BRAC (Building Resources Across Communities, formerly Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) is an international development organization committed to “creating opportunities for people living in poverty to realize their potential,” according to their homepage. As the largest non-governmental development organization in the world (based on employees and number of people helped), BRAC has received consistent recognition for their integrated and comprehensive approach to poverty, which addresses healthcare, education, agriculture, economic progress, gender equality, youth empowerment, and emergency response. In addition to such social development work, BRAC’s endeavors include social enterprise initiatives, investments for social impact, and a private university in Bangladesh established in 2001.
Founded in 1972 in Bangladesh, BRAC has expanded over the past 47 years to reach over an estimated 138 million people in 10 other countries in the Global South, including Afghanistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Pakistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Philippines, Myanmar, Nepal, and South Sudan. In 2006, BRAC formed affiliates in the US and the UK to raise the organization’s global profile, as well as to mobilize resources; maintain partnerships with donors, partners, research organizations, and the media; and collaborate with other offices to develop innovative solutions to poverty worldwide. In addition, Stichting BRAC International was formed in 2009 in the Netherlands to govern and manage all BRAC entities outside of Bangladesh, other than the affiliates, overseeing the organization’s efforts that seek to advance “small solutions for global challenges” wherever is needed around the world.
In pursuit of their vision to see “a world free from all forms of exploitation and discrimination,” BRAC’s international work aligns with several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aids countries in mobilizing efforts “to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities, and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.” These goals, which were adopted by world leaders at a UN Summit in 2015, include the following:
- no poverty (#1),
- zero hunger (#2),
- good health and well-being (#3),
- quality education (#4),
- gender equality (#5),
- decent work and economic growth (#8),
- industry, innovation, and infrastructure (#9),
- reduced inequalities (#10), and
- climate action (#13).
For example, BRAC helps to develop community health promoters (CHPs) who provide critical health services for women and children in their local communities, such as teaching women how to recognize the signs of risk during pregnancy and when to seek help, as well as treating children with malaria who otherwise would not have had a chance to live. Through CHPs, BRAC not only promotes good health and well-being worldwide, but it also allows CHPs to earn an income selling health products to people in need, economically empowering the women who become CHPs in their communities.
Through this example and many others, it is clear that BRAC is committed to the fight for gender justice and equality around the world. The organization abides by a gender policy to ensure that all programs and initiatives advance gender equality, as well as a sexual harassment policy that lays out their internal procedures for addressing and eliminating sexual harassment committed by or against employees, the majority of whom are locals within the communities they serve. In addition, BRAC produces many short films, among which are those that explicitly advocate for gender justice and equality, including Defend Girlhood and End Sexual Harassment.
***Also, for those who are interested, here’s the BRAC video I talked about in class on the Rohingya Muslims in Cox’s Bazar***
3 Comments
I didn’t know anything about BRAC prior to reading this and can’t believe its the largest non-governmental development organization in the world. It was interesting reading about their gender policy and is good they have such a clear stance on gender equality. It sounds like they have been able to made a difference in Bangladesh and really help the people there.
BRAC sounds like they are actually providing a form of humanitarian aid which will make a difference within Bangladesh. Through there educational programs designed to help educate women who are often stripped of the right to basic medical information highlights the point above. Great blog post and learned a lot about the several issues surrounding Bangladesh as well as the efforts to help fix it.
It is nice to hear that aid organizations are realizing that they must go more into depth, and strive toward the redevelopment of an area and culture that has been destroyed. BRAC has seemed to set high goals for themselves along the lines of zero tolerance for many forms of exploitation. Hopefully this organization can expand its efforts as it has been expanding more globally since its creation, and work toward these high achieving goals.