SPREADING PROVEN ANTI-POVERTY SOLUTIONS BORN IN TO COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD Wasfia Nazreen has climbed the highest mountain in seven continents to celebrate the progress of women over the last four decades and promote the work of BRAC. She is the first Bangladeshi woman to climb Mount Vinson in Antarctica (pictured) and the youngest Everest summiteer in the country.

2 2 VISION BRAC is a unique development success story, spreading anti-poverty solutions born BRAC’s vision is a world free of all forms of exploitation and in Bangladesh to other developing countries discrimination, where everyone in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, making it has the opportunity to realise a global leader in providing opportunities for their potential. people experiencing poverty.

With an innovative and comprehensive approach that includes MISSION , livelihood training, education, healthcare, legal services and more, BRAC invests in communities’ own human Our mission is to empower people and material resources, catalysing lasting change and creating in their communities, in situations of an ecosystem in which people who are poor have the chance poverty, illiteracy, disease and social to take control of their own lives. injustice. Our interventions aim to achieve large scale, positive changes Our work now touches the lives of an estimated 135 million through economic and social people across 11 countries. Of the world’s top development programmes that enable men and organisations, we are one of the few based in the global South. women to realise their potential.

3 BRAC IN THE UK

In the UK, BRAC is breaking new ground in south-led development co-operation, establishing partnerships with local and global NGOs, donor As our expanding grants agencies, academic and research institutions and “portfolio proves, working governments. in the UK is essential for BRAC as it grows steadily in

Our aim is to share BRAC’s success, and mobilise Asia and Africa. We are now and manage resources so that BRAC’s innovative, embarking on an exciting

community-based approaches can reach more phase that introduces BRAC people in poverty in Africa and Asia. to new supporters here in the “ UK. We are looking forward Together with our partners, we are reducing poverty to welcoming new partners and hunger for vulnerable families, providing quality education for children affected by conflict, improving to join us in our work. the health of whole communities and connecting people to new markets, livelihoods and enterprises. Simone Sultana Chair, BRAC We focus on women and girls as key agents of change for current and future generations.

4 A group of BRAC pre-primary school students participate enthusiastically in their classroom activities in the Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in .

5 Md Shahjahan and his sons have leased one acre of land to cultivate fish from spawn bought from BRAC’s local fisheries in Rangpur district, Bangladesh. The extra business has increased his annual income by BDT 150,000 (£1,250).

6 AN INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES BRAC HAS A MULTI-PRONGED STRATEGY TO TACKLE THE MANY CAUSES OF POVERTY

Over 114,000 frontline community health workers provide vital doorstep HEALTH AND EDUCATION health services. BRAC also runs the world’s largest non-formal education programme, with 44,000 schools in six countries

SUSTAINABLE Lack of access to economic systems keeps people trapped in poverty. LIVELIHOODS BRAC disburses microloans alongside livelihood support and training.

BRAC’s legal rights, community empowerment and advocacy GRASSROOTS EMPOWERMENT programmes organise people at the grassroots level, with ‘barefoot lawyers’ delivering legal services.

FOCUS ON BRAC places special emphasis on the social and financial empowerment WOMEN AND of women and girls. The vast majority of our microfinance members, GIRLS community promoters, teachers and programme staff are women.

SOCIAL In Bangladesh, BRAC’s enterprises and investments generate a financial ENTERPRISES surplus that is reinvested in poverty alleviation.

7 SUPPORTING VULNERABLE OUR IMPACT

MOTHERS AND BABIES IN Fewer mothers and babies die from preventable diseases More women have access to Health is a serious issue in Liberia for mothers and young contraception children. The lifetime risk of maternal death is 1 in 24 women due to an acute shortage of skilled midwives. Women can give birth in a clean Babies and children under five are most at risk from location attended by a skilled diseases like malaria and diarrhea. professional, increasing their chances of survival BRAC works through community health promotors who mobilise whole communities to improve health and access to better care and treatment, especially for mothers, babies YOU CAN HELP and children under five. £24 provides a kit of supplies to Health promoters receive on-going skills training in repro- a community health promoter ductive, maternal, child and newborn health. Promoters are self-employed local women, each offering doorstep services £13 ensures access to health to 100 households in their area. care for a family for three years

Families have access to quality information and services £76 supplies two healthcare locally. In an emergency, community health workers provide branches with essential antenatal speedy referrals to appropriate emergency services. care equipment

8 BRAC community health promoter Patience Scott (right) visits Katherine Lee and her baby daughter, Gift Freeman, in their room in Monrovia, Liberia.

9 BRAC Pakistan school teachers are enjoying training their class at the BRAC Education Programme in Haripur village of Nowshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhaw province in Pakistan.

10 OUR IMPACT

STARTING EARLY WITH GIRLS’ Improving opportunities for young girls to get a basic EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN education

Changing attitudes towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan is marked by girls’ education internal conflict. A lack of qualified teachers, large class sizes and poor learning environments all contribute to problems of low enrolment and high drop out rates in schools, particularly for girls. YOU CAN HELP

BRAC is establishing hundreds of early childhood education £6 buys a chalkboard for centres, enabling girls aged 3-5 from very poor families to a school prepare for school. We also run small primary schools in remote areas and work to change community attitudes £30 enables a girl to go to towards girls’ education. school for one year

When a girl is educated, she is more likely to delay marriage £61 provides school supplies and motherhood, and she increases her lifetime earning to 24 students potential. When an educated girl becomes a mother, she is better able to take care of her family.

