South Africa

Scaling the Graduation Approach through Government

Scaling a proven pathway out of poverty in partnership with the Government of South Africa

The Graduation approach is a proven way to help people graduate out of extreme poverty. We work with people who face the biggest barriers to overcoming it. This includes women, people with disabilities, and families living in rural areas.

Graduation is a step-by-step programme that helps people build sustainable livelihoods. Each participant gets support to meet basic needs and receives a productive asset. Assets could be livestock or inventory to start a small business. They also get coaching to build confidence, know-how, and hope.

In South Africa, BRAC partners with FinMark Trust to support three government partners: the Department of Social Development, the South African Social Security Agency, and the National Development Agency. Together, we are running the ‘Generating Better Livelihoods’ project. It helps unemployed social grant recipients find economic and livelihood opportunities.

The project is piloting the Graduation programme over three years across three provinces. It reaches 5,000 families in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, and Gauteng. The goal is to build a stronger system of economic support that can grow through government leadership. It will help reduce poverty and inequality across the country.

The Graduation approach was first developed in Bangladesh in 2002. Today, over 100 organisations in nearly 50 countries use it. Through this initiative, BRAC hopes to help 21 million people escape extreme poverty by 2030—including 4.6 million families by 2026.