BRAC OVERVIEW

BRAC is the largest development organization in the world, employing more than 120,000 people, the majority of whom are women. Created in Bangladesh in 1971, and lead by Bangladeshis, BRAC has established itself as a pioneer in recognizing and tackling the different dimensions of poverty.

BRAC strives to build an inclusive and just society through social and legal empowerment of the poor. We believe that multi-pronged problems need multiple solutions and our comprehensive programs and holistic approach reflect that. Our health, education and social justice services are combined with loans for small enterprises (coupled with supply chain linkages and marketing) to support individuals' efforts to bring themselves out of poverty.

We focus on both the supply and demand of human rights. We work together to bring about the necessary changes regarding attitudes towards gender equality, promoting and protecting human rights, and institutionalizing rule of law. We work on creating lasting change at the household level, in the community, under the law and in public life. We have a presence in almost every village courtyard in the country.

We self-generate 70% of our funds through investments, loans and enterprises- making us one of the most self-sustaining organizations in the world. Our comprehensive approach ensures that donations work hard, reach many people and are cost effective. We need additional support to continue covering free services in health, education and social justice, all of which are scaled nationally. Please donate to help us continue building a world where the poor are the drivers of large scale change.

In addition to Bangladesh, BRAC works in Afghanistan, Haiti, Southern Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Yemen and Pakistan.

Key Statistics:

In Bangladesh,

• BRAC is present in 69,421 villages and touches the lives of 110 million people.
• BRAC has created 11,830 Citizen Action Groups which organize women to take collective action to solve the problems in their communities.
• BRAC has trained 3,000 Gender Justice Educators who lead workshops to prevent domestic violence and gender discrimination.
• BRAC has trained 5,519 barefoot lawyers who teach Human Rights and Legal Education classes.
• BRAC has graduated 3.4 million women from its Human Rights and Legal Education classes.
• BRAC's legal aid services have sent 19,424 cases to court.
• BRAC has resolved 65,214 cases through Alternative Dispute Resolution.
• BRAC Popular Theater groups have performed 119,321 times.

To learn more about our work:

• Visit www.brac.net
• Follow the BRAC blog
• Read our Annual Report
• Like us on Facebook