In the midst of his visit to the BRAC Program in Africa, the Chairperson of BRAC, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, visited Uganda last week, together with Lady Sarwat Abed. Sir Fazle began his trip by visiting BRAC Uganda's programs in Luwero district. He visited BRAC Uganda's seed trial farm, where new seed varieties are tested before being introduced to farmers in the country. During the visit, Sir Fazle highlighted the need for BRAC to set up an Agriculture Training Center in Uganda to better train farmers on advanced farming practices.
Sir Fazle also interacted with BRAC staff at the Luwero Area Office, engaging in an open discussion about the progression of the microfinance program. He was keen to learn more about how poor women are using the money they are given and what types of businesses they choose to run.
Sir Fazle's visit to Uganda culminated with a small staff reception organized in his honor at the BRAC Uganda Country Office. About 100 staff members were gathered to listen to him speak and interact with him. During his brief remarks, Sir Fazle noted that he was quite impressed with the progress that BRAC has made in Uganda. He recalled that in 1982, 10 years after BRAC began in Bangladesh, the organization employed about 380 people. Now, BRAC Uganda, within only four years, had grown to become the largest NGO in the country, employing more than 1,800 people and reaching 1.8 million poor in the country.
He thanked the staff for their dedication, commitment, and hard work in building BRAC Uganda. He especially thanked the national staff and remarked that the responsibility of developing Uganda rests in the hands of Ugandans. He expects BRAC Uganda to become an indigenous organization fighting poverty and injustice in the country.
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