Brac reduces dependence on donors' funding
FE Report | Thursday, 10 July 2008
Brac, the world's largest non-governmental organisation (NGO), has reduced its dependence on donors' funding significantly over the years.
Releasing the annual report 200 released on Monday night Brac officials said the NGO is now largely self-reliant through its engagement in social enterprises where Brac charges for its services.
The development organisation, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, works to combat poverty in 70,000 villages and 2000 slums and reaches three quarters of the country's entire population with an integrated package of services, employing over 100,000 people.
Every week, the annual report said, 1.55 million children attend Brac primary and pre-primary schools and are taught by more than 50,000 trained teachers.
Brac's 68,000 community health volunteers visit 18 million village households every month and provide the first line of support under its essential healthcare programme.
"In this short span of time our programmes have experienced dramatic growth. Continuing this strong growth rate and reaching more of the poor remains our goal where Brac is operating," the annual report quoted Fazle Hasan Abed, Brac founder and chairperson, as saying.
Executive Director of Brac Dr. Mahbub Hossain, a noted agriculture expert, said: "reaching technologies to farmers to support food production, combating extreme poverty, reducing maternal and infant mortality, diversifying microfinance services, and continuing replication in Africa and Asia are the major achievements of the year 2007."
M Anwarul Haq, Director, Public Affairs said Brac began working internationally in 2002 through entering Afghanistan. Now Brac models have been replicated in four Asian countries, In Africa, Brac is present in Uganda, Tanzania, and Southern Sudan, he said adding that Brac will enter six more countries very shortly.
Releasing the annual report 200 released on Monday night Brac officials said the NGO is now largely self-reliant through its engagement in social enterprises where Brac charges for its services.
The development organisation, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, works to combat poverty in 70,000 villages and 2000 slums and reaches three quarters of the country's entire population with an integrated package of services, employing over 100,000 people.
Every week, the annual report said, 1.55 million children attend Brac primary and pre-primary schools and are taught by more than 50,000 trained teachers.
Brac's 68,000 community health volunteers visit 18 million village households every month and provide the first line of support under its essential healthcare programme.
"In this short span of time our programmes have experienced dramatic growth. Continuing this strong growth rate and reaching more of the poor remains our goal where Brac is operating," the annual report quoted Fazle Hasan Abed, Brac founder and chairperson, as saying.
Executive Director of Brac Dr. Mahbub Hossain, a noted agriculture expert, said: "reaching technologies to farmers to support food production, combating extreme poverty, reducing maternal and infant mortality, diversifying microfinance services, and continuing replication in Africa and Asia are the major achievements of the year 2007."
M Anwarul Haq, Director, Public Affairs said Brac began working internationally in 2002 through entering Afghanistan. Now Brac models have been replicated in four Asian countries, In Africa, Brac is present in Uganda, Tanzania, and Southern Sudan, he said adding that Brac will enter six more countries very shortly.