Enabling people to escape the poverty trap for the long-term requires adaptive approaches that are designed at the local level with their unique contexts in mind. Graduation is one such approach that goes far beyond simply building resilient livelihoods and works to address the multidimensional nature of extreme poverty that is often compounded by circumstances … Continued
Developed in the early 2000s, the Graduation approach was born out of learning from BRAC’s long period of program implementation that preceded it. BRAC has continuously evolved the Graduation approach since first starting the Ultra-Poor Graduation (UPG) program in Bangladesh in 2002, and it has now been adapted and expanded by BRAC and other organizations … Continued
Governments must strengthen their social protection systems to ensure those furthest behind are covered and that their long-term needs are met. Otherwise, the deepest forms of poverty will remain entrenched. Social protection programs help people who are marginalized and living in poverty meet their most basic needs. They enable people to cope with crises, find … Continued
In July 2018 the Bab Amal Graduation program was launched with the objective of reducing extreme poverty in Upper Egypt. BRAC UPGI is providing technical assistance on the program which is focused on rural households, particularly those with livestock as a primary source of income. Together with the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD) , … Continued
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Garima Sharma (2021) This paper studies the long-run effects of a “big-push” program providing a large asset transfer to the poorest Indian households. In a randomized controlled trial that follows these households over 10 years, we find positive effects on consumption (0.6 SD), food security (0.1 SD), income (0.3 SD), … Continued
On Tuesday 1 March, the UK House of Commons International Development Committee (IDC) began taking evidence on extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals. Experts sharing evidence included: Dr. Sabina Alkire, Director at Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford Romilly Greenhill, UK Director at ONE Campaign Shameran Abed, Executive … Continued
Organiser: Asian Development Bank, ADB BRAC Institute for Governance and Development, BIGD BRAC London School of Economics, LSE United Nations Development Programme, UNDP According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), COVID-19 has pushed 75 million to 80 million people into extreme poverty throughout Asia as of last year. Progress has also been negatively impacted in … Continued
Organisers: African Development Bank Group BRAC Institute for Governance and Development, BIGD BRAC United Nations Development Programme, UNDP West Africa Civil Society Institute, WACSI Before COVID-19, many countries across Africa were making significant gains in human capital, improving health and education outcomes for girls and boys and empowering women and youth to reach their full … Continued
In 2018, the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and technical assistance from BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative launched a pilot across five municipalities in Negros Occidental. The video highlights the program interventions and the many obstacles participants overcame in their efforts to uplift themselves out of … Continued
Lasse Brune, Nathanael Goldberg, Dean Karlan, Doug Parkerson, Christopher Udry (Ongoing) Evidence from multiple contexts suggests that the Graduation Approach, which provides holistic livelihood support for ultra-poor households, has lasting positive impacts on a range of outcomes. However, graduation programs are relatively expensive because of the intense level of support they offer. The costs pose … Continued