The Alliance Forum Foundation and BRAC Development Institute are now accepting applications for the spring course of "Financial Services for the Poor," which will be held in Bangladesh from February 3 - 17, 2012. This introductory level course is geared toward those with little or no knowledge of microfinance and is intended to provide a broad global picture of the state of microfinance, its challenges and future. The course, which will be taught by leading practitioners and academics in microfinance, will use the experience of Bangladesh as a case study and include extensive field visits. The deadline to apply for the program is October 31, 2011.
Click here for more information about the course and to access the application.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Making & Understanding Girl connections in Rural Uganda
In June and July, Bell & Payne Consulting worked with BRAC to conduct research to understand connections between girls in rural Uganda for The Girl Effect. The Girl Effect believe that connecting girls brings value to their lives and could help unleash the “girl effect”, whereby girls living in poverty are able to become empowered, educated and healthy citizens. The goal of the research was to explore existing connections amongst girls in rural Uganda to understand how new connections around the world might add value to their daily lives. During the research girls explored the following topics: what girls connect about, how they connect with each other, where they connect and what motivates them to connect with each other.
A girl-led insight process was designed and managed by Bell & Payne Consulting and conducted in country with support from BRAC Uganda. Twenty girls, aged between 12 and 18 years, were recruited through the BRAC club network (ELA Programme) from in and around Kaliro and Kangulumira, and were trained as girl researchers to enable them to conduct research about girl connection with their peers and others in their communities. Girls came from a range of backgrounds and included girls both in, and out of, school. Workshops were held with four teams of girls at BRAC branch offices in Kaliro and Kangulumira, with support from the BRAC Regional Coordinator, Area Managers and Programme Assistants. With their help we were able to equip and empower the girls to become researchers. They also organised the food, a definite highlight, which never failed to go down a storm with hungry girl researchers! Alongside the girl-led insight process, filming in Kaliro was undertaken to follow the story of one girl researcher to explore the important role her connections have played in her life.
The girl-led research process consisted of three stages that were facilitated by the Bell & Payne Consulting team in Uganda:
Stage 1: Training workshop, in which girl researchers got to know each other and build team spirit; were involved in setting the agenda for the research (including deciding what questions they wanted to ask their peers about girl connections) and trained in research techniques including conversational interviewing techniques and recording findings. The beauty of the approach is that it harnesses girls’ existing knowledge about connection and draws on their existing social networks to ensure they interview people with whom they have good relationships.
Stage 2: Supported insight gathering, in which girl researchers conducted between two to three weeks of research in their own communities including 6 conversational interviews. Girl researchers selected interviewees including pairs of same age girlfriends, younger girls, boys, adult men and women and community leaders. In their role as researchers, girls were also given digital cameras to capture images of connection and, following a camera tutorial, produced some stunning images. During stage 2, girl researchers attended mentoring sessions to continue building their capacities as researchers and address any problems they were experiencing with their interviews and cameras, and discuss their findings. The team also conducted one-to-one visits to girls to check in on them and provide dedicated support where necessary.
Stage 3: Analysis, reflection and sharing, in which girls participated in an analysis workshop to give feedback on their interviews and make sense of the data they had gathered, drawing on their own experiences as rural girls to assist with the interpretation of the information gathered. The teams then met at the Hotel Paradise on the Nile in Jinja for a Connection Day to enable them to make new connections with other girl researchers, share their findings and celebrate their experiences as researchers. The Connection Day was a resounding success and the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves, participating in games to help them connect with each other before sharing their findings about girl connection from interviews in discussion group hubs. Particular highlights included a yarn game in which two girls who didn’t know each other were connected by coloured yarn entangled with the yarn of other pairs. The girls had to follow their piece of yarn to find each other on the other end and, on meeting, let off party poppers to celebrate finding their new friend. The room exploded in an excited roar of laughter and colour. The pass-the-parcel game in which girls danced to music and opened layers of a parcel to find brightly coloured t-shirts saying “I’m connected” was also great fun. During the Connection Day, girls presented dramas of girl-connection stories had a chance to view an exhibition of the images of girl connection, and their associated stories, which they had captured during their research on their digital cameras. There was a definite party atmosphere to the Connection Day, which culminated in the presentation of certificates to the girls from representatives from The Girl Effect, followed by group photos, with the girls proudly sporting their new “I’m connected” t-shirts.
In addition to generating a wealth of knowledge about connections between girls in rural Uganda, the girl-led insight process had a number of other impacts. It enabled girls to make new connections with girls from different backgrounds both within their own communities and beyond; it boosted their confidence and enabled them to develop new skills. We saw a marked change from the reserved girls who attended the training workshop to the confident and sociable girls who came to the Connection Day. It was exciting to watch girls bonding during the experience and see, for ourselves, the “value” of girls forming new connections.
None of this could have been possible without the support from BRAC to whom we’d like to throw out a big “thank you”. But, most of all, thank you to all our girl researchers for getting involved and teaching us so much about girl connection in rural Uganda.
Guest blog by Ruth Payne, Director, Bell & Payne Consulting
Monday, August 29, 2011
Driving on Deathtraps: Issues of Road Safety on Bangladesh’s Highways
The tragic deaths of renowned filmmaker Tareque Masud and cinematographer Mishuk Munier once again brings to the forefront an issue that has plagued Bangladesh for many years: road safety. Road accidents are the 5th leading cause of death among children between the ages of 10 and 14 (UNICEF Bangladesh, 2008). We were brutally reminded of this fact last July, when 43 school children died in a bus accident in Chittagong. It is important that we take heed of the lessons from these unfortunate and unnecessary casualties and act now to ensure that this crisis does not escalate any further.
As an active member of the UN, Bangladesh has declared solidarity with the Global Road Safety Plan launched by the UN in May 2011, under its “Decade of Action for Road Safety” campaign. This timely commitment calls attention to several aspects of road safety which need be strengthened.
In order to ease driver frustration and improve road conditions, all interlocking components must be examined: engineering (infrastructures with safety measures), enforcement, education and awareness on road safety and environment (road side hazards e.g. trees, shops etc.).
The condition of the roads themselves is a primary concern - most roads and highways are in a dilapidated condition, full of potholes and ditches that require constant maintenance. The Bangladesh government recently ordered reparation of highways within the timeline of 10-days before Eid-ul-Fitr, though it may not be possible to completely fix the infrastructure within that period.
Where supervision is concerned, the highway police play a limited role, thus contributing to badly managed intersections. More trained personnel are required to effectively direct traffic flow. These personnel should also be equipped to act as first responders and provide emergency trauma care in case of accidents.
Even in the presence of highway or traffic police, vehicle operators continue to disrespect to traffic rules. Here, awareness and education can play an important role in improving the situation. Proper traffic signs and road markings should be provided and the symbol system communicated effectively to all vehicle operators.
An overwhelming number of vehicles are crowding the narrow urban roads. Special attention needs to be given to recognized accident-prone areas. Most of these are located on national highways, which would greatly benefit from being widened to four-lanes and the addition of brick divider to reduce head on collisions.
Road accident poses the greatest risk to the most vulnerable road users. BRAC has therefore been working to spread awareness on road safety since 2001. Target groups include: pedestrians, drivers of both non-motorized and motorized vehicles, passengers, bicyclists, motorcyclists, students and police. Working alongside international campaign bodies, BRAC hopes to further strengthen its initiatives through policy advocacy.
BRAC recommends and wishes to take action in the following areas:
- Policy advocacy with government agencies to become proactive in maintaining roads; increase and maximize usage of allocated funds for road safety and reformulate the policy if needed; increase the political will to enforce strict law and accountability. Monitoring and follow-up is key to successful implementation.
- Work to build capacity of drivers, authority members and traffic administration to reflect successful changes for improvement.
There is regrettably little compliance of the laws regarding road safety in Bangladesh, where the outdated 1983 Motor Vehicle Ordinance remains insufficient. In keeping the education and awareness component strong, BRAC is keen on the driver training programme which would help to produce new drivers with greater knowledge on road safety and road rules. This program would also work to benefit in-service drivers by enhancing their driving skills (defensive and advance driving). Furthermore, national road safety workshops and films help to spread road safety lessons to larger audiences.
