BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative
MLC VANGUARD | Created by BRAC
The Graduation approach is a comprehensive, time-bound and sequenced set of interventions designed to graduate households from extreme poverty into sustainable livelihoods. Pioneered by BRAC in 2002, it has been scaled in Bangladesh to more than 2 million households (approximately 7 million people).
2,100,000 Lives Impacted
The need to combat extreme poverty and drive systemic change has never been more urgent. It has created a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions putting millions of the world’s poorest at risk of being left behind without resources to overcome the shock. We work to support those stuck in a poverty trap by providing a pathway out through our Graduation programs.
Graduation — an approach we invented in 2002 — is designed to meet the complex and interconnected needs of this hard-to-reach population. Breaking the cycle of extreme poverty requires a holistic approach. Through a set of carefully sequenced steps, participants graduate from a state of severe destitution to a level where they can maintain sustainable livelihoods with dignity. We are working to break the cycle of extreme poverty through increased integration of our Graduation program. By scaling our proven intervention through government adoption, accelerating the rate of change and lifting 4.6 million households, over 21 million people, out of extreme poverty over the next six years.
The Innovation
The Graduation approach is a proven, well-researched, replicable, and scalable integrated development approach to address the needs of the global poor. Graduation applies a holistic approach to meet participants’ unique needs, providing them with a livelihood, skills training, financial services, and mentorship and coaching on social and health issues. Graduation is proven to contribute to long-term gains for participants, including an increase in income, savings, consumption, and confidence years after the programs ends, which has led to additional improvements within the household and community.
Over time, as we have continued to refine our approach, we’ve realized there are four core pillars, regardless of geographic and community context, that are fundamental to implementing Graduation successfully: 1) meeting basic needs; 2) income generation; 3) Finance support and savings; and 4) social empowerment.
About BRAC
BRAC is a leading international nonprofit with a mission to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice. We design proven, scalable solutions that equip people with the support, skills, and confidence they need to lift themselves out of poverty and achieve their potential. BRAC envisions a world free from all forms of exploitation and discrimination, where everyone has the opportunity to realize their potential. Our approach is grounded in the conviction that people living in poverty can be agents of change if they are empowered with the tools, skills, and hope they need to change their lives.
Implemented in
BRAC’s innovation has been implemented in:
14 countries across Africa and Asia
