Pictured in front of the branch office is the Branch Manager, Isatu Mabel Kanu (center) and two of her colleagues newly hired as Credit Officers, Melvina (tallest) and Aida (in pink t-shirt)
Kaiatu Sasay is a newly recruited Agriculture Extension Worker cum Enterpreneur pictured above in a training session at the Lusor branch. She will join the microfinance groups and borrow for agriculture.
When asked why she was here and had volunteered for this program even though there was no pay, she quickly answered, "We want to improve. We want to have better seeds, to know more about planting, the right way to apply fertilizer and how to increase our yields. We want to help our community. When our neighbors see our fields doing better then they will come to find out how to do the same." She grows rice, maize, cassava and some vegetables.
Above is the the agriculture training session led by Fredrick, also shown with the BRAC Agriculture Program Manager.
New York Times columnist, David Brooks, has just returned from a trip to Afghanistan. In his recent columns he writes about the perils of the social fragmentation, fractured village structure and decimated social capital that have resulted from decades of war.
BRAC has successfully been working to combat these issues in Afghanistan since it launched programs there in 2002. BRAC's microfinance and other programs are designed to build community, and are delivered through organizing women into village organizations. BRAC organizes the most vulnerable, particularly poor women, for their own self-empowerment, rights, protection, work and collective voice. It helps them build social capital.
Today BRAC Afghanistan is the largest development organization and provider of microfinance in the country, with programs in 23 of the country’s 34 provinces. Here are just a few of our accomplishments to date:
- Benefited a total of 895,000 people - Disbursed $96 million in microloans to 143,097 borrowers - Provided health services to 3.5 million individuals - Graduated 118,416 students from primary schools (94% girls) - Recruited and trained 1,500 model farmers and 1,300 poultry and livestock workers
BRAC Afghanistan Staff with Susan Davis, President of BRAC USA
Brooks touches on the struggles of many Western aid organizations in the region. One of the keys to BRAC's success is that 95% of the 3,887 BRAC Afghanistan Staff are Afghani which enables us to bring the BRAC experience to a local level.
The forthcoming book about BRAC, Freedom From Want, by Ian Smillie dedicates a chapter (Chapter 19) to how BRAC's holistic and community based approach to development has allowed it to thrive in Afghanistan, in the face of many challenges. Click here to pre-order your copy of Freedom From Want
BRAC's Community Based School program, located in 11 different provinces, provides educational opportunities to out-of-school girls and is another example of how BRAC uses it's programs to build community. Community members are intimately involved in site selection for these community-based schools. Schools are managed by a committee comprised of a local teacher, leaders from the community, a female representative of the parents and an educational patron.Monthly mothers forums allow for open discussion about students’ performance and education.Additionally, BRAC is working on an adolescent development program which addresses the inequalities that adolescent girls face in response to subordination, early marriage, frequent pregnancy, abandonment, divorce, domestic violence, marginalization and exclusion through financial and social interventions.
The World Bank's Vice President for South Asia Region Ms. Isabel Guerrero and country head Mr. Xian Zhu visited a BRAC school earlier this month and met with BRAC Chairperson and founder Fazle Hasan Abed.
In the morning Ms. Guerrero and Mr. Xian Zhu visited two classes in an urban cluster school, located in the capital's Badda area. Ms. Guerrero spent some time talking to the students about their education. Later Ms. Guerrero talked to some of the children's guardians and visited two of their homes.
"I was inspired to see the bright and cheerful faces of girls and boys who are receiving holistic education in BRAC schools. The success and outreach of BRAC programs demonstrates the high potential of Bangladesh and resilience of its people."
In her meeting with Abed, Ms. Guerrero expressed interest in learning about the evolution of BRAC's programs and social enterprises. They exchanged views on a number of other topics including the likely impact of the global financial crisis on the poor. Both agreed that the provision of quality education, at both primary and secondary levels, remains an important challenge for Bangladesh.
BRAC VO member Rabeya (center) , as photographed by one of our Duke University interns.
We’re thrilled to announce that the myBRAC website is now online! Last summer, nine students from Duke University traveled to Bangladesh to see BRAC's multitude of poverty alleviation programs in action.
