The South-South Learning Forum (SSLF) 2025, held in Kigali, Rwanda, convened 270 policymakers, practitioners, and partners from nearly 60 countries to exchange strategies for scaling economic inclusion programs that create jobs for the poor. Co-hosted by the Government of Rwanda and the World Bank’s Social Protection Global Practice, in collaboration with the Partnership for Economic … Continued
The Chhattisgarh State Rural Livelihoods Mission (Bihan) under the Department of Panchayat and Rural Development, Government of Chhattisgarh, the nodal agency for implementing DAY-NRLM interventions across the state, has signed an MoU with BRAC International, a Global South-led organization dedicated to empowering people and communities. This partnership will support the implementation of CG-SAY, a Graduation-inspired … Continued
This episode was originally published by VoxDev on April 9, 2025. In this episode of VoxDevTalks, Tim Phillips speaks with Shameran Abed, Executive Director of BRAC International, about the ‘Graduation approach’: a pioneering intervention model developed by BRAC in Bangladesh to help the ultra-poor build sustainable livelihoods and escape extreme poverty. More than 20 years after … Continued
The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, has launched the first of four coaching modules. These coaching modules have been developed to roll out India’s graduation-based program – Inclusive Livelihoods or Samaaveshi Aajeevika – nationwide. This is a national module in English, and state versions in several languages and dialects will soon be available. … Continued
The World Bank Group originally published this feature story on November 11, 2024. By Rasha Natour, Senior Specialist, Policy and Partnerships, BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative The number of people living in extreme poverty continues to be alarming and disheartening. The World Bank estimates that around one person in 10, or 700 million people, live in extreme … Continued
BRAC pioneered the Graduation approach by launching the Ultra-Poor Graduation Programme in 2002. The programme works to sustainably lift ultra-poor households from poverty while keeping women at the centre of economic activities. 69,242 participants were enrolled for the 2023 cohort in 38 districts across Bangladesh. The report shares additional highlights from 2023.
In February 2024, the Government of Bihar welcomed officials from the Government of the Philippines to visit and learn about its inclusive livelihood programme through a new Immersion and Learning Exchange programme. The government-led programme, Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana (SJY), is one of the world’s largest programmes modeled after the Graduation approach, which to date has … Continued
2023 marked the end of the Government of the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Padayon Sustainable Livelihood Program, which equipped more than 2,700 households in the three poorest provinces of the country with the resources and tools needed to improve their socio-economic conditions and develop sustainable livelihoods. DSWD is now looking to … Continued
Image (above) credit: Mahila Housing Trust By Boudewijn Weijermars, Technical Advisor; Shweta S. Banerjee, India Country Lead; Ramesh Veluru, India Programme Officer; and Courtney Calardo, Head of Communications, at BRAC International Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative India is not alone in the world in experiencing the effects of the current 1°C global warming. Heatwaves, floods, and droughts … Continued
The authors of this paper are Shweta S. Banerjee (Country Lead India, BRAC International), Siraz Hirani (Senior Programme Management Specialist, Mahila Housing Trust), Boudewijn Weijermars (Technical Advisor, BRAC International), Ramesh Veluru (India Programme Officer, BRAC International) India is experiencing the effects of the current 1°C global warming. Heat waves, floods, and droughts are affecting the … Continued