Located in the south-central of , lies under division, have an area of 3,737 kilometres. It is bounded by the Bay of to the south. It includes , the largest island of Bangladesh alongside Monpura island and Dhalchar.

Main rivers are Meghna, Tentulia and Ganeshpura. BRAC works at

Bhola with quite a few components Photo credit: BRAC/Shehzad Noorani such as microfinance, targeting the ultra poor (TUP), health, nutrition and population (HNPP), education Children attend BRAC non formal pre-primary school in village. (BEP), community empowerment (CEP), and human rights and legal aid services (HRLS). Among them, microfinance offers two types of loan – dabi (microloan) and CEP works at Bhola to create and progoti (enterprise loan) to women empowerment. Notable tourist Education the clients. HNPP is providing destinations include Monpura Island Pre-primary schools 215 health education through shasthya and Char Kukrimukri. shebika (health volunteer) and Primary schools 172 ADP Centres 189 shasthya kormi (health worker). BRAC’s education programme is also identifying the marginalised At a glance Health, nutrition kids and providing them the and population (as of December, 2015) education through informal schools. Health volunteers TUP is focusing on tackling the (shasthya shebika) 1,107 poverty with multiple fronts. HRLS Microfinance Health workers Branches 27 (shasthya kormi) 56 Village organisations 1,348 General information Members 66,064 Community empowerment Borrowers 35,355 Community-based organisation Population 2,037,201 Progoti (polli shomaj) 176 Unions 68 Small enterprise clients 1,163 Union-based organisation Villages 473 (union shomaj) 11 Children (0-15) 789,753 Targeting the ultra poor Primary schools 958 Specially targeted ultra poor Human rights and Literacy rates 47% (STUP) members 5,950 legal aid services Hospitals 11 Asset and training Human rights and legal education Banks 62 received 5,950 (HRLE) shebikas 287 Health care availed 236 Bazaars 245 HRLE graduates 42,692 NGOs 46 Legal aid clinics 6

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 2015, is revised yearly and made available on www.brac.net/visitors.