The myBRAC website showcases the narratives, videos, and photographs they produced while traveling across Bangladesh and meeting BRAC members. Through multi-media profiles, the site tells the stories of people whose lives have been impacted by BRAC.
You may remember Rob, our intrepid BRAC intern who chose the unconventional fundraising method of running a marathon in Antarctica to support BRAC’s Employment and Livelihood for Adolescents (ELA) program in Uganda.
Rob’s mission was successful regarding both his objectives: he exceeded his fundraising goal of $10,000, and he managed to complete the marathon despite spraining his ankle the week before.Here’s the proof:
Oops, that was actually Rob asking a penguin for directions. Here is the proof of his completing the marathon:
Our heartfelt thanks to Rob and those who donated to his cause.The support of such passionate and inspiring individuals is what helps us believe that with dedication and hard work, poverty truly can be a thing of the past.
I was recently in Lahore, Pakistan and had the opportunity to visit BRAC programs in the vicinity. The Lahore regional office is located in a district called Gulberg III, which should be renowned for the World’s most obtuse street numbering system. After receiving conflicting directions from locals, I eventually caught up with Mr. IkramulHaq, the regional manager, and his colleague AnisurRahman, project manager for BRAC Pakistan’s microfinance program. The three of us then set off to visit the BRAC branch office at Ichra, one of 12 branches within a 30KM radius overseen by the regional office.
Over the din of the rickshaw engine and passing traffic, with dust streaming in from either side, Mr. Haq and Mr. Rahman told me more about our destination. Ichra is best known for its shopping center. Consumers of varied class and income convene there for textiles, clothing, marble, and onyx. The quality and value of raw materials at the Ichra market lure designers and retailers looking to source materials. On an average day 90% of shoppers at Ichra Market are women. That seemed to parallel the demographics of our microfinance programs and explained why most of the loans currently executed by the Ichra branch are enabling beneficiaries to become market participants or engage in related trades. Notably, there had been no defaults on loans since the program was introduced in March 2008, nor any overdue payments
Mr. Haq told me about an amazing day in Ichra’s history. In Marc h 1978, two feet of snow fell there and remained frozen for over two weeks. Not only are there very few instances of snowfall in this region but the snow somehow fell only on Ichra, nowhere else in the vicinity, nor in Lahore. The miraculous event became national news and brought much joy to the people of Ichra.
Though perhaps less dramatic than inexplicable snowfall, the employees of BRAC Pakistan are making miracles happen for the people they serve, bringing them the opportunity to empower themselves and their loved ones. BRAC USA thanks them for all they are doing in aid of our common cause.
When I was in 5th grade, we were taught a song to name the 50 states in the United States. I thought I was pretty clever, but I was put in my place when the 3rd grade-level class at a BRAC primary school in Bangladesh sang a song in which each child names a different country:
Incorporating songs and games into the curriculum not only helps students remember (I can still name all 50 states), but it also engages them and makes learning fun. I don't think I've ever seen a classroom of children so happy to be in school!
BRAC has more than 54,000 primary and pre-primary schools in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Uganda and Southern Sudan, and will be implementing a pilot primary school program in Pakistan this year.
In February, I made my first trip to Southern Sudan and my goal was to understand more about the region and also visit the BRAC programs in the country.
Over the last four years, profound changes are taking place in Southern Sudan as a result of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005. The flow of returnees to Southern Sudan has been gradually accelerating since the CPA was signed, most of whom were displaced due to years of conflict in the region. It is under these conditions that BRAC started its programs in Southern Sudan in 2007, establishing branches in and around Juba town. BRAC currently operates 17 microfinance branches in the country, reaching 14,000 members and is piloting initiatives in livelihoods, health and education.
During my stay in the country, one of the things that fascinated me was how BRAC microfinance borrowers from a remote corner in Southern Sudan are getting their micro-loans funded in a matter of hours, through well-intentioned lenders from around the world. BRAC achieves this through its partnership with Kiva.org, and has till date raised $209,225 in loans for 766 BRAC borrowers. Even better, the average time in which a loan gets funded is 0.90 days.
In a time when everyone in the US is worried about the credit crunch, poor borrowers from BRAC are able to get their microloans funded in a matter of hours!
The man responsible for helping BRAC borrowers successfully raise loans through Kiva.org is John Ohisio. John is the staff person at BRAC Southern Sudan responsible for posting and managing BRAC S. Sudan borrower profiles on Kiva.org.