Concern with road safety is not a new issue, but one that requires our immediate attention. With international recognition given to reckless driving there is hope that the situation for vulnerable road users will improve through allocated funds and corrective measures. Furthermore it is encouraged that more authoritative action be taken by the BRTA in favor of the government. Only recently has the media begun to shed light on this grave concern – nothing more can be said about what should have been done, but instead, realize the severity and to focus clearly on how to prevent future casualties.
-- Nadia Haider is a research intern at BRAC, with special focus on Road Safety in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is pursuing her Bachelors degree in Political Science at the University of Toronto, Canada.
Emergency Support for Seasonal Flood in Bangladesh
Incessant monsoon rain in Bangladesh since late July has resulted in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna, the Ganges-Padma and the Meghna to flow over the danger levels. Three southwestern coastal districts of Bangladesh, namely Satkhira, Khulna and Jessore, are the worst hit, with severe water logging (source: http://www.lcgbangladesh.org/DERweb/Monsoon_2011/NGO/Oxfam_SitRep_01_Bangladesh_flood%20and_waterlogging_120811%20%282%29.pdf).
Reports suggest that it will take time for the water to subside. The flood and water-logging has taken a toll – resulting in the loss of lives, damage to crops and homes, death of livestock, lack of jobs for day labourers and severe crisis of clean water and sanitation facilities due to submerged tube-wells and latrines. People have taken shelter on the roads and embankments and inside school rooms.
In response to the situation, in an emergency meeting held on August 25 by BRAC’s Executive Director, a decision was been taken to provide short-term relief support (for 3-4 days) to the worst affected regions of Tala and Shatkhira Shadar to around 2,000 households (about 10,000 people) through BRAC’s Disaster, Environment and Climate Change (DECC) programme.
Relief packages for each family include Water Purifying Tablets, Oral Saline, Rice (kg), Potato (3kg), Lentils (2kg), Oil (1litre), Salt (1kg), match and candles and 6 packets of biscuits for children. According to BRAC’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme cluster groups, which act as community watchdogs and first responders, the sanitation facilities in Tala and Shatkhira are competely damaged and more than 190,000 people are living under the open sky with no access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The WASH programme will provide latrines in these areas on an emergency basis.
An emergency committee of senior staff members from the head office as well as relevant local offices has been formed by BRAC. Staff from various BRAC programmes have been deployed on an emergency basis in the affected region.
Preparation and procurement of relief materials was underway by August 25 and distribution began on August 27. BRAC staff are visiting households with relief materials in the most remote and inaccessible areas that are not covered by other organisations. The list will be shared with other local and administrative bodies to avoid duplication and ensure a fair distribution.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
District BRAC Representatives – Promoting understanding of BRAC’s work across Bangladesh
Anowara – a remote region in Bangladesh’s south-eastern district of Chittagong. The Union Nirbahi Officer - the chief administrator of the union (the lowest government administrative body)n - has called a GO-NGO coordination meeting to present and discuss activities carried out by the different organisations operating in his jurisdiction. For the first time in Anowara’s history, a multi-media presentation on BRAC’s activities in the region is delivered to a packed audience comprised of local government representatives, the Union Chairman and representatives of various NGOs operating in the area. The presenter is a special BRAC delegate - one of 21 staff members in the recently appointed first batch of District BRAC Representatives (DBRs).
The DBRs are specially recruited and trained with a strong understanding of BRAC’s vision, mission, values and objectives and a thorough knowledge of its operations, particularly for their designated region. The first batch has been assigned 23 districts as their working areas. The continuous expansion in both range and scale of BRAC’s activities created the need for a specialised liaison present full time at the district level, equipped with the training, information and access necessary to ensure a smooth, consistent and accurate flow of information to a broad array of internal and external audience groups, including government agencies, the media and local community members as well as BRAC programme staff. The mandate of DBRs is to maintain and strengthen BRAC’s relationship with these stakeholder groups, local government in particular. The DBRs also fulfil the role of the information officer required under the Right to Information act.
Some of the responsibilities currently being undertaken by the DBRs were previously carried out by the BRAC Local Representative (BLR). The BLRs were typically the senior-most BRAC staff member in a region who carried out liaison duties in addition to his/her regular programme work. As communication requirements grew and the BLRs became over-burdened in their dual roles, the need for a standalone liaison network arose.
The DBR’s full-time mandate includes addressing internal and external information queries, representing BRAC at local events, maintaining regular communications with key government representatives and local journalists, organising BRAC exposure events and field visits, etc. Their duties also include improving the effectiveness of internal communication within BRAC, acting as a bridge between head office and the field offices. They are an integral extension of the internal communications network, acting as the eyes and ears on the ground, policing the brand and helping uphold the integrity of BRAC’s culture and values.
The DBR training regime includes development of communications and presentation skills, media management techniques, etc. and they are each equipped with laptops and multimedia kits to ensure ability to make individual presentations while remaining geographically mobile. The second batch of 19 DBRs has recently completed training and is awaiting deployment. The DBR programme is a strong example of BRAC’s continued commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in all its work.
The DBRs are specially recruited and trained with a strong understanding of BRAC’s vision, mission, values and objectives and a thorough knowledge of its operations, particularly for their designated region. The first batch has been assigned 23 districts as their working areas. The continuous expansion in both range and scale of BRAC’s activities created the need for a specialised liaison present full time at the district level, equipped with the training, information and access necessary to ensure a smooth, consistent and accurate flow of information to a broad array of internal and external audience groups, including government agencies, the media and local community members as well as BRAC programme staff. The mandate of DBRs is to maintain and strengthen BRAC’s relationship with these stakeholder groups, local government in particular. The DBRs also fulfil the role of the information officer required under the Right to Information act.
Some of the responsibilities currently being undertaken by the DBRs were previously carried out by the BRAC Local Representative (BLR). The BLRs were typically the senior-most BRAC staff member in a region who carried out liaison duties in addition to his/her regular programme work. As communication requirements grew and the BLRs became over-burdened in their dual roles, the need for a standalone liaison network arose.
The DBR’s full-time mandate includes addressing internal and external information queries, representing BRAC at local events, maintaining regular communications with key government representatives and local journalists, organising BRAC exposure events and field visits, etc. Their duties also include improving the effectiveness of internal communication within BRAC, acting as a bridge between head office and the field offices. They are an integral extension of the internal communications network, acting as the eyes and ears on the ground, policing the brand and helping uphold the integrity of BRAC’s culture and values.
The DBR training regime includes development of communications and presentation skills, media management techniques, etc. and they are each equipped with laptops and multimedia kits to ensure ability to make individual presentations while remaining geographically mobile. The second batch of 19 DBRs has recently completed training and is awaiting deployment. The DBR programme is a strong example of BRAC’s continued commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in all its work.
Friday, August 26, 2011
MF Sector Operates Efficiently But Needs Product Diversity, States Bangladesh Microfinance Review August 2011
In the recently launched publication, Bangladesh Microfinance Review, August 2011, BRAC Development Institute (BDI) at BRAC University analyses data from 10 of the country’s leading microfinance institutions (MFIs) to conclude that while the sector has achieved operational efficiency, it needs to diversify its products in order to serve unmet demand for credit.
The MFIs scrutinised by the report include ASA, BRAC and Grameen – the three major players jointly controlling over 60% of Bangladesh’s MF sector – as well as seven mid-sized organisations, termed the Other 7 or O7, namely Buro Bangladesh, TMSS, Society for Social Services, Shakti Foundation, Uddipan, Padakhep and Jagorani Chakra. Data from 2009, the latest available during the writing of the report, is used and trend analysis is based mainly on figures from 2005 to 2009.
The document reports that microfinance coverage is extensive - statistics indicate 27 million borrower accounts - however, taking overlapping into account, the number of borrowers is better estimated at around 18.5 million. The average cost of servicing microloans in Bangladesh – about USD 14 - is one of the lowest worldwide. The sector’s staff productivity and operational efficiency is also high.
