful, but scale is necessary.” We see this as our twin challenge – to scale at a size that is meaningful on a global level while delivering long-term impact. Recently a colleague nicely … Continued
Jean Claude Muhire | Rwanda Program Director, Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) Photo credit to Ministry of Local Government, Rwanda BRAC applauds the Government of Rwanda’s adoption of the National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation (NSSG). The National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation represents a notable commitment to empowering people in poverty to develop sustainable livelihoods and establish … Continued
By Gregory Chen, Managing Director | BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative This piece originally appeared on Inter Press Service News on October 10, 2022. Read it here. WASHINGTON DC, Oct 10 2022 (IPS) – As we approach 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals look harder than ever to achieve. Shocks to the global economy caused by climate change, … Continued
By Dr. Keetie Roelen, Research Fellow and Co-Director | Centre for Social Protection This interview was original published on Poverty Unpacked on September 29, 2022. Listen here. Empowering families in poverty to take control and set them on a path towards a better life, this is at the core of so-called ‘graduation’ programmes. By providing … Continued
By Scott MacMillan, Director of Learning and Innovation | BRAC USA This piece was originally published on The Brookings Institution’s Future Development blog on September 12, 2022. Read it here. What would Abed say? I often find myself asking this question these days, having authored a new biography of the late founder of BRAC, “Hope … Continued
By Joyce Chimbi, Journalist | Inter Press Service This article originally appeared in Inter Press Service News Agency on September 1, 2022. Read it here. Iloilo, Philippines, Sep 1 2022 (IPS) – Elvie Gallo no longer hangs around her local grocery store, hoping for the odd job to put food on the table. Her hand-to-mouth life … Continued
By Isabel Whisson, Senior Manager | BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative and Bill Abrams, Senior Advisor | Leadership Collaborative to End Ultra-Poverty This article originally appeared on the OECD Development Matters blog on June 27, 2022. Read it here. Successive crises including COVID-19, climate change, conflicts, and the emerging global food crisis will force 75 to 95 million … Continued
By Sigal Samuel, Senior Reporter | Vox Future Perfect This article originally appeared in Vox on June 24, 2022. Read it here. If you want to fight poverty, you probably intuitively feel that the worst-off people are the ones who should be prioritized. As difficult as it is to live on a few bucks a … Continued
By Jeff Tollefson This article originally appeared in Nature on June 22, 2022. Read it here. In 2012, the government of Niger began giving some of its poorest citizens free money. Over the next few years, around 100,000 participating households received 24 monthly payments of roughly US$16 — which more than doubled their typical spending … Continued