Brac\\\'s battle line on unemployment

Brac will directly develop 10 per cent of the country's 25 per cent unemployed or underemployed workforce in the next five years by providing trainings in various trades and upgrading skills, a top official said on Tuesday.
The country's largest non-government organization (NGO) will also increase urban-based development programmes in future keeping in mind the rapid urbanization process that has been going on in the country. The process will result in 57 per cent of the total 220 million population living in urban areas by 2050.
On the other hand, there is a substantial growth in Brac's micro-finance loan disbursement in 2014, amounting to over Tk 85.68 billion against Tk 67.13 billion in 2013, a rise by about 28 per cent.
The development organization has claimed to have graduated 1.6 million ultra-poor through its graduation model for the ultra-poor programme between 2002 and 2014.
These were revealed during the launching ceremony of Brac Annual Report 2014 at Brac Centre Inn in the city.
Brac executive director (ED) Dr Mohammad Musa presented the annual report in the programme. There he highlighted Brac's major contribution in the government's effort to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs), especially in the fields of poverty eradication, education, health, gender, and water and sanitation.
Brac adviser Mahbub Hossain and communication and empowerment department senior director Asif Saleh also spoke on the occasion.
The annual report showed Brac's income surplus over expenditure before taxation as over Tk 11.10 billion in 2014, against over Tk 6.35 billion in 2013. Its total income was more than Tk 53.35 billion against Tk 49.08 billion in 2013, and total expenditure over Tk 41.91 billion against more than Tk 42.53 billion in 2013.
In his presentation, Mr Musa said 2014 has been an advantageous period for development activities. The people living below poverty line and their women folks have shown progress in efforts to overcome their situation.
He said in next five years Brac will provide vocational training to one million youths in the trades that have huge job opportunities.
Mr Musa also said Brac has been working in partnership with various stakeholders, like - grassroots people, academics, the government and donors.
In highlighting Brac's contribution, he claimed that Brac mainly helped to bring back the children, dropped out from primary schools.
"Our target is not only to increase enrolment in primary education, but also to improve the students' quality and (to show) how they translate their education in real life."
The Brac ED also said in its coordinated effort with the government to help attain MDGs in poverty, education, health, and water and sanitation Brac's 100,000 community health workers have been working in 64 districts even reaching out to the out-of-reach mothers.
About 30,000 safe deliveries have taken place at 278 urban delivery centres, which take care of high-risk pregnant mothers. A total of 7,26,000 deliveries have been assisted by Brac's skilled birth attendants, and 3,28,000 complicated cases were referred to formal health services.
Brac adviser Mahbub Hossain said the organisation could not make profit from its social enterprises, which are unusually one-third of the total income.
Brac enterprises include: Aarong, Brac Artificial Insemination, Brac chicken, Brac cold storage, Brac dairy, Brac feed mills, Brac fisheries, Brac nursery, Brac poultry, Brac poultry rearing, Brac printing pack, Brac recycled handmade paper, Brac salt, Brac sanitary napkin and delivery kits, Brac seeds, Brac sericulture.
The profit has increased about 12 per cent from the social enterprises against last year, but poultry has incurred loss. The income from microfinance was good following good disbursement, he added.
In answering a question the Brac adviser said producers not getting fair prices of agro products is a long standing problem for Bangladesh.
He attributed it to the government's failure in implementing policies for benefit of those, for whom the policies have been formulated.
He suggested stopping frequent fluctuation of prices of agricultural products by implementing the government policies to keep the farmers in a good situation.   
Terming Brac's Aarong and Brac University mainly targeted for the high-end people, Mr Mahbub said profits earned from those business entities are used in development works for the poor.
Asif Saleh said Brac has been assisting the MPO-receiving secondary schools in capacity building to improve their performance. Brac has also set up seven secondary schools as pilot projects, which may be replicated in future once they are successful.
Brac authority claimed that employment generation is one of its major objectives. Brac's social enterprises cannot be called as highly profitable, as their return on investment is only 10 per cent, which is moderately sustainable profit.
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