The review states that, with the industry’s USD 2.7 billion credit outstanding accounting for over 7% of the amount outstanding in the country’s entire financial system, the significance of the sector to financial inclusion is substantial.
It goes on to report that while some of the country’s MFIs are diversifying into micro-insurance and other services, the sector has been slow overall in adaptation of innovative products as compared to MFIs in other countries. Quicker uptake of new technologies, greater diversification and increased flexibility of loan terms and procedures will help MFIs fulfill the unmet demand for credit.
The report concludes that while portfolio yield has been stable in recent years (slightly above 23% and well below the Microfinance Regulatory Authority's interest rate cap of 27%) and profitability performance of leading MFIs appears to be reasonable, the impact of the interest cap on availability microfinance services in less well-served areas and its impact on loan size remains to be seen.
The document’s launch event, held on the 25th of August in Dhaka, brought together key industry experts and practitioners as well as donors, investors, regulators and academics to discuss the emerging issues and future outlook of the microfinance sector in Bangladesh.
Criticisms of the report brought to light during the discussion included the study’s lack of focus on the demand-side issues of microfinance as well as several overstated figures, such as the employment generated by the industry and population covered. However, reviewers of the document acknowledged the barriers posed by the poor quality and long turnaround periods for data. The review was widely commended as a notable initial effort towards the creation of a periodic industry review and succeeded in generating valuable discussion on key issues and reinforcing the sector’s transparency and credibility.
Bangladesh Microfinance Review, August 2011 will be available for online viewing/download shortly.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Realizing the dream of education
Last week, we sent out an e-mail about Dipti's story and how you can give a child the chance of a lifetime. A few days later, we received the an e-mail from another BRAC student about her experience with BRAC:
Click here to find out how you can give a child the chance of a lifetime.
Thank you very much for your mail.
I am glad to let you inform that I am also a beneficiary of BRAC. I was a student of BRAC pre-primary school. I got BRAC PACE programme scholarship for 13 months for my college education (including 2 training on basic computer, and on communicative English). Now I am a student of BRAC Business School, BRAC University; studying BBA getting BRAC-FORD Foundation Scholarship (100% tuition waiver+ living allowance per month)! :)
I am also from a landless ultra poor family. And I acknowledge from my heart that it would not be possible for me to dream of higher education, if BRAC would not assist me! I feel myself lucky to say that "Today's Re-shaped Shamima" is the invention and creation of BRAC! :)
Hats off to BRAC!!!
I promise myself that I'll try my best to participate in BRAC's mission of poverty alleviation. And of course I'll take the responsibility of at least one child (or of more than that) to ensure his/her education, when I'll have that financial ability!
I look forward for that day!
Shamima
Click here to find out how you can give a child the chance of a lifetime.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Prof. Jonathan Murdoch discusses what it means to reach the ultra poor
Jonathan Murdoch, a professor at New York University's Wagner School of Public Policy and part of the Financial Access Initiative gives a short lesson in the video below on what it means to reach the ultra poor and how organizations around the world have started adopting BRAC's successful Ultra Poor Program.
In partnership with BRAC Development Institute and the MasterCard Foundation, BRAC USA is doing research to determine the impact and effects of the pilot programs. You can follow developments in the programs on the Graduation Blog.
In partnership with BRAC Development Institute and the MasterCard Foundation, BRAC USA is doing research to determine the impact and effects of the pilot programs. You can follow developments in the programs on the Graduation Blog.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Celebrating International Youth Day in Uganda
Arua, in the West Nile region of Uganda was the host of this year's International Youth Day celebrations, which was presided over by His Excellency General Y.K. Museveni, President of of the Republic of Uganda. Youth groups and adults came from all over the country for the event, including members from BRAC Uganda who travelled to Arua to join in and see how lessons from BRAC could fit in with this year's theme, Accelerating Youth Empowerment through Skills Development.
The day commenced with cultural performances from youth across the country who filled the stadium with color, dancing, and singing. Youth delegations came from far and wide and were joined by fellow youth, politicians, senior civil servants, foreign diplomats, donors, NGO staff, and members of civil society. Participants also included local celebrities Dorcus Inzikuru (aka the "Golden Gazelle," Uganda's fastest runner) and Bobbi Wine (aka the "Ghetto President," a popular singer) to inspire the youth with their success.
Uganda has the world's youngest population and the highest prevalence of poverty among its youth. Over half of its population is under the age of 18, and 94 of its young people live on less than US$2 a day. Skills development was chosen by the government as this year's theme in Uganda to help address the youth unemployment problem in the country. Youth face large barriers to securing stable employment given limited job opportunities and for many, inadequate skills and education. Skills development, therefore, is critical to assist youth in in the transition to work, equip them with the skills to become job creators, rather than seekers, and to allow youth greater participation in the social and economic transformation of Uganda. One of the many questions asked on the day was what strategies and programs do we put in place to do this?
BRAC Uganda has been developing the skills of young men and women in Uganda since 2008, when it launched its Empowerment and Livelihoods for Adolescents (ELA) program, offering adolescents and young girls a safe space in which they can socialize and be provided with life skills training, financial literacy training, livelihoods training, vocational training, and access to microfinance. The clubs, launched in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation, reach nearly 28,500 adolescent girls through the 743 clubs in 26 districts of Uganda. More recently, BRAC has launched two additional programs for youth skills development and empowerment, making youth one of its key focal areas. In 2010, BRAC supported 278 young men and women to undergo vocational training at registered institutes under their vocational training program, offering them assistance afterward with job placement, tools to generate self-employment and formal certification of their course. In addition, 2011 marked the opening of 120 Youth Centers in partnership with UNICEF in the Karamoja Region of North Uganda. Through this initiative, nearly 3,000 young women will have access to skills training and some initial input supply for becoming self-employed in the trade they have learned. To celebrate International Youth Day, UNICEF has created a video to highlight how youth supported by BRAC's initiatives are overcoming various barriers.
BRAC's work with youth has led us to recognize the need for a deeper understanding of the complex challenges they face as they negotiate the transition to adulthood. In light of this, the Research and Evaluation Unit has undertaken a large nation-wide research study on youth, to be launched soon in November 2011. Combining a nationally-representative survey of 5,000 youth with in-depth qualitative research methodologies, the report will provide a dynamic understanding of the experiences and aspirations of youth, and identify the forms of support that have allowed youth in Uganda to overcome these challenges, providing important lessons on how to adopt policies and programs to the needs, preferences and priorities of youth.
The day commenced with cultural performances from youth across the country who filled the stadium with color, dancing, and singing. Youth delegations came from far and wide and were joined by fellow youth, politicians, senior civil servants, foreign diplomats, donors, NGO staff, and members of civil society. Participants also included local celebrities Dorcus Inzikuru (aka the "Golden Gazelle," Uganda's fastest runner) and Bobbi Wine (aka the "Ghetto President," a popular singer) to inspire the youth with their success.
Uganda has the world's youngest population and the highest prevalence of poverty among its youth. Over half of its population is under the age of 18, and 94 of its young people live on less than US$2 a day. Skills development was chosen by the government as this year's theme in Uganda to help address the youth unemployment problem in the country. Youth face large barriers to securing stable employment given limited job opportunities and for many, inadequate skills and education. Skills development, therefore, is critical to assist youth in in the transition to work, equip them with the skills to become job creators, rather than seekers, and to allow youth greater participation in the social and economic transformation of Uganda. One of the many questions asked on the day was what strategies and programs do we put in place to do this?
BRAC Uganda has been developing the skills of young men and women in Uganda since 2008, when it launched its Empowerment and Livelihoods for Adolescents (ELA) program, offering adolescents and young girls a safe space in which they can socialize and be provided with life skills training, financial literacy training, livelihoods training, vocational training, and access to microfinance. The clubs, launched in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation, reach nearly 28,500 adolescent girls through the 743 clubs in 26 districts of Uganda. More recently, BRAC has launched two additional programs for youth skills development and empowerment, making youth one of its key focal areas. In 2010, BRAC supported 278 young men and women to undergo vocational training at registered institutes under their vocational training program, offering them assistance afterward with job placement, tools to generate self-employment and formal certification of their course. In addition, 2011 marked the opening of 120 Youth Centers in partnership with UNICEF in the Karamoja Region of North Uganda. Through this initiative, nearly 3,000 young women will have access to skills training and some initial input supply for becoming self-employed in the trade they have learned. To celebrate International Youth Day, UNICEF has created a video to highlight how youth supported by BRAC's initiatives are overcoming various barriers.