11 SMALL SCALE FARMING IN LIBERIA AND

Agriculture is an important activity for people in Liberia and Sierra Leone, with over 70 per cent of people depending on it for their livelihoods. The majority of farmers are women and they struggle to get seeds and materials to produce crops on their land, especially in remote areas.

BRAC is training thousands of rural farmers, mostly BRAC is working to strengthen the poultry sector, women, to keep chickens and plant vegetables developing supply and driving the market, by also around their homes. This will increase their income providing employment opportunities in feed mills, and help them maintain the health of their families. hatcheries and slaughter houses. This project creates jobs, increases food supply, and establishes the necessary networks to ensure success and sustainability.

12 OUR IMPACT

Reducing hunger, malnutrition and poverty

Keeping communities working and earning an income

YOU CAN HELP

£6 provides a woman with training on vegetable growing and nutrition

£12 provides a woman with a start up kit including high-quality seeds, fertiliser and tools

£43 provides a bag and instruments to two community based agro-vet technicians

Model farmer Bana Moul stands in her okra field in Kakata, Liberia. She uses this okra to feed her family and sells the excess for profit.

13 13 LAUNCHING A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IN LIBERIA

Raising chickens can be profitable and contribute to food security. However, day old chicks and chicken feed are in short supply in Liberia and are expensive because they are imported from distant countries. Some chicks do not survive the journey, particularly to rural areas.

BRAC is creating sustainable OUR IMPACT YOU CAN HELP supply chains and markets in rural areas. We are establishing Creating self-sustaining local £92 buys 25 chicks for the first feed mills, hatcheries, slaughter enterprises that bring income generation of the hatchery houses and food processing and security to poor families centres and training community £9 will train a local woman to entrepreneurs in marketing skills Reducing poverty and hunger teach her community about so that whole communities sell how to keep chickens for fair prices.

14 A girl waits with her mother to have their chickens vaccinated by BRAC’s community poultry and livestock promoter in Kakata District, Liberia

15 CREATING SAFE SPACES FOR GIRLS

Adolescence is a critical time to lay the foundations for a healthy adulthood. In rural communities, girls are expected to carry out domestic duties, such as caring for younger siblings, or tending to livestock which undermines their opportunities for education and employment.

BRAC creates safe spaces for OUR IMPACT YOU CAN HELP girls – clubs where they can learn new skills that inspire change in Decreasing teenage pregnancy £5 a month enables a girl to go their lives. and increasing condom usage to a club for a month

BRAC helps young girls through More girls stay in school and/or £70 will provide 30 club members girls’ clubs where they receive have the skills to start their own with skills to help them support in every aspect of their businesses through life lives. The clubs are safe spaces where they can socialise and £40 gives a girl the job skills to start express themselves freely, learn her own small business vital life skills and grow in know- ledge and confidence, becoming more active and influential members of their communities.

16 How can you help

Donate to our projects online, by post or give us a call.

We will support you to fundraise for BRAC if you would like to run, jump, bake, or organise an event.

Declare your interest! Go to our website and sign up to our newsletter to receive up to date information about BRAC.

www.bracuk.net

Rehma a girl in attends a girls’ club where she learns how to make Maandazi, an African treat very similar to doughnuts which she sells locally for a profit to support her family.

17 WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT BRAC

By most measures the BRAC tackles Through its visionary BRAC is the most largest, fastest-growing the causes of moves, BRAC has made astounding social non-governmental poverty, hunger and a huge contribution enterprise in the world. organisation in the world hopelessness at the to social change in - and one of the most root, and plants trees Bangladesh and abroad. Paul Collier business like. of hope. Author of The Bottom Amartya Sen Billion The Economist Wangari Maathai Nobel Laureate in Nobel Peace Prize economics Laureate

BRAC has done what [BRAC Founder and BRAC has claimed this few others have. They Chairperson Sir Fazle year’s top spot...an have achieved success Hasan] Abed’s story unparalleled position in the on a massive scale, proves just how much crowded field of bringing life-saving health people with vision and international development. programs to millions commitment can change From the perspective of of the world’s poorest the world. our ranking criteria- people. impact, innovation and Bill Clinton sustainability - BRAC ticks Bill Gates Former US president every box. Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Global Journal The Top 100 NGOs 2013, Ranked #1

18 BECOME INVOLVED AND SUPPORT OUR WORK

If you would like to discuss BRAC’s work in Africa and Asia in more detail and the ways in which you can become involved, please contact

Mary Garvey Chief Executive [email protected]

Katie Allen Communications Officer [email protected]

A specially trained BRAC health volunteer visits a mother and child to check on their health status in Korali slum in , Bangladesh. This door to door programme has been incredibly successful in reducing child mortality rates in the taget rural and urban areas.

19 Front cover: A young boy attends a BRAC school in Gudele BRAC model farmer neighbourhood on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Gorma Kordor, walks through her farm with her two daughters in Kakata district. We are working with BRAC small scale women Arch 19 farmers to improve Wootton Street crop production and Southwark food security across Liberia. London SE1 8TG UK

www.bracuk.net www.brac.net

BRAC UK Registered Charity Number: 1115482

BRAC UK Company number: 5802246

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photocredits: BRAC/Jake Lyell • BRAC/Shehzad Noorani • BRAC/Sumon Yusuf