John hails from the Torit province in Southern Sudan. In 1997 his family fled to Uganda when the Sudanese government forces burned down his village, suspecting it to be a rebel hide-out. He and his family trekked by foot for days before reaching the Ugandan border. Initially they stayed at a refugee camp in Pader district in Northern Uganda. However, a civil war erupted in Uganda and they had to move again, before finally settling in Hoima district, when John was lucky to attend school. In 2007, after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, John’s family returned back to their home in Southern Sudan. John decided to stay in Juba, which had better job opportunities than his home province of Torit. John enrolled in a computer training class after which he was hired by BRAC, which had just started operations in Southern Sudan.
Below is a video interview of John, filmed by Ankush Dhupar a Kiva Fellow who also worked with BRAC Southern Sudan
John has found his job of posting BRAC borrower profiles on Kiva to be very fulfilling. He has helped more than 700 entrepreneurs to raise money for their businesses through the site. He believes that through his job with BRAC, he is helping the people of Southern Sudan get back on their feet and rebuild their lives.
Click here to lend to BRAC Southern Sudan borrowers on Kiva.org. You can also visit Global Giving to support other BRAC programs in the region.
BRAC USA President & CEO Susan Davis attended the 2009 International Colloquium for Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace & Security in Monrovia, Liberia from March 7-8. At the end of the colloquium, Susan invited the BRAC Liberia staff to attend the screening of Pray the Devil Back to Hell in the newly restored Samuel K. Doe Stadium.
Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a powerful testament to the courage of thousands of Liberian women who came together to pray for peace outside the Presidential Palace. Their actions were critical in bringing about an agreement during stalled peace talks.
Everyone was deeply moved, and the Bangladeshis at BRAC Liberia thought the screening was very helpful in providing context for their experience. For some of our Liberian staff members, the film evoked too many fresh memories of the recent strife, and they were unable to watch the entire movie; other Liberian staff were inspired and agreed that while the film was a fair representation of the conflict, the reality had in fact been far worse.
Lester Brown wrote about BRAC’s pioneering campaign to reduce infant and child deaths from diarrhea on the Earth Policy Institute’s sustainablog and on OpEdNews.com. The blog entry focuses on the critical role that ensuring basic health care for people in low-income countries plays in eradicating poverty and stabilizing populations.
“One of the most impressive health gains has come from a campaign initiated by a little-heralded nongovernmental group in Bangladesh, BRAC, that taught every mother in the country how to prepare oral rehydration solution to treat diarrhea at home by simply adding salt and sugar to water. BRAC succeeded in dramatically reducing infant and child deaths from diarrhea in a country that was densely populated, poverty-stricken, and poorly educated.
Seeing this great success, UNICEF used BRAC’s model for its worldwide diarrheal disease treatment program. This global administration of a remarkably simple oral rehydration technique has been extremely effective-reducing deaths from diarrhea among children from 4.6 million in 1980 to 1.6 million in 2006. Few investments have saved so many lives at such a low cost.”
To learn more: Watch the following video narrated by Brad Pitt which was created for the PBS series RX for Survival. You can also pre-order Freedom From Want, by Ian Smillie, and read chapter 9, "A Simple Solution" to learn how BRAC took this campaign to scale.
When I was in Bangladesh this past August, I asked the members of one of BRAC's adolescent development clubs for girls if they knew how to prepare oral rehydration solution. 80% of these girls aged 11-21 knew the recipe and the majority said that they had occasion to use it.
You've probably heard the term "jack-of-all-trades," but I met so many multi-tasking, multi-talented women while I was in Bangladesh that I think we ought to start saying "jill-of-all-trades" instead.
Asiya is definitely a jill-of-all-trades. Ten years ago, she reached out to the women in her community and formed a BRAC village organization. Since then, she's used her loan money to raise cows and sells the milk to BRAC Dairy, where it is processed and sold on the market.
Think raising cows is hard work? Asiya is also a BRAC Community Health Promoter. She visits nearly 200 households in her community every month providing vital health information and selling health-related products at a low cost, generating extra income for herself.