BRAC's work with youth has led us to recognize the need for a deeper understanding of the complex challenges they face as they negotiate the transition to adulthood. In light of this, the Research and Evaluation Unit has undertaken a large nation-wide research study on youth, to be launched soon in November 2011. Combining a nationally-representative survey of 5,000 youth with in-depth qualitative research methodologies, the report will provide a dynamic understanding of the experiences and aspirations of youth, and identify the forms of support that have allowed youth in Uganda to overcome these challenges, providing important lessons on how to adopt policies and programs to the needs, preferences and priorities of youth.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
The Economic Gain of Investing in Girls
What is the price of excluding girls from productive employment? The cost, according to a recent World Bank working paper, "Measuring the Economic Gain of Investing in Girls", is in the billions of dollars!
The authors of the study, Judy Chaaban and Wendy Cummingham, explored the linkages between investing in girls and the potential increases in national income by examining three aspects of adolescent girls' lives: school dropout, teenage pregnancy, and joblessness. Here is a summary of their findings:
Investing in girls so that they would complete the next level of education would lead to a lifetime eranings of today's cohort of girls that is equivalent to up to 68 percent of annual gross domestic product. When adjusting for ability bias and labor demand elasticities, this figure falls to 54 percent, or 1.5 percent per year. Closing the inactivity rate between girls and boys would increase gross domestic product by up to 5.4 percent, but when accounting for students, male-female wage gaps and labor demand elasticities, the joblessness gap between girls and their male counterparts yields an increase in gross domestic product of up to 1.2 percent in a single year. The cost of adolescent pregnancy as a share of gross domestic product could be as high as 30 percent or as low as 1 percent over a girl's lifetime.
The World Bank study demonstrates how investing in girls will lead to significant economic growth and points to the need for policymakers to create more robust programs that engage girls in the mainstream economy.
Since inception, BRAC has made girls central to its approach toward poverty alleviation. Our Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents (ELA) and Social and Financial Empowerment for Adolescents (SoFEA) Programs seek to make girls productive and self-supporting members of society by providing livelihood and life-skills training, combined with credit facilities. To date, ELA has reached over 800,000 girls between the ages of 14 and 25 in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
BRAC Comes to Times Square
From May 16 - July, 2011, BRAC was in Times Square. A digital billboard donated by Neutron Media displayed video clips of 16 nonprofit organizations that have won the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize for their outstanding contributions to people in need. This prize was awarded to BRAC in 2008 for its extraordinary impact on poverty alleviation. The billboard, which was located on 42nd St. beneath the giant blue CBS Eye, was seen by a million or more passersby.
"Our Hilton Prize winners dedicate their lives to helping the most vulnerable in our world. They are incredibly deserving of this recognition," said Judy Miller, Vice President of the Hilton Foundation and Director of the Hilton Prize. "We hope those who see their names and work on the billboard will consider supporting these worthy organizations. You can be confident that each and every prize winner has met the highest standards of accountability and transparency."
The Hilton Prize winners, or Hilton Prize Laureates, are recognized leaders in the humanitarian world and receive a monetary award of $1.5 million. Past recipients include: Handicap International (France), 2011; Aravind Eye Care System (India), 2010; PATH (Washington), 2009; BRAC (Bangladesh), 2008; Tostan (Senegal), 2007; Women for Women International (Washington, D.C.), 2006; Partners in Health (Massachusetts), 2005; Heifer International (Arkansas), 2005; International Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (Denmark), 2003; SOS Children's Villages (Austria), 2002; St. Christopher's Hospice (United Kingdom), 2001; Casa Alianza (Costa Rica), 2000; African Medical and Research Foundation (Kenya), 1999; Doctors Without Borders (France), 1998; International Rescue Committee (New York), 1997; and Operation Smile (Virginia), 1996.
Monday, August 15, 2011
In Uganda, UNICEF and partners invest in young people
By Jeremy Green
At 20 years old, Veronica is already a business owner, as well as a mother and head of her household. Her produce business does well, and she’s able to make a comfortable living that pays for food, good clothes, school fees and medicine for her children.
“I used to look after the family with only a small amount of money,” Veronica said.
Since securing a microfinance loan from the development organization BRAC, however, her life has changed decidedly for the better. Veronica’s business took off after her first loan, and now she’s expanding it even further with a second BRAC loan of nearly USD $200.
BRAC with its partner the MasterCard Foundation provides microfinance loans to young women like Veronica so they may realise their potential and establish their own businesses. BRAC has been working in Uganda since 2006, providing access to finance and livelihood development support, and has programmes in other critical areas like health, education, and agriculture.
Investing in young people
August 12th is International Youth Day, and this year’s theme is “Change Our World” - an inspiring call to young people to bring their energy, ideas and courage to the complex challenges facing them and the world.
“Failing to invest in our youth is a false economy,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in a message for International Youth Day 2011. “Investments in young people will pay great dividends in a better future for all.”
Investing in young people is especially important in Uganda, a country where more than half of the population is under the age of 18.
UNICEF-supported Youth Clubs
Not far from the market where Veronica sells her produce, a group of girls dance and sing in their club quarters. The heat of the day has disappeared, and after their dance, as if on cue, a torrential downpour crashes over the tin roof. The girls laugh at the perfect timing of the rain – then sit on mats arranged on the floor, read a bit, and chat about life.
“We girls come to the club to learn a lot of things,” said Immaculate Karungi, 17. Like playing games and sports, and learning about life issues – for example, how to stay safe, and avoid early marriage or rape.
UNICEF partners with BRAC in establishing such youth centres, or clubs. In these safe environments, adolescents, especially girls, can come together to learn, build friendships, and play. Some youth centres in Uganda provide girls and boys with the skills to build sustainable livelihoods – such as learning how to use a computer or how to be a successful poultry farmer.
By bringing together economic opportunity, increased access to information, and the development of livelihoods, UNICEF and partners like BRAC are ensuring young people are able to shape their own futures – and change our world.
This article was originally posted on UNICEF's Newsline.
VIDEO: 27 July 2011 - UNICEF correspondent Tom Walsh reports on initiatives of UNICEF and partners to create job and educational opportunities for young people in Uganda. The African country has a youth unemployment rate of more than 80 per cent.
KABAROLE DISTRICT, Western Uganda, 12 August 2011 - In an outdoor market in Kabarole District, western Uganda, Veronica Nabagasela carefully sorts her produce of the day: fresh purple-colored onions, which spill out of their cloth sacks. She arranges them for customers, some of whom share a few words about the weather before moving on.
KABAROLE DISTRICT, Western Uganda, 12 August 2011 - In an outdoor market in Kabarole District, western Uganda, Veronica Nabagasela carefully sorts her produce of the day: fresh purple-colored onions, which spill out of their cloth sacks. She arranges them for customers, some of whom share a few words about the weather before moving on.
At 20 years old, Veronica is already a business owner, as well as a mother and head of her household. Her produce business does well, and she’s able to make a comfortable living that pays for food, good clothes, school fees and medicine for her children.
“I used to look after the family with only a small amount of money,” Veronica said.
Since securing a microfinance loan from the development organization BRAC, however, her life has changed decidedly for the better. Veronica’s business took off after her first loan, and now she’s expanding it even further with a second BRAC loan of nearly USD $200.
BRAC with its partner the MasterCard Foundation provides microfinance loans to young women like Veronica so they may realise their potential and establish their own businesses. BRAC has been working in Uganda since 2006, providing access to finance and livelihood development support, and has programmes in other critical areas like health, education, and agriculture.
