Poverty can be overcome, and the benefits last for generations. Alo Rani (‘light queen’ in Bangla) overcame poverty 18 years ago. Her children and grandchildren continue to shine, generations later. BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation programme has supported more than 2 million households in Bangladesh like Alo Rani’s to overcome poverty. This is her Graduation story. BRAC’s … Continued
In honor of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17, 2021, discover the power of women in a fireside chat with BRAC USA President and CEO, Donella Rapier, and Senior Advocacy Manager for BRAC’s Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative, Rasha Natour.
In late 2017 BRAC Uganda, the National Union of Women with Disabilities of Uganda (NUWODU), and Humanity & Inclusion (HI, formerly Handicap International), with support from BRAC UPGI and BRAC UK, began work to design and implement the Disability Inclusive Graduation (DIG) project in Oyam, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Gulu districts of Uganda.
Central to the Graduation approach is the understanding that extreme poverty encompasses a multidimensional set of challenges not limited to low incomes. While extreme poverty afflicts both women and men, women are particularly vulnerable because of barriers created by unequal gender dynamics.Women play a critical role in social and economic development by investing a higher … Continued
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, Nathanael Goldberg, Dean Karlan, Robert Osei, William Parienté, Jeremy Shapiro, Bram Thuysbaert, Christopher Udry (May 2015)
Clare Balboni, Oriana Bandiera, Robin Burgess, Upaasna Kaul (December 2015) A livelihood programme providing productive assets and skills training to the poorest women in Bangladesh village economies helps them move into more stable self-employment and achieves significant reductions in poverty…
Fundación Capital (December 2019) Multifaceted social protection programs have been shown to significantly enhance the material well being of the poor and ultra-poor, globally. To what extent have these improvements meaningfully changed the lives of poor women in non-material ways?
This case study explores BRAC’s experience evolving the graduation approach over the last 20 years, paying special attention to the lessons for governments and NGOs alike that have emerged from the most recent periods of implementation. Specifically, this case study looks at how, since the program started in 2002, BRAC has sought to ensure high … Continued
In the fall of 2019 we were honored to join with others committed to bringing the slogan “leave no one behind” to life in the new book Leave No One Behind: Time for Specifics on the Sustainable Development Goals, published this fall by the Japan International Cooperation Research Institute (JICA) and the Global Economy and … Continued
In 2002 we pioneered the Graduation approach – a holistic sequence of interventions that helps people escape the poverty trap for good. When LSE researchers found 95 percent of participants in Bangladesh continued improving their living standards seven years after the intervention ended, we knew Graduation had the potential to transform lives.