By Lyndah W. Kiruhi and Tahjib Shamsuddin Kolpo
Investing in the Power of Hope is a film serving as a testament to BRAC’s belief – that with the right resources and opportunities, women living in poverty can transform their lives, families and communities.
The film features four incredible women who have overcome stigma, inequality and lack of formal education, and built livelihoods that support themselves and their families.
Sokhina, a single mother from Bangladesh, invested in her farm and saved enough to provide her daughter with an education that she never received herself. Mary Nalugonda from Uganda survived HIV, overcame stigma and continues to use her story and position to help others in her community; Victoria Gilbert from Tanzania, invested in her tailoring business and built her dream home and Vexter Doe from Liberia, has built a successful business from a small tea shop she opened when she was 18.
Though worlds apart, they share the same kind of hope, courage and infinite potential.
Impact is the only bottom line
Our work is solely centred on bringing positive changes in the lives of our clients. We adhere to Universal Standards for Social Performance Management and the Client Protection Principles, to ensure that the benefit and welfare of our clients are at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make.
In the past four years, we have continued our journey to becoming more client-centric and impact-focused and played a leadership role by advocating for and demonstrating the impact of client-centric, responsible microfinance. BRAC was also one of the founding partners of the inaugural 2021-22 Microfinance Index by 60dB – the world’s first microfinance social performance report based entirely on the client’s perspective. With impact as our only bottom line, we continuously ask ourselves what more we can do to meaningfully increase our clients’ financial resilience and economic empowerment.
Learning by doing and solving problems with people and communities
Our approach to solving problems is by working with the people and communities we serve to identify how our interventions can have the most impact. We utilise the feedback from our clients to develop products and services that best meet their needs. With our roots in the global south coupled with our commitment to continuous learning, we have a depth of experience and evidence that enables us to meet the needs of diverse communities with humility and courage.
Our impact is driven by the dedication of our staff members, those who work closest with our clients. The BRAC family is built on respect and care for one another, and each person gets the resources and support to grow and fulfil their potential. This care cascades down to how our staff members interact with clients.
Access to financial services for women is critical to building an equitable world
BRAC is founded on the conviction that gender equality is a prerequisite for the realisation of the vision of a world free of all forms of exploitation and discrimination.
Financially empowering women is critical for the long-term prosperity, growth and stability of our communities. When women have access to financial resources and services, they invest in businesses and livelihoods that increase their income and savings, reducing poverty and increasing their resilience to shocks and emergencies. But millions of women across the world still do not have access to responsible financial services, hindering them from opportunities to realise their dreams and aspirations.
Imagine a world where every woman has the opportunity to unlock her full potential and create a better life for herself and her family. This is not just a dream, it’s a reality that we can make happen, by putting women’s financial futures in their own hands. By partnering with women, we are building a world where everyone has the opportunity to realise their potential.
BRAC International Microfinance
BRAC first expanded its microfinance operations internationally in 2002 and now operates in six countries outside of Bangladesh – Myanmar, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Together, these six entities serve nearly 740,000 clients, 96% of whom are women.
For more information please visit – https://bracinternational.org/microfinance/
Author bio
Lyndah W. Kiruhi is the Communications Associate, BRAC International Holdings B.V. and Tahjib Shamsuddin Kolpo is the Senior Communications Manager, BRAC International Holdings B.V.