Investing in young people
August 12th is International Youth Day, and this year’s theme is “Change Our World” - an inspiring call to young people to bring their energy, ideas and courage to the complex challenges facing them and the world.
“Failing to invest in our youth is a false economy,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in a message for International Youth Day 2011. “Investments in young people will pay great dividends in a better future for all.”
Investing in young people is especially important in Uganda, a country where more than half of the population is under the age of 18.
UNICEF-supported Youth Clubs
Not far from the market where Veronica sells her produce, a group of girls dance and sing in their club quarters. The heat of the day has disappeared, and after their dance, as if on cue, a torrential downpour crashes over the tin roof. The girls laugh at the perfect timing of the rain – then sit on mats arranged on the floor, read a bit, and chat about life.
“We girls come to the club to learn a lot of things,” said Immaculate Karungi, 17. Like playing games and sports, and learning about life issues – for example, how to stay safe, and avoid early marriage or rape.
UNICEF partners with BRAC in establishing such youth centres, or clubs. In these safe environments, adolescents, especially girls, can come together to learn, build friendships, and play. Some youth centres in Uganda provide girls and boys with the skills to build sustainable livelihoods – such as learning how to use a computer or how to be a successful poultry farmer.
By bringing together economic opportunity, increased access to information, and the development of livelihoods, UNICEF and partners like BRAC are ensuring young people are able to shape their own futures – and change our world.
This article was originally posted on UNICEF's Newsline.
Friday, August 12, 2011
BRAC Pakistan Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week
Last week, women from the Sahiwal district in Pakistan, along with Health Program Assistants and Community Health Promoters from BRAC Pakistan's Health Program, participated in a march in honor of World Breastfeeding Week. With the goal to educate women about the benefits of breastfeeding, World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated in over 170 countries around the world.
The walk in the Sahiwal district was also paired with a seminar at the DHQ Hospital, which emphasized the importance of breastfeeding and reviewed the proper techniques for successful and healthy breastfeeding. The entire event was organized by BRAC Pakistan and the Department of Health Education Punjab. The seminar and walk were attended by the Health Officer of the district, Dr. Sahid Nazeer, Chief Executive Officer of BRAC Pakistan, Mahammad Farid-u-Rehman, and Principal of the Nursing School, Dr. Shama Afroz.
Inspired by the leadership of BRAC Community Health Promoters, the women of the Sahiwal District marched through the streets hoping that other women would see their sign and hear their message. This public display of support for breastfeeding is particularly important given that one of the goals of this year's World Breast Feeding Week is to "bring breastfeeding into the open, to talk about it with all members of society and to show that creating a supportive environment for breastfeeding is everyone's responsibility."
Thursday, August 11, 2011
BRAC Pre-Primary Education Program in Pakistan Creates a Commitment to Education at an Early Age
Eight-year-old Saiqa was born with a disability which greatly slowed her physical development. The youngest of three siblings, she grew up in the Old Bakka village of the Khyber Pakhtun Khwa province in Pakistan and spent most of her time at home. Her disability kept her from playing outdoors with other children her age or participating in recreational activities outside of the home. Her father, a shop worker, and her mother, a domestic worker, never thought that Saiqa would go to school because of her physical set backs. As a result, her education was considered an unnecessary expense.
Fortunately, a BRAC Pakistan surveyor in Saiqa's village included her name on a list of potential students for a BRAC pre-primary school that was to open in Old Bakka. Saiqa's parents were surprised to see their daughter's name on the list, and commented to the surveyor that she would not be able to participate because of her physical handicap. Despite her parent's objections, BRAC Pakistan education workers decided to pay special attention to the small girl, personally reaching out to her parents and teaching them the importance of educating all of their children, even Saiqa. Through the intervention of BRAC workers in her village, Saiqa was able to attend school on a regular basis. She became involved in a variety of school activities and even became a group leader.
After completing a course at the BRAC pre-primary school in her village, Saiqa was enrolled at a nearby government primary school through the help of BRAC staff. Although she has graduated from the official BRAC school, BRAC staff continue to keep in close contact with her to make sure she is able to continue her education and pursue a meaningful and fulfilling life.
BRAC Pakistan's pre-primary schools currently serve 778 students, with 601 recent graduates who have successfully moved on to government primary schools. BRAC Pakistan's Education Program decided to focus on pre-primary education, as it lays the groundwork for a life-long commitment to learning and helps students transition from home life to the school environment. BRAC views early education as a valuable intervention for successfully achieving universal primary education, especially for girls. BRAC Pakistan emphasizes the enrollment of girls and disabled children, with girls making up 59% of pre-primary school enrollment during the most recent school year.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Impact of BRAC’s Gates Award
BRAC was awarded the Gates Award for Global Health in 2004 in recognition of the extraordinary achievement in improving health in the developing world. We were singled out for our pioneering community based health programmes and influencing other health initiatives around the world.
BRAC’s community-based health programme currently serves 110 million underprivileged Bangladeshis through a network of health clinics, community nutrition centers and army of grassroots health promoters. Our services include women’s reproductive and maternal health programmes, improving neonatal and child health, HIV/AIDS prevention education, immunisation promotion, TB diagnosis and treatment, limb and brace centers, nutrition and reduce vulnerability to communicable diseases and common ailments.
BRAC, since 2004, had expanded its system of rural primary health clinics throughout the country and into urban areas as well. The urban project mainly aims to reduce maternal and child mortality in urban slums. Currently the project is providing maternal health services to 5.7 million women.
Since being awarded the Gates Award we have extended our healthcare initiatives beyond Bangladesh. We are now providing healthcare services in 9 other countries in Asia, Africa and Caribbean.
When we were awarded with the Gates Award we were in the process of establishing a school of public health to meet the future challenges of health and development of Bangladesh and the region. The award which amounted to $ 1 million was used to establish the James P Grant School of Public Health, thereby creating a state of the art public health curriculum and institution, training and educating 21st century public health leaders. Furthermore, the award money was used to initiate an endowment scholarship for the Master of Public Health (MPH) students. The cost of training public health practitioners at the school is one-tenth the cost of other international institutions.
In the last six years, the school has graduated close to 140 students of the highest global standards who are currently working in various international and national public health organizations with the full intent of improving the lives of the disadvantaged populations.
The school’s name honours the late James P. Grant, former Executive Director of UNICEF, whose relentless pursuit of a global revolution in child survival in the 1980s is a legacy the school aims to promote for global health for the 21st century. The school was founded in 2004 as a collaborative effort between BRAC University, BRAC, and ICDDR,B (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh). These three institutions offer dynamic and diverse learning laboratories for the school’s programmes. Based in Bangladesh, the school benefits from an unparalleled learning environment due to the magnitude and diversity of health challenges – from communicable, chronic to climate-related threats.
The school is unique in many different ways. In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) featured the school as one of the six schools in the world promoting and practicing innovative higher public health education. In fact, Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, remarked, “In 2005, the [James P. Grant School of Public Health] opened its doors to the first batch of students in the MPH programme. And, it has already earned the reputation as among the one of the best Public Health schools in the world.”
The school has earned a name for its emphasis on community-based experiential learning. This has been made possible by the determination to pursue problem-based learning and the very fact that the school was set up by BRAC with active support from ICDDR,B. The access that the school has to BRAC and ICDDR,B and their facilities make it a real unique experience, which is hard to find anywhere else in the world. Its formal links with several of the top schools of Public Health in Europe and America has increased its credibility to a great extent. The links it is creating with several southern institutes will truly make it an example in south-north and south-south collaborations.
The flagship programme of the school is the Master of Public Health (MPH) course that it has been offering since February 2005. The Master in Public Health programme is a world renowned programme wherein students benefit from a comprehensive curriculum focused on core public health competencies. Emphasis is given to teamwork and interactive learning, students get a real life experience through the 6-month rural residency and direct attachments with BRAC and ICCDDR,B help the students to get a good grasp of the healthcare problems in the developing world.
