DukeEngage Interns Arrive at BRAC Bangladesh

Robert, Michela, John, Ann, Heather, Scott, Sam, Eric, Adam – these are our nine DukeEngage student interns. Some of them arrived as recently as two days ago, but their revving their engines, totally ready to go. Yesterday, we had a 7AM start, squeezed into two minivans and arrived in Manikgonj by 8:30AM. It was their first time seeing BRAC’s programs on the ground, and remembering how much I was in awe when I first saw BRAC in the flesh, it was fascinating to observe their initial reactions to the clients, the programs and the heat!

At the community health meeting, Michela asked me, are they here just for us? I had the same question when I saw a village organization meeting for the first time in November last year with Morgan Stanley folks. Some of the same questions that I had seeing BRAC for the first time, were voiced by the Duke kids: Did the meetings always run this smoothly? Did the women always stand up and recite the 18 promises by heart? Did the members always look you in the eye and display such confidence?

Some of the highlights of our visit to Manikgonj were talking with BRAC Primary School second graders, practicing a handful of Bengali phrases on the girls in a BRAC community library, and touring an Aarong production center at one of the Ayesha Abed Foundation locations. Over lunch, where my group tried to eat with their hands in true Bangladeshi fashion, Scott, Masa, Pushpita, Jean and I discussed the replication of BRAC’s model to Africa. Jean was interested in how BRAC trains its employees to execute its programs so well and how this is done in a different or in a similar way in Africa. Scott was swept away by the comprehensiveness of BRAC’s programs. The skeptic in him was quelled by seeing with his own eyes what appeared to be an effective, holistic model. He was curious as to why BRAC is the only organization of its kind to implement an integrated approach to poverty alleviation at a large scale. What’s the secret, he asked.

-Rachael Chong

Creative Giving: Is Bigger Better?

In the June 2 issue of Forbes magazine, David Armstrong writes about BRAC founder Dr. Fazle Abed and BRAC's accomplishments in Bangladesh and its mission in Africa:

Using market incentives, Fazle Hasan Abed built the largest antipoverty group in the world and helped pull Bangladesh out of the ashes. Now he wants to take on Africa.

Click here to read the full article.

Thanks, Peter!

The BRAC USA staff were privileged to be invited to see Peter Buffett in Concert and Conversation at The Paley Center for Media on April 21, 2008.

It was a special occasion for us, given that Peter and his wife Jennifer had recently returned from their trip to Bangladesh and India. They had a opportunity to visit BRAC's programs while in Bangladesh, and Peter was moved by the stories of bright young girls benefiting from BRAC's Adolescent programs . Using the images of the girls from his trip, Peter has created this moving video. The song 'Set Us Free' is from his upcoming album, "Imaginary Kingdom"(he also performed the song live at the Paley Center Concert)

Thanks Peter for such a beautiful and elegant portrayal of BRAC's Adolescent Girls program and how it unleashes trapped potential.