Executive Director of BRAC International Visits BRAC USA

Mr. Aminul Alam, Executive Director of BRAC International, stopped by the office on Thursday to meet the BRAC USA staff. With nearly 35 years of experience with the organization, Mr. Alam had many stories to share spanning his time working in the field as a program organizer up through his most recent endeavor, managing and expanding BRAC's international programs in Asia and Africa.

One of our staff’s favorite stories was Mr. Alam’s description of some of the innovative methods that BRAC has used to build its program’s in Afghanistan. BRAC launched its microfinance program in 2002 and is now the largest microfinance provider in Afghanistan, disbursing over $100 million in small loans to date. Given the unique political, social and economic challenges in the region, growing the program while upholding the central tenets of the BRAC mission, has presented unique challenges.

Aminul Alam, Executive Director of BRAC International, seen here speaking to BRAC USA President Susan Davis

Thus, BRAC has used a variety of techniques to grow the program. For example, when entering a new community BRAC staff might start by simply supplying drinking water to the village. This approach gives the staff the opportunity to form a trusting relationship with the village leaders and also provides an opportunity to explain BRAC’s mission to the community. Next, BRAC staff might supply the village with sewing machines. BRAC has found that sewing machines are often in high demand and providing them in a centralized location gives the BRAC staff a chance to meet with the women, who are potential borrowers and program staff. As BRAC’s relationship with the village strengthens, so does the recruitment of women, the retention rate and the effectiveness of the overall program.

BRAC's experience shows that the key to engaging local communities is to build trust rather than to expect people to eagerly embrace the services we are providing. Working with women, a core component of BRAC's activities, required the Afghani people to allow us to bend customs that were centuries old, and for our international staff, led by Mr. Alam, to demonstrate the level of innovative thinking that has become the hallmark of BRAC. It is a credit to both groups that a flexible, working solution was found.

Click here to learn more about BRAC's work in Afghanistan and around the world.