Apart from the MPH programme, the school also offers over 50 short courses on health issues through its Continuing Education Programme (CEP). The programme is geared towards the development of health professionals, managers and practitioners in both the private and public sectors. Furthermore, the school fosters leadership in public health through Centres of Excellences, which bring together research, training and advocacy of specific topic areas including: Universal Health Coverage, Health Information and Evaluation, Gender, Sexuality & HIV/AIDS, Health Workforce, Bangladesh Health Watch.
From the outset the James P. Grant School of Public Health has been promoting not only the art of public health through education but also the science of it. Research is an integral part of life at the school. The school engages in cutting edge research which helps to understand the nature of health challenges and effectiveness of responses. Research is conducted in collaborations with local and international research partners and supported by bilateral, multi-laterals, research agencies and foundations.
Very recently, the James P. Grant School of Public Health with ICDDR,B support, launched its Centre of Excellence for Universal Health Coverage. Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Centre will encourage informed policy action for universal health coverage.
BRAC health programme’s unique strengths are our ethos and values, our total commitment to help the underprivileged, our success in scaling up major health interventions and demonstrating impact. All these are translated into our James P. Grant School of Public Health of BRAC University reaffirming our commitment to improving healthcare in the developing world.
‘Fatwa’ Violence Against Women Continues
Bangladesh came under immense scrutiny this past January when the brutal and unjust death of 14 year old Hena Akhter caught the attention of the international community. Akhter, whose sexual assault by her 40 year old cousin was considered an affair, was issued 100 lashes as punishment for her “crime” through an Islamic Shariah law practice called fatwa. Akhter became unconscious after 80 lashes and later died in a hospital just 35 kilometers outside of the capital city, Dhaka.
Her death was not an isolated incident. That same month, a 16 year old rape victim was flogged to death after her sexual assault was discovered. Again in December 2010, Sufia Begum died from injuries sustained during the 40 lashes she was issued for an alleged affair. These deaths unleashed many unanswered questions about extrajudicial punishment issued in the name of fatwa and violence against women in Bangladesh. Despite the July 2010 reaffirmation of a 2001 judgment by the Supreme Court outlawing the practice of such extrajudicial punishments, the Bangladesh government is still in the spotlight for not doing enough to protect its women.
Fatwa, an Islamic religious declaration which means ‘a formal legal opinion’, impacts a disproportionate number of women as a repercussion for alleged infidelity or not adhering to traditional gender norms. In cultural practice, punishments can take many forms--whipping, lashing, imposing fines, cutting of the woman's hair or blackening her face all in an effort to ostracize and humiliate the woman and her family. The type of punishment is arbitrarily decided, carried out by community members and has no legal bearing. Many of these crimes are often not reported but according to human rights organizations, approximately 500 women were flogged in Bangladesh in the past decade. It is clear that women in this country are not receiving the justice they deserve if these unchecked violations of women’s human rights continue to terrorize them.
Although the judgement by the Supreme Court appeared promising, women’s rights activists in Bangladesh remain skeptical. According to Human Rights Watch, Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK) has found 16 other instances of extrajudicial punishment from January to May 2011 and has additionally reported on the suicides of several women from different parts of Bangladesh in response to the punishments issued against them in the name of fatwa. No legal action for these deaths took place and it is overtly evident that the Supreme Court directions are falling short of changing cultural practice. In a recent interview, Faustina Pereira, director of BRAC Human Rights and Legal Aid Services, vented her frustrations:"The government has pledged to uphold our laws and constitution, and part of that promise is to prevent, prosecute, and punish these criminal extrajudicial punishments...there is no excuse for not acting." The current situation is dire and in need of swift change.
Together with Human Rights Watch, ASK, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP), and Nijera Kori, BRAC has compiled a list of actions for the Bangladesh government to follow in order to facilitate the execution of the Supreme Court’s judgment. The list includes implementing awareness campaigns, establishing 24 hour helplines, improving access to safe shelters, providing psychological support and legal services, and finally monitoring investigations and prosecutions to ensure perpetrators of extrajudicial punishments are being held accountable.
With the 2015 deadline for meeting the Millennium Development Goals rapidly approaching, the Bangladesh government needs to act now against this form of gender based violence if it wants to meet its gender equality benchmark. The 2011-2012 Progress of the World’s Women report produced by UN Women speaks to the efficacy of “well-functioning legal and justice systems” as “vital mechanisms” through which women can access their rights. Organizations such as BRAC continue to support the development of such capacity building mechanisms but it is not up to them alone; the government needs to play an integral role in the process. While Bangladesh has successfully created legal jargon banning extrajudicial punishments in the name of fatwa, such forms of violence against women in the country will continue to take place unless the the law and its legal protection is converted to practice at the institutional, social and individual level.
By Cori Fleser
Cori Fleser is from Austin, Texas. She is currently interning at BRAC Bangladesh and will be pursuing her Master’s degree in Sustainable Development at the SIT Graduate Institute this fall.
Her death was not an isolated incident. That same month, a 16 year old rape victim was flogged to death after her sexual assault was discovered. Again in December 2010, Sufia Begum died from injuries sustained during the 40 lashes she was issued for an alleged affair. These deaths unleashed many unanswered questions about extrajudicial punishment issued in the name of fatwa and violence against women in Bangladesh. Despite the July 2010 reaffirmation of a 2001 judgment by the Supreme Court outlawing the practice of such extrajudicial punishments, the Bangladesh government is still in the spotlight for not doing enough to protect its women.
Fatwa, an Islamic religious declaration which means ‘a formal legal opinion’, impacts a disproportionate number of women as a repercussion for alleged infidelity or not adhering to traditional gender norms. In cultural practice, punishments can take many forms--whipping, lashing, imposing fines, cutting of the woman's hair or blackening her face all in an effort to ostracize and humiliate the woman and her family. The type of punishment is arbitrarily decided, carried out by community members and has no legal bearing. Many of these crimes are often not reported but according to human rights organizations, approximately 500 women were flogged in Bangladesh in the past decade. It is clear that women in this country are not receiving the justice they deserve if these unchecked violations of women’s human rights continue to terrorize them.
Although the judgement by the Supreme Court appeared promising, women’s rights activists in Bangladesh remain skeptical. According to Human Rights Watch, Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK) has found 16 other instances of extrajudicial punishment from January to May 2011 and has additionally reported on the suicides of several women from different parts of Bangladesh in response to the punishments issued against them in the name of fatwa. No legal action for these deaths took place and it is overtly evident that the Supreme Court directions are falling short of changing cultural practice. In a recent interview, Faustina Pereira, director of BRAC Human Rights and Legal Aid Services, vented her frustrations:"The government has pledged to uphold our laws and constitution, and part of that promise is to prevent, prosecute, and punish these criminal extrajudicial punishments...there is no excuse for not acting." The current situation is dire and in need of swift change.
Together with Human Rights Watch, ASK, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP), and Nijera Kori, BRAC has compiled a list of actions for the Bangladesh government to follow in order to facilitate the execution of the Supreme Court’s judgment. The list includes implementing awareness campaigns, establishing 24 hour helplines, improving access to safe shelters, providing psychological support and legal services, and finally monitoring investigations and prosecutions to ensure perpetrators of extrajudicial punishments are being held accountable.
With the 2015 deadline for meeting the Millennium Development Goals rapidly approaching, the Bangladesh government needs to act now against this form of gender based violence if it wants to meet its gender equality benchmark. The 2011-2012 Progress of the World’s Women report produced by UN Women speaks to the efficacy of “well-functioning legal and justice systems” as “vital mechanisms” through which women can access their rights. Organizations such as BRAC continue to support the development of such capacity building mechanisms but it is not up to them alone; the government needs to play an integral role in the process. While Bangladesh has successfully created legal jargon banning extrajudicial punishments in the name of fatwa, such forms of violence against women in the country will continue to take place unless the the law and its legal protection is converted to practice at the institutional, social and individual level.
By Cori Fleser
Cori Fleser is from Austin, Texas. She is currently interning at BRAC Bangladesh and will be pursuing her Master’s degree in Sustainable Development at the SIT Graduate Institute this fall.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
From farm to fork, ensuring food-safety the ISO way
BRAC Dairy becomes the first ISO 22000 certified Dairy Company in Bangladesh
It is increasingly being acknowledged that “my food is safer than yours” is a diminishing strategy for individual producers since it damages the entire food industry as producers try to back-up their food-safety claims with scientific data. The need for measuring and validating food safety practices throughout industry has never been felt more to effectively encourage low performers to catch up and stay away from precarious methods of ensuring industry standards.
