4 BRAC Annual Report 2011
Executive Director’s Statement
A spectrum of innovations Celebrations marked BRAC’s 40-year anniversary early in 2012, yet we have barely paused to catch our breath as we enter the organisation’s fifth decade. Our work continues apace: in Bangladesh, we are experimenting with new approaches to touch the lives of harder-to-reach populations to ensure that all have the chance to take advantage of this nation’s progress. In other parts of the world, from the rebuilt neighbourhoods of Haiti, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the savannas of South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, BRAC has become known for a bold and optimistic outlook that sees opportunity where others have seen only need. The pages that follow highlight BRAC’s achievements in 2011 under multifaceted programmes that address the many dimensions of poverty. We also tell the stories of those who have lifted themselves out of poverty. The catalyst in each case was BRAC, but their own hard work and initiative was the driver of lasting change. Stories like that of Momena, profiled on page 45, exemplify BRAC’s achievement in assisting marginalised people, catalysing change and helping to reduce extreme poverty. Here is a hardworking woman who never had the advantage of attending school. Ten years ago, she was barely