Asiya has also raised five children, all of whom are grown up and married and have children of there own, and cares for her sick husband. She's pictured here with her cow, Shikari, which means "hunter" in Bengali.
Have you ever heard of an international organization that self finances 80% of its work? Want to know how they do it?
Listen to Ian Smillie, the author of Freedom From Want, talk about what makes BRAC unique.
I’ve written a lot about development and a lot of the stuff has been fairly critical and sometimes negative. This is a good news story, and it’s a big story, and it’s very positive. There’s just so much to learn from what BRAC has accomplished.
From now until March 27th, any gift you make to BRAC's Safe Spaces and Loans for Teenage Girls in Tanzania or Bangladesh will be fully matched by Global Giving as part of their WomenX2 Campaign!
There are 600 million adolescent girls living in poverty in the developing world. These two projects benefit a fraction of these girls in Tanzania and Bangladesh. Safe Spaces seeks to reduce the inequalities and gender discrimination, increase sociability, improve educational attainments, economically empower teenage girls, reduce early marriage and its harmful effects and enhance health awareness and practices.
When a girl is educated, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children. The population’s overall HIV rate goes down, malnutrition decreases 43% and 10% more girls attend secondary school. Furthermore, the economy grows 3% more and, when a girl earns income, she reinvests 90% of it in her family as opposed to 35% for a man.
Ian Smillie, author of Freedom From Want, revisits BRAC’s origins and success as a homegrown development movement in “The Story of Fazle Abed” video clip posted below.
Much of BRAC’s success in Bangladesh is often attributed to its Bangladeshi roots, making the case that real development must come from the inside. As an organization headquartered and operated in Bangladesh, BRAC benefits from a unique perspective and understanding of the country’s people, challenges and needs.
But this begs the question: Can the BRAC model be applied and taken to scale in other countries?
BRAC put this theory to the test in 2001 when it started international activities in Afghanistan:
…most of its staff were Muslim; they were Asian; and they had been invited by the Afghan government… Secondly, its cost structures were vastly lower than any other international operation, which made it appealing to the Afghan government and donors alike. ... BRAC’s staff live modestly, and while more than 200 Bangladeshis work in the program, they represent only 6% of the total BRAC workforce… if they were going to succeed, this is the way it had to be done: they had to be in the village, and of the village; they had to be able to go to the homes of the people they wanted to reach.
-Excerpt from: Freedom From Want, by Ian Smillie
BRAC’s knowledge, experience and commitment to its localized approach has helped the organization become the largest NGO in Afghanistan. Based on this experience and in an effort to scale the BRAC approach throughout the developing world, BRAC now operates in nine countries in Asia and Africa including Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
I grew up in Bangladesh, where BRAC is literally everywhere. My involvement with BRAC began in 2005 when a friend’s brother returned to Bangladesh to become part of BRAC’s Research and Evaluation Division (the much vaunted RED).He recruited me to help with his research, and soon I became acquainted with the desperate realities of a world I had been sheltered from for much of my life.
As with so many others, it is fair to say that my first experience with BRAC changed the way I thought about the world, and led to a quick reshuffling of priorities.I became a more socially and politically aware being, and after studying Philosophy at Wesleyan University, I renewed my involvement with BRAC as an intern at the BRAC USA office once I graduated.I hope that my experience here will provide a solid foundational understanding of the world of social development.
It is timely that BRAC USA is finally giving BRAC the visibility it deserves.A vast, omnipresent organization in Bangladesh – my sister currently studies Architecture at BRAC University – the rest of the world simply does not know enough about BRAC and the role it has played in poverty alleviation and in preventing Bangladesh from becoming, as Henry Kissinger once claimed it would, “a failed state”. In my opinion, the most important aspect of any development initiative is the potential for scaling up, and it is with regard to this that BRAC has succeeded better than any other organization I can think of.
These are exciting times to be involved in microfinance and development. We are receiving greater attention and exploring greater possibilities than ever before. I'm sure that BRAC will continue to be at the forefront of the work done in this innovative and inspiring field.