ISO-accredited certification has proved itself around the world over the last decade, to be capable of bringing in accurate autonomous assessment discipline in an organization for its food safety management system (since food safety is inherent in the management system and cannot be “tested” into a system) and making the producers who focus on measuring and ensuring integrity of food-safety practices and audit processes, turn the tables on those who flaunt aggressive food-safety claims.
In Bangladesh, Livestock industry, which has the highest potential for alleviating rural poverty, has been experiencing limited growth due to complete lack of quality control practices. In the absence of legal and regulatory framework, livestock development in the private sector has been increasingly taking place in an arbitrary manner worsening quality controlling of livestock products.
It could not have been anymore timely for BRAC Dairy, a BRAC social enterprise that serves cattle farmers with market-linkage creation and protection from milk-price volatility resulting from over-supply, to receive ISO 22000 Certification and set an example of vigilance at every stage of dairy production, processing, and distribution contributing to dairy products’ safety record.
ISO 22000 provides international harmonization in the field of food safety standards, offering a tool to implement HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) throughout the food supply chain. As a result, BRAC Dairy will not only be enjoying reduced operating cost, increased operational efficiency and improved food-safety risk management, but also proven business credentials in both national and international markets, winning more businesses and consumers with renewed confidence in the enterprise’s dairy products.
As BRAC Dairy products’ level of integrity reaches a new height, the Dairy industry in Bangladesh gets an opportunity to give food-safety its much deserved attention by improving the audit process, stimulating innovation, and reducing cost of food production, and in turn create a competitive market that can have a greater impact in increasing revenue for producers and ensuring better health for consumers.
Did you know?
BRAC Dairy …
Has 100 collection and chilling stations located in 25 districts, including 10 located in ultra-poor areas
Collects 102,559 liters milk daily
Serves 40,000 farmers, 64% being women
Has 23 Distributors and 37 Sales centers nationwide, covering 16,000 outlets out of 23,000
Enjoys an overall market share of 22% with a dedicated consumer base of around 500,000
Sells more than 2 packets of Aarong Milk (a BRAC Dairy product) every second
See also BRAC Enterprises & Investments receives ISO 22000: 2005 certificates - The Daily Star
It is increasingly being acknowledged that “my food is safer than yours” is a diminishing strategy for individual producers since it damages the entire food industry as producers try to back-up their food-safety claims with scientific data. The need for measuring and validating food safety practices throughout industry has never been felt more to effectively encourage low performers to catch up and stay away from precarious methods of ensuring industry standards.
ISO-accredited certification has proved itself around the world over the last decade, to be capable of bringing in accurate autonomous assessment discipline in an organization for its food safety management system (since food safety is inherent in the management system and cannot be “tested” into a system) and making the producers who focus on measuring and ensuring integrity of food-safety practices and audit processes, turn the tables on those who flaunt aggressive food-safety claims.
In Bangladesh, Livestock industry, which has the highest potential for alleviating rural poverty, has been experiencing limited growth due to complete lack of quality control practices. In the absence of legal and regulatory framework, livestock development in the private sector has been increasingly taking place in an arbitrary manner worsening quality controlling of livestock products.It could not have been anymore timely for BRAC Dairy, a BRAC social enterprise that serves cattle farmers with market-linkage creation and protection from milk-price volatility resulting from over-supply, to receive ISO 22000 Certification and set an example of vigilance at every stage of dairy production, processing, and distribution contributing to dairy products’ safety record.
ISO 22000 provides international harmonization in the field of food safety standards, offering a tool to implement HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) throughout the food supply chain. As a result, BRAC Dairy will not only be enjoying reduced operating cost, increased operational efficiency and improved food-safety risk management, but also proven business credentials in both national and international markets, winning more businesses and consumers with renewed confidence in the enterprise’s dairy products.
As BRAC Dairy products’ level of integrity reaches a new height, the Dairy industry in Bangladesh gets an opportunity to give food-safety its much deserved attention by improving the audit process, stimulating innovation, and reducing cost of food production, and in turn create a competitive market that can have a greater impact in increasing revenue for producers and ensuring better health for consumers.
Did you know?
BRAC Dairy …
Has 100 collection and chilling stations located in 25 districts, including 10 located in ultra-poor areas
Collects 102,559 liters milk daily
Serves 40,000 farmers, 64% being women
Has 23 Distributors and 37 Sales centers nationwide, covering 16,000 outlets out of 23,000
Enjoys an overall market share of 22% with a dedicated consumer base of around 500,000
Sells more than 2 packets of Aarong Milk (a BRAC Dairy product) every second
See also BRAC Enterprises & Investments receives ISO 22000: 2005 certificates - The Daily Star
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
BRAC School: Bridging the Gap Between High Need and Limited Access
The following is a guest blog from AUA Mosaic Scholarship recipient Alison Horton. She is currently volunteering with BRAC in Bangladesh. To find an opportunity like this one, search the AUA Directory of Recommended Organizations©.
After a couple weeks in the field working on sanitation, microfinance, legal aid and agriculture programs, I was really looking forward to my first visit to a BRAC school. As it turns out, the students were quite excited themselves.
We had dismounted our rickshaws at the edge of the village whose school we would be visiting. We began the twenty-minute walk through lush greenery and muddy trails and worked our way past clay homes and tin shacks. The path led us to a picturesque clearing surrounded by banana and mango trees, home to the village’s BRAC school. Outside the one-room tin schoolhouse, we saw the students’ colorful sandals arranged in a perfect circle. Their teacher later explained that each morning, they lay out their sandals just so, to instill ideals of routine, order and care. We added our shoes to the display and entered the school.
As soon as we appeared in the doorway, the children enthusiastically and respectfully stood upto greet us, and quickly executed the first of many traditional song and dance performances they had prepared for us. The teacher explained that they had learned of our upcoming visit three months prior, and had since begged to practice the routines every single day. Now that the day was upon us, most of the girls had arrived to school an hour early, dressed in their family’s nicest clothes. They looked beautiful and their performances were absolutely lovely.
Throughout the day, we interviewed the teacher, played with the students and spoke with many of the parents. We learned about BRAC’s unique approach to education, and observed first hand how well it works. BRAC addresses eucation as a root cause of poverty, and hopes to break into the perpetual cycle by greatly improving the educational opportunities to students throughout rural Bangladesh. High dropout rates, the cultural prevalence of early marriage, and the unavailability of schools and/or transportation in rural areas have plagued the formal education sector for decades.
The BRAC education program hoped to supplement this government sector when it began in 1985 with the creation of the first 22 schools. Today, there are more than 35,000 schools nation-wide, all run sustainably without any help from the government. In its first fifteen years, the program reached more than 1.5 million students, 70 percent of whom were girls.
What’s more, BRAC schools consistently have impressive student-teacher ratios, incredible student retention rates and higher standardized test scores than their government school counterparts. Yet, a BRAC education, though free to students and their families, costs $20 per year compared to a government school’s $52 per year. It is BRAC’s unique model and innovative approaches that has created this anomaly, which seems almost too good to be true.
Before deciding to open a school in a particular village, BRAC officials (mostly women) meet with parents several times. The parents learn about their children’s educational potential and promise to send them to school each day and attend monthly parent-teacher meetings. Three mothers form a management committee with the teacher. This committee checks in with the school regularly, and if a student is absent, they go to the student’s home to check on them. A mother from the village is actually chosen and trained as the school’s teacher. BRAC usually selects an uneducated woman and provides her with complete initial training and monthly refresher courses. She receives a salary for this important job and becomes a hero in her village.
We had the chance to sit in a monthly refresher course at a BRAC regional office and were very impressed with the women’s abilities.
