This document provides information about a study abroad program in Bangladesh in winter 2008, including background on Bangladesh's history and current demographics. It discusses Bangladesh's progress toward achieving the UN's Millennium Development Goals through various microfinance organizations like BRAC, Grameen Bank, and ASA that provide loans and education to empower people, especially women, to lift themselves out of poverty. Photos illustrate examples of their work and impacts.

1. Study Abroad in Bangladesh
Winter 2008
UN Millennium Development Goals and Microfinance
Julia Byeseda

2. History
Under British colonial rule
until 1947
1947: Bengal was split along
religious lines between the new
independent nations of Pakistan
and India
1971: Liberation of Bangladesh as
an independent nation
1974: Great Famine
Today: more than half the nation
lives on less than $1/day, and ¼ of This is the National Martyrs Memorial
households are food insecure
which is dedicated to the sacred memory of
(WHO, 2007)
the millions of unknown martyrs of the war
of liberation

3. People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Current Population: 156,050,883
Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1%
Life Expectancy: male: 57.57, female: 63.03
Literacy Rates: male: 53.9% , female: 31.8%
Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea
processing, paper newsprint, cement, sugar
This picture of mustard seed crop was taken
somewhere in between Dhaka and Bogra

4. Flag of Bangladesh
Despite adversity, Bangladesh is ranked
as one of the happiest nations in the
world. These children were begging
outside of Parharpur.

5. Millennium Development Goal 1
These children were photographed outside of Parhapur. The boy on the
right is severely underweight at 13 months old.
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

6. Millennium Development Goal 2
This picture was taken outside of a BRAC funded
primary schoolhouse in a village in Sreepur. 70% of the
students were female, 30% were male ages 8-10. The
dropout rate in BRAC funded primary schools is
zero, and the government pays families in
cash, rice, and vegetables to keep girls in school
through 12th grade.
Achieve universal primary education

7. Millennium Development Goal 3
Promote gender equality and empower women
This photo was taken at a BRAC meeting in which loan payments were being collected. A
healthcare worker attended the meeting and was selling medicines for common diseases such
as the common cold and diarrhea, birth control pills, skin ointment for fungal diseases, and
vitamins. These medicines are sold at a very small cost. The women holding the baby in this
photo came late to the meeting because she was getting her baby a polio vaccination in a
nearby village. The day this photo was taken on January 3, 2009 was a National Immunization
Day in Bangladesh in which free immunizations are distributed.

8. Millennium Development Goal 4
Reduce child mortality
This photo was taken in Kalampur Tamrai Village at a health sanitation village meeting. The
village worker is trained by BRAC and travels to 4 villages a day to give one hour lectures on
family planning, breastfeeding and the importance of colostrum, prenatal care and dangerous
warning signs to look for during pregnancy, and the benefits of having only 2 children. The
infant in the picture was showing early signs of blindness due to Vitamin A deficiency.

9. Millennium
Development
Goal 5
Improve maternal
health
This photo was taken at a BRAC funded health clinic in a village in Sreepur in which a health worker
visits once a month to examine pregnant women. The services performed are minimal including
height and weight checks, diabetes testing and breast exams; however, the worker is trained to
determine warning signs that a woman needs to visit a hospital. 88% of women in Bangladesh give
birth at home. At the present time there were 19 pregnant women in this village This woman in
yellow, Salema, was 9 months pregnant and recently diagnosed with tuberculosis.

10. Millennium
Development
• Combat HIV/AIDS,
Goal 6
malaria and other
diseases
Combat
HIV/AIDS, malaria
and other
This boy was diagnosed with arsenicosis, a
progressive and fatal illness caused by
diseases
drinking water rich in arsenic, a common
problem in Bangladesh.

11. Millennium Development Goals 7 & 8
Develop a Global
Partnership for
Ensure environmental Development
sustainability
The main partners that the
Government of Bangladesh
As of January 2002, the
recognizes as partners in the health
government of Bangladesh has
and child welfare of the country are
outlawed the production and use of
WHO, USAID, DFID, SIDA, Royal
plastic bags.
Government of Netherlands, Rotary
International, ICDDR, NGO Services
Delivery Program (NDSP), and BRAC.

12. Microfinance in Bangladesh
“Poor people are poor because they are powerless”
Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder of BRAC
Programs such as ASA, BRAC, and Grameen Bank offer microcredit to the poorest women in
Bangladesh and transform their lives by giving them the opportunity to create income
generating activities.