I’m humbled to see the impact that BRAC’s work has already made on the world and am looking forward to contributing in any way I can. - Pinank Patel, JPMorgan Chase Public Service Intern at BRAC USA during Summer 2009
I am passionate about economic development and am eager to learn more about the intricate details behind BRAC’s innovative scaling model. I am truly thrilled to be a part of the BRAC team! - Arun Yang, JPMorgan Chase Public Service Intern at BRAC USA during Summer 2009
Are you interested in international development, and want to learn from BRAC, one of the world’s largest and most effective anti-poverty groups?Do you work well in a dynamic, start-up environment? Do you have an interest in marketing and fundraising?Are you currently pursuing an advance degree in business, public policy, international development or a related field?If so, an internship with BRAC USA would be a great way to spend your summer!
BRAC USA is currently seeking motivated interns to work full-time for a period of 10-12 weeks between the months of June and August 2009.Interns will assist with a variety of projects and initiatives related to BRAC’s programmatic areas (including microfinance, livelihoods, health, education, and human
rights), and also work on creating public awareness about BRAC in the US, resource mobilization, fundraising, grant administration and grant making strategies.
Click here to learn more about the summer internship opportunity and instructions to apply.
"The Task Force members offer to discuss what they learned from their campaign with other communities such as clubs, churches, mosques, synagogues and temples interested in initiating a similar program" -- Stephen Smith, Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University
Last month we blogged about the amazing work of Stephen Smith and the fundraising efforts of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, VA's Ending Global Poverty Task Force. They spent over a year educating themselves about poverty in Africa and then selected BRAC USA as the recipient for a major fundraising drive which raised $30,000.
Here’s how you can recreate a similar event in your community, with some specifics on their campaign:
1.) Form a Task Force. The Task Force should spend significant time learning about poverty in Africa and Asia. After educating themselves with the myriad issues afflicting these areas, the Task Force should work to focus in on a region and specific topic that is consistent with the community’s interests and mission.
2.) Contact a member of BRAC USA (see contact below) A staff member at BRAC USA can help you to identify a specific area of interest or project that BRAC is working on. Check out our website for ideas http://www.brac.net/.
We can also put you in touch with members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, VA's Ending Global Poverty Task Force.
3.) Educate your community · Bring in a speaker that specializes in the geographic region or topic of interest · Invite a BRAC staff member or Advisory Board member to speak to your organization · Show films specific to the cause · Invite musical groups or performers that come from your chosen region
4.) Start fundraising! · Phone calls · Hold a dinner featuring speakers, music, art or performances from the region · Host musical events or shows of people from the region · “Share the plate month” – declare one month where a certain percentage of all donations to the organization will go to your BRAC project
5) Some specifics on how the Ending Global Poverty Task Force conducted their campaign: · A congregation educational program ensued in September and October. An area specialist on Africa spoke at one event, and an area expert on poverty spoke at another. There was a film night in which the movie War Dance was played. · An extensive phone calling effort by all the members of the committee reached about 500 members of the congregation. · The major November fundraising dinner featured African music presented by area performers and talks about BRAC and poverty in Africa. · Another important fundraising event, a concert by the interdenominational gospel music choir “Mosaic Harmony,” was also successful. · The drive was topped off in December with a “share the plate” month in which one third of cash presented in the offering was also donated to BRAC. · Including some major donors within the congregation, the fundraising goal was met. If you or your organization is interested in fundraising for BRAC USA, please contact: Alyssa Herman 212-808-5615 alyssa@bracusa.org
Things are getting started for BRAC in Liberia. We'd like to introduce you to some of the staff from Bangladesh who've come to Liberia to help start the programs and train national staff on BRAC's holistic approach.
On the left is Shapon, who is an agronomist with more than 7 years of experience working with BRAC. Shapon will be working with the agriculture program, helping rural farmers grow better crops to feed their families and sustain their livelihoods.
On the right is Farhad, who is the managing director of BRAC Liberia's microfinance program. He has been with BRAC for more than 19 years and brings a wealth of knowlege about BRAC's unique microfinance-plus approach.
Humayan is an Area Health Coordinator, who will oversee BRAC's health program and manage the recruitment and training of BRAC's Community Health Promoters - women who go door-to-door, visiting around 150 homes in their communities, providing life-saving health information, basic health care services and access to a variety of health products.
We are truly excited to announce that the inspiring, tell-all book about the evolution of BRAC will FINALLY be shared with the world this April.
