Barisal Barisal, the Venice of Bengal, set on the famous river Kirtankhola, is located in the south-central of Bangladesh. It lies under Barisal division, and has an area of 2,784 square kilometres. As a major rice production hub in the country, it produces the famous Balam (basmati) rice at a very large scale. As this city is located
near the coast, it is well known Photo credit: BRAC/Shehzad Noorani for producing fish and coconut on a large scale. Children attend a BRAC pre primary school in a rural village.
There are several rivers flowing into health education through health the city eg, Arial Khan, Katcha, volunteers (shasthya shebika) and Tentulia, Naya Bhanga, Jayanti, health workers (shasthya kormi). BEP General information Shwarupkathi and Amtali.Barisal identifies children from marginalised is the second largest river port families and provides basic education Population 2,348,440 through its informal schools. TUP in Bangladesh. BRAC operates Sub-districts 10 various programmes in Barisal, focuses on tackling extreme poverty Unions 85 such as microfinance, targeting the in multiple fronts. HRLS serves the Villages 1,173 ultra poor (TUP), health, nutrition disadvantaged community through and population (HNPP), education its human rights and legal education Children (0-15) 1,049,456 (BEP), community empowerment (HRLE) shebikas. CEP is building Primary schools 1,749 (CEP), human rights and legal and strengthening community Literacy rates 65% aid services (HRLS), and water, institutions to ensure socio political Hospitals 69 sanitation and hygiene (WASH) empowerment to poor women. Banks 36 programme. Among them, WASH is working on ensuring safe Bazaars 152 microfinance offers three types of drinking water and basic sanitation NGOs 149 loans – dabi (microloan), progoti for rural people. A BRAC learning (enterprise loan) and agricultural centre (BLC) was also established loans such as – tenant farmers’ in Barisal. The BLC is a residential development project (BCUP) centre used as a training centre for to the clients. HNPP provides BRAC employees.
www.brac.net At a glance Community empowerment Community-based organisation (as of December 2016) (polli shomaj) 168 Popular theatre team 7 Microfinance Human rights violation cases reported 211 Branches 29 Village organisations 2,482 Members 67,395 Education Borrowers 54,973 Pre-primary schools 95 Progoti Primary schools 75 Small enterprise clients 5,346 Shishu niketon schools 25 Tenant farmers’ development Adolescent development project programme (ADP) Centres 95 Village organisations 41 Community libraries Population covered 4,350 (gonokendros) 62 Amount of money disbursed 31,007,000 Human rights and legal aid services Health, nutrition Human rights and legal education and population (HRLE) shebikas 296 Health volunteers HRLE graduates 1,400 (shasthya shebika) 1,485 Legal aid clinics 10 Health workers (shasthya kormi) 187 Skills development Health centres 18 Number of master craft persons (MCPs) 51 Targeting the ultra poor Number of trades 6 Specially targeted Number of learners 105 ultra poor (STUP) member 592 Other targeted ultra poor Water, sanitation (OTUP) members 740 and hygiene Asset and training Committee members 19,272 received 592 Sanitation coverage 62% Health care availed 450 Loans for sanitary latrines 118 Soft loan received 700 Deep tubewells installed 115
Although every effort has been made to include and verify the accuracy of relevant information in this fact sheet, users are urged to check independently on matters of specific interest. Report any discrepancies/suggestions to [email protected]. This document was last updated on 31 December 2016, is revised yearly and made available on www.brac.net/visitors.