13. Microfinance in Bangladesh
The microfinance industry in Bangladesh currently provides access to credit to around
13 million poor households (World Bank, 2008)
Each year, 5% of households in Bangladesh lift themselves out of poverty with access
to micro-credit loans (Yunus, 2004)
Among borrowers, extreme poverty (defined by consumption of less than 80% of the
minimum requirement stipulated by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the
United Nations) declined by more than 70% within five years of taking out a
microcredit loan (Khankder, 2005)
This photo was taken in a village in Bogra at an ASA village loan repayment meeting

14. ASA
Mission: To reduce poverty from society gradually
Ranked by Forbes Magazine Survey as the #1 MFI (microfinance institution) globally
Since 1992: Self reliant using the globally recognized ASA Cost-effective
Sustainable Microfinance Model

15. ASA
ASA
70% of borrowers are female
Recovery rate: 99.48% at 12.5% interest rate (ASA, 2008)
Small Loan Program (Male): usually small and marginal farmers
Small Business Loan Program: graduated women members who already have proved
themselves successful and reliant
Small Entrepreneur Lending Program: large loans to help small businesses grow and
create jobs for the extremely poor
ASA has reached 5.06 million families in Bangladesh in 72.204 villages

16. ASA 2007 Impact Assessment
87.29% of members 83.52% of members report 80.16% of members in 2007
increased income through literacy rate has improved were using sanitary
IGA’s (Income generating latrines, an increase from
96% of members in 2007
activities) 60.23% in 2005
were taking in fresh water
41.41% of members live
86.72% of members 88.88% of members report to in a thatched house in
report the quality of food have created employment 2007, an increase from
in household increased for non-members 23.18% in 2005

17. BRAC
(Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee)
Largest NGO in the world, founded in Bangladesh in 1972
These photos were taken in a village in Sreepur. A village worker is teaching a legal rights education class to
a group of BRAC members. The photo on the left is a picture of the three common religions in Bangladesh,
Muslim, Hindu, and Christian, and the women are learning about freedom of religion in Bangladesh. BRAC
classes use picture books to teach members because of the high illiteracy rate in the country.

18. BRAC
(Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee)
Holistic approach to poverty alleviation: microfinance, education, health education
and clinics, human rights and legal services, and environmental efficiency
These photos were taken at a BRAC school house in a village in Sreepur. The children sang “We shall
overcome” and danced for us. So we taught them the chicken dance and the hokey pokey.

19. BRAC
(Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee)
This photo was taken in a village in Sreepur. The boys were just released from school and were
watching their mothers participate in a legal rights education class from a BRAC village worker.

20. BRAC Key Achievements 2007
MICROFINANCE
7 million members, distributed 917 million USD, interest rate 12.5%
DISASTER RELIEF
Distributed emergency relief, food and clothing, and medical care to
180,000+ families in November 2007 after Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh
TARGETING THE ULTRA POOR:
Includes beggars and homeless, 132,500 members create income
generating activities such as investing in a chicken or goat
HEALTH AND SANITATION
Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) Program & Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Program—workers teach classes to members in the village using picture books

21. BRAC Key Achievements 2007
HUMAN RIGHTS AND LEGAL EDUCATION
Provided legal education to 3.4 million women to date
EDUCATION
1.55 million children enrolled in 20,140 pre-primary and 32,000 primary
schools from which 6.1 million children have already graduated
BRAC ENTERPRISES
Aarong (buys goods from local villagers at fair price and sells them in the city), BRAC Dairy (sells livestock
to poor villagers at fair price, buys the raw resources back from villagers, and then produces
milk and food products enriched with vitamins to sell back to villagers at fair price)
INTERNATIONAL
Established in Tanzania, Uganda, Southern Sudan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan

22. Grameen Bank
Founded by Professor Muhammad Yunus in 1974, and officially recognized as a bank in 1983
Operates as a bank, requiring members to have a savings account, buy shares in Grameen
Bank, and put money into a pension account
This photo was taken
in a village called
Baratia. This woman
used her loan to
purchase fabrics and
accessories to make
garments.
Gives microcredit loans to nearly 7 million people with no collateral, 97% women
58% of borrowers have lifted themselves out of poverty as of 2006
20% interest on basic loan, 5-8% interest on housing and education loans

23. Grameen Bank
“We are talking about a new kind of banking. It is about banking with people, about
prioritizing people ahead of money” Muhammad Yunus
This photo was taken in
Baratia at a Grameen
borrower meeting
100% of Grameen borrowers’ family members vote in every national election: the day we
arrived in Bangladesh was election day, and it was the first time in the history of the country
that the majority of voters were women
100% of Grameen children are in school
Grameen children receive education loans for higher education

24. Grameen Bank Beggar’s Program
“Charity has only one life, social business has endless life” Muhammad Yunus
Bank rules do not apply to the nearly 100,000 members
0% interest on a small loan of 1000 taka (about 7 USD)
Carry small merchandise such as snacks, toys for kids or household
items and go house to house selling them for a small profit
It is working—nearly 6,000 members have already stopped begging completely

25. “We can put poverty
into museums”
Muhammad Yunus

26. These two sisters were photographed outside
of an orphanage called Rays of Hope
Professor Yunus tells a story of a mother and
daughter, one illiterate and the other a
doctor. The only difference between the
two is that the latter was given the
opportunity to learn and realize the
existence of her potential.

27. I found this pile of bricks in the middle
of a village called Baratia. The picture
metaphorically speaks for itself.

28. Ways you can help
Visit Bangladesh! There are currently zero tourism dollars contributing to the GDP
DONATE
Rays of Hope-Bangladesh—www.Helpinghands-usa.org
ASA Foundation—contact Rachel McCullough-Sanden at rmsanden@asafdn.org
BRAC—http://www.brac.net/usa/donate_now.php
Grameen Foundation—http://www.grameenfoundation.org/
UNICEF—unicef.org