Freedom From Want is BRAC’s incredible adventure story that takes you from distant villages in Bangladesh to war-torn Southern Sudan as told by Ian Smillie, a consultant and writer with over 30 years of development experience. As Ian puts it, the book is about:
“…inspired innovations in health, education, agriculture and income generation that contribute to lasting change for tens and hundreds of thousands of people. It is about individuals who see challenge where others see only hopelessness, people who see opportunity where others see peril.”
I would love for you to be one of the first people to pre-order a copy of the book! The official launch is not until April 2009 but the book is already receiving great response from world leaders (see below).
Freedom From Want provides an incredible opportunity to let the public know about BRAC, so it is no longer the “best kept secret in development.” You can help by:
· Sharing this message with your friends and networks · Blogging about the book’s release · Writing a review on Amazon after the book's release (click here!) · Buying copies for your friends and family
Click here to pre-order an advanced copy – all royalties will benefit BRAC, helping serve millions more poor individuals in need of health, education, social services and financial capital.
“Ian Smillie insightfully chronicles the work of BRAC and its founder, Fazle Hasan Abed, whom I was proud to present with a Clinton Global Citizen Award. Dr. Abed’s story proves just how much people with vision and commitment can change the world.”
– Bill Clinton, Former President of the United States
“Ian Smillie's excellent book on BRAC is a gripping account of how the practical intellect of a person and the trail-blazing activities of an organization have been able to achieve something close to a miracle."
– Amartya Sen, Nobel laureate in Economics
“This book is a must for anyone who thinks that foreign aid doesn’t work, that ordinary people can’t pull themselves out of poverty, or that sustainable development can’t happen at a large scale.”
BRAC’s Health Program currently reaches over 92 million people and has been integral to improving health and nutrition in Bangladesh. At the heart of this program are BRAC’s nearly 70,000 community health volunteers who provide vital health education and health-related products in their respective villages. After successful campaigns to spread Oral Rehydration Therapy techniques and help control tuberculosis, these health volunteers are now being trained and equipped to take on vision through an exciting partnership between BRAC and VisionSpring.
VisionSpring, founded by Dr. Jordan Kassalow, is an innovative social enterprise that aims to reduce poverty and generate opportunity in the developing world through the sale of affordable eyeglasses. BRAC and VisionSpring have partnered since 2006 to train nearly 600 BRAC community health volunteers on how to conduct vision exams and sell affordable glasses in their local villages. Over 12,000 glasses have been sold to date.
But why are glasses so important? In the developing world, eyeglasses are primarily available in high-priced urban shops, thus the rural poor lack an accessible and affordable option. However, glasses are a crucial tool for daily living, especially after the age of 40. Without glasses, weavers cannot set their looms, farmers cannot sort seeds before planting, artisans cannot see enough detail to create intricate designs. A drop in productivity and income among middle-aged workers, many of whom support both children and elderly parents, can push already-vulnerable families over the edge, therefore, an accessible and affordable glasses solution is critical.
Given the success of the two year pilot, BRAC and VisionSpring hope to scale up this program to include the entire network of community health volunteers and cover every district in Bangladesh. Within a few years the partnership could help distribute millions of glasses each year, creating a ripple effect of economic improvement in the Bangladesh’s poorest communities.
"BRAC already knew that high yield chickens fared badly in a village setting... There was no question that cross-bred chickens and new high-yield varieties produced more meat and more eggs – on average at least 50% more. The question was how to improve the survival rate and keep costs manageable." --Excerpt from: Freedom From Want, by Ian Smillie
The solution:
Watch "BRAC's Innovation in Chickens - An Interview with Ian Smillie" to hear how BRAC overcame these challenges (using bananas in an innovative way) and enabled poor women in Bangladesh to turn small chicken farming into profit making work.
Pictured in front of the branch office is the Branch Manager, Isatu Mabel Kanu (center) and two of her colleagues newly hired as Credit Officers, Melvina (tallest) and Aida (in pink t-shirt) 
Kaiatu Sasay is a newly recruited Agriculture Extension Worker cum Enterpreneur pictured above in a training session at the Lusor branch. She will join the microfinance groups and borrow for agriculture.
Above is the the agriculture training session led by Fredrick, also shown with the BRAC Agriculture Program Manager.
BRAC Afghanistan Staff with Susan Davis, President of BRAC USA 