The school calendar and hours are set each season by the management committee and parents. If needed, the school will run two shifts each day to keep class size under BRAC’s maximum of 33. The hours are set according the families’ needs, often changing with each harvesting season. The location of the one-room school is very carefully chosen – as close to students’ homes as possible.
In this particular schoolhouse, we asked the parents what their children did before the school was built. Most children worked. The boys were often field laborers and the girls were house help. The closest government school is over 15 kilometers away, with no transportation provided. Additionally, the school requires that students purchase a uniform, which is a significant financial deterrent for most families. So, without this BRAC school, these vibrant and intelligent nine to twelve year old kids singing, dancing and practicing English with us would instead be working as day laborers, with no chance of an education.
BRAC has always exhibited a completely apolitical approach and maintains an amicable relationship with the Bangladesh government. BRAC’s vision is a future without the need for aid. Their schools, like many of their programs, are working to bridge the gap between the country’s high need and the government’s limited potential. Hopefully, in time, the government will learn from and incorporate BRAC schools into the formal sector and all students will officially have access to proper education. Perhaps when these happy, bright and talented young students eventually have children of their own, they will have multiple quality education options.
I also had the chance to visit a government school, and of course those uniform-clad students are just as vibrant and adorable.
After a couple weeks in the field working on sanitation, microfinance, legal aid and agriculture programs, I was really looking forward to my first visit to a BRAC school. As it turns out, the students were quite excited themselves.
We had dismounted our rickshaws at the edge of the village whose school we would be visiting. We began the twenty-minute walk through lush greenery and muddy trails and worked our way past clay homes and tin shacks. The path led us to a picturesque clearing surrounded by banana and mango trees, home to the village’s BRAC school. Outside the one-room tin schoolhouse, we saw the students’ colorful sandals arranged in a perfect circle. Their teacher later explained that each morning, they lay out their sandals just so, to instill ideals of routine, order and care. We added our shoes to the display and entered the school.
As soon as we appeared in the doorway, the children enthusiastically and respectfully stood upto greet us, and quickly executed the first of many traditional song and dance performances they had prepared for us. The teacher explained that they had learned of our upcoming visit three months prior, and had since begged to practice the routines every single day. Now that the day was upon us, most of the girls had arrived to school an hour early, dressed in their family’s nicest clothes. They looked beautiful and their performances were absolutely lovely.
Throughout the day, we interviewed the teacher, played with the students and spoke with many of the parents. We learned about BRAC’s unique approach to education, and observed first hand how well it works. BRAC addresses eucation as a root cause of poverty, and hopes to break into the perpetual cycle by greatly improving the educational opportunities to students throughout rural Bangladesh. High dropout rates, the cultural prevalence of early marriage, and the unavailability of schools and/or transportation in rural areas have plagued the formal education sector for decades.
The BRAC education program hoped to supplement this government sector when it began in 1985 with the creation of the first 22 schools. Today, there are more than 35,000 schools nation-wide, all run sustainably without any help from the government. In its first fifteen years, the program reached more than 1.5 million students, 70 percent of whom were girls.
What’s more, BRAC schools consistently have impressive student-teacher ratios, incredible student retention rates and higher standardized test scores than their government school counterparts. Yet, a BRAC education, though free to students and their families, costs $20 per year compared to a government school’s $52 per year. It is BRAC’s unique model and innovative approaches that has created this anomaly, which seems almost too good to be true.
Before deciding to open a school in a particular village, BRAC officials (mostly women) meet with parents several times. The parents learn about their children’s educational potential and promise to send them to school each day and attend monthly parent-teacher meetings. Three mothers form a management committee with the teacher. This committee checks in with the school regularly, and if a student is absent, they go to the student’s home to check on them. A mother from the village is actually chosen and trained as the school’s teacher. BRAC usually selects an uneducated woman and provides her with complete initial training and monthly refresher courses. She receives a salary for this important job and becomes a hero in her village.
We had the chance to sit in a monthly refresher course at a BRAC regional office and were very impressed with the women’s abilities.
The school calendar and hours are set each season by the management committee and parents. If needed, the school will run two shifts each day to keep class size under BRAC’s maximum of 33. The hours are set according the families’ needs, often changing with each harvesting season. The location of the one-room school is very carefully chosen – as close to students’ homes as possible.
In this particular schoolhouse, we asked the parents what their children did before the school was built. Most children worked. The boys were often field laborers and the girls were house help. The closest government school is over 15 kilometers away, with no transportation provided. Additionally, the school requires that students purchase a uniform, which is a significant financial deterrent for most families. So, without this BRAC school, these vibrant and intelligent nine to twelve year old kids singing, dancing and practicing English with us would instead be working as day laborers, with no chance of an education.
BRAC has always exhibited a completely apolitical approach and maintains an amicable relationship with the Bangladesh government. BRAC’s vision is a future without the need for aid. Their schools, like many of their programs, are working to bridge the gap between the country’s high need and the government’s limited potential. Hopefully, in time, the government will learn from and incorporate BRAC schools into the formal sector and all students will officially have access to proper education. Perhaps when these happy, bright and talented young students eventually have children of their own, they will have multiple quality education options.I also had the chance to visit a government school, and of course those uniform-clad students are just as vibrant and adorable.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
13 Million People in Bangladesh Lifted out of Poverty, Other Gains in Education and Well-being
This June the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics released the preliminary report from its 2010 Household Income and Expenditure Survey. The report indicates that in the period from 2005 to 2010, 13 million people have been lifted out of poverty and that the overall poverty level has fallen by 8.5 percentage points.
"Bangladesh is truly an amazing story of human progress, despite the obstacles," said Dr. Lincoln Chen, Board Chair at BRAC USA and President of the China Medical Board of New York. "Surely the large NGOs like BRAC deserve much credit."
"Bangladesh is truly an amazing story of human progress, despite the obstacles," said Dr. Lincoln Chen, Board Chair at BRAC USA and President of the China Medical Board of New York. "Surely the large NGOs like BRAC deserve much credit."
Additional survey findings pointed to significant increases in a number of important poverty indicators. Individuals per capita, per day intake of food has increased by 5.5 percent, from 947.8 grams in 2005 at the national level, to 999.9 grams in 2010. Quality of life has improved as well. The survey found significant increases in access to safe drinking water and electricity. A phenomenal increase was observed in the use of mobile phones, with an increase from 11.29 percent in 2005, to 63.74 percent in 2010.
Average monthly household income has increased by 59.38 percent at the national level, 58.27 percent in rural areas, and 57.48 percent in urban areas. A large increase was also seen in average monthly household expenditures, with an increase of 82.59 percent at the national level, 80.71 percent in rural areas, and 82.01 percent in urban areas, compared to 2005.
The report also referenced significant improvements in education, with increases in the literacy rate of 7-year-olds increasing from 57.91 percent at national levels, compared to 51.9 percent in 2005. The proportion of people benefiting from at least one public safety net program has increased as well. In 2010, 24.57 percent of households reported having received a benefit during the past year from at least one type of program, compared to only 13.03 percent in 2005.
BBS Director General Shahjan Ali Molla said the survey was conducted in 12,240 households, including 4,400 in urban areas, and 7,840 in rural areas across the country from Feb. 1, 2010 to Jan. 31, 2011.
Click here to read more about the survey in BDNews24.
Average monthly household income has increased by 59.38 percent at the national level, 58.27 percent in rural areas, and 57.48 percent in urban areas. A large increase was also seen in average monthly household expenditures, with an increase of 82.59 percent at the national level, 80.71 percent in rural areas, and 82.01 percent in urban areas, compared to 2005.
The report also referenced significant improvements in education, with increases in the literacy rate of 7-year-olds increasing from 57.91 percent at national levels, compared to 51.9 percent in 2005. The proportion of people benefiting from at least one public safety net program has increased as well. In 2010, 24.57 percent of households reported having received a benefit during the past year from at least one type of program, compared to only 13.03 percent in 2005.
BBS Director General Shahjan Ali Molla said the survey was conducted in 12,240 households, including 4,400 in urban areas, and 7,840 in rural areas across the country from Feb. 1, 2010 to Jan. 31, 2011.
Click here to read more about the survey in BDNews24.
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