Together, the eight elements of our DNA represent BRAC's unique Global South-led development approach, and explain how we make change happen. These DNA elements are interconnected, working as a multiplying force when combined.
1. Unlocking the potential of people and communities
Everyone has the potential to transform their own life. What is often missing, for those living in poverty and inequality, is the opportunity to realise it.
We invest in building hope, and people’s belief in their own capacity to change. We ensure access to knowledge and resources, and ignite the power of communities. Our goal is for people to become self-reliant, and their own agents of change.
2. Holistic approach
Poverty and inequality are complex, so solutions have to be multidimensional. We take ownership of the entire problem, and persist until we find an answer. Our approaches are designed to ensure holistic wellbeing. We do not just tackle single issues in isolation, we consider how challenges correlate and solutions intersect—we build and strengthen ecosystems.
Our approach combines development thinking with business acumen. We catalyse the entrepreneurial spirit of people, equip them with skills and high quality inputs, and link them to markets—to become micro-entrepreneurs, artisans and social service providers.
3. Scaling up for impact
Small is beautiful, but big is necessary for meaningful and lasting change.
We pilot ideas on a small scale, iterate until they are efficient and effective, and then scale them up to reach the highest number of people.
Scale is only possible through collaboration. We partner with governments and other stakeholders to amplify impact and catalyse large-scale positive impact.
4. Frontline pragmatism
Challenges have to be lived to be understood.
Our team is from the same communities we work with, so we are always connected to the realities on the ground.
We turn frontline insights into localised solutions which are practical and relevant to changing needs. We are constantly listening to and engaging with communities. Participatory approaches ensure ownership and sustainability.
5. Delivering with speed and rigour
People living in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease and social injustice need services fast. At the same time, they deserve quality.
We act with urgency, while always holding ourselves to the highest standards.
Our execution excellence combines a bias for action, a relentless focus on results, and rigorous monitoring of quality and impact.
6. Learning by doing
Timely action is preferable to delayed perfection.
We learn on the go, and collect real-time feedback to continually improvise. We keep our implementation roadmap agile and adaptive.
We are always trying to find the best way forward. If we fail, we never fail to learn the lessons and improve.
7. Women as catalysts of change
Investment in women is a force multiplier. When women have better access to healthcare, education, and livelihoods, the effects go far beyond a single individual. A woman multiplies the impact by creating a better life for herself and the people around her.
We work on shifting attitudes and practices to expand opportunities available to women. We develop and mainstream approaches for them to have confidence, skills and an enabling environment.
Women are at the heart of all of our work. As teachers, community health workers, development professionals, programme participants, clients, artisans and entrepreneurs, they drive intergenerational change and build stronger communities and economies.
8. Frugal innovation
We do more, and better, with less. For us, being frugal is about designing inclusive solutions, so no one is left behind.
When resources are scarce and communities are hard to reach, solutions must be simple and robust. Our approaches are intuitive, making it easy for communities to embrace and scale.
Optimising indigenous resources and capabilities enable us to be cost-efficient and accessible.
Building a better world
Poverty and inequality are human-made, so they can be unmade. Birth need not be destiny.
We believe everyone has potential. All people need is the opportunity to realise it.
But just knowing this is not enough. Change happens only when vision meets action.
The world’s most urgent challenges deserve the world’s most effective solutions. The most audacious goals demand the most practical delivery.
There is no injustice on earth that cannot be solved by compassion and courage. We believe there is always a way, if we work together, no matter how big the challenge is.
We do not know every solution, but we are always on the ground, listening, learning, doing, and evolving. We are not just dreaming of a better world, we are building it.
Our DNA in action
-
Slow ideas
The New Yorker asked, "Why do some innovations spread so swiftly and others so slowly?"
In 1980... a Bangladeshi nonprofit... called BRAC decided to try to get oral rehydration therapy adopted nationwide... the campaign proved remarkably successful. [They] didn’t launch a mass-media campaign—only twenty per cent of the population had a radio, after all. It attacked the problem in a way that is routinely dismissed as impractical and inefficient: by going door to door, person by person, and just talking. -The New Yorker
-
“You cannot bypass the power of communities”
Erum Mariam explains why it is important to put children at the centre of education programmes and systems, how this builds ‘resilience,’ and what this buzzword means to her.
We believe that people in poverty can solve their own problems, we are simply there to assist them. We don’t use a ‘deficit lens’, we don’t see people who face poverty as being have-nots. Solutions, ideas, and competencies are within people themselves. -India Development Review
-
Ending extreme poverty is within reach. We can’t give up.
"If the mission is possible, we have the resources, and we know what works, why are we off track, and what should we do to achieve SDG1?" ask Shameran Abed from BRAC and Nobel economist Esther Duflo answer in this opinion article.
The global community must double down on doing much more of what we already know works. Global leaders need the political will to focus on proven approaches. By doing so, existing funding will go so much further in achieving progress. -Devex
