BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative

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The Government of #Rwanda has launched a nationwide rollout of training sessions for parasocial workers (PSWs) and local government staff from the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) as a next step in implementing the National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation. So far, 10,708 staff and parasocial workers, 62% of the total target, have been trained across 18 districts in Rwanda. The training provided staff with an overview of the #Graduation approach, including coaching. They are also trained on conducting home and group visits to coach Graduation participants, guiding them to make graduation plans, conducting needs assessment, life skills training, linkages to government entitlements, and other key introductory sessions to support the implementation of the Rwanda National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation out of #poverty. The training sessions also introduced peer learning networks to all PSWs to support their ongoing learning once they start working with Graduation participants. This initiative aims to train 17,300 PSWs and local government staff by March 2025, with this week’s round bringing in nearly 1,932 more participants across the Rutsiro, Kicukiro, Muhanga and Ruhango districts. This is a critical development from the Government of Rwanda, supporting frontline workers to drive sustainable poverty reduction efforts and empower local communities. BRAC International looks forward to continuing to provide support to these ongoing trainings and the Government of Rwanda’s National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation.

Reflections on the 2025 South-South Learning Forum (SSLF) in Rwanda Attending the 2025 South-South Learning Forum in Kigali recently was truly an enriching experience. The core focus on economic inclusion strategies to improve livelihoods for those living in poverty resonated deeply with our work on the Generating Better Livelihoods for Grant Recipients project in South Africa, a partnership between FinMark Trust, BRAC International, the Department of Social Development and its agencies, the South African Social Security Agency and the National Development Agency RSA. We gained valuable insights into practical approaches that can be adapted to different contexts from the sessions on scaling programmes, youth employment, women's empowerment, and climate resilience. The country case studies and the field visit to Rwandan programmes afforded us the opportunity to witness the impact of these interventions, which highlights how innovative models can change circumstances for vulnerable communities - learnings that can inform our efforts back home. ? One of the key takeaways was the importance of cross-sector collaboration in ensuring the sustainability of economic inclusion initiatives. Our discussions reinforced the importance and need to bridge social protection and economic empowerment, a priority in our work with grant recipients. ? We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to have engaged with policymakers, practitioners, and experts from across the globe, with special acknowledgement and gratitude to the Government of Rwanda, BRAC International and the Partnership for Economic Inclusion, The World Bank, and all the partners involved for curating such a meaningful platform for knowledge exchange. We look forward to exploring how these learnings can enhance economic opportunities for grant recipients in South Africa.

Last week I had the privilege of witnessing the culmination of many months of work across dozens of countries and a close partnership btw BRAC International and the Partnership for Economic Inclusion in Kigali for The World Bank’s South South Learning Forum (SSLF) which convened 270+ senior & technical policymakers from 60+ countries to share lessons on “Economic Inclusion: Scaling up Pathways to Better Jobs for the Poor.” I am forever a believer in this kind of peer to peer exchange and learning - it is simply #catalytic. I can't wait to see how the seeds that were planted in lunches between delegations, a BRAC multinational exchange side event with many government partners, and some oversubscribed conversations on #coaching might lead to real #impact through large scale, government-led #Graduation programs in the coming months and years. Hopefully this is only the beginning with quite a few of these governments. Thank you so much to each one of you who was involved (and will be involved!). Victoria Strokova Iffath Sharif Janet Heisey Shameran Abed Maxwell Gollin Shweta Banerjee Himanshu Pahwa Endegena Ashenafi Stephanie Brockerhoff Jean Claude Muhire Olushola Afolayan Christophe NDAHIMANA Rozina Haque

Once stateless, Achai Aleu Monica, a single mother living in a Ugandan settlement still saw lights of hope. Read how she found a support network in her community and built herself up as an entrepreneur. Find her story here: https://lnkd.in/gh96gbXi

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the #Philippines has initiated the rollout of the Graduation approach within their livelihood program, following its MoU with BRAC International signed in 2023 to support this effort. This rollout builds on the success of a pilot that supported participants of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which was run in partnership with DOLE, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and BRAC International. The pilot demonstrated success in household participants meeting key benchmarks and illustrated their readiness to graduate from the program and continue on their pathway out of poverty. By the end of September 2020, 71% of household participants had reached key criteria in the Graduation approach, including social protection, livelihoods promotion, financial inclusion, and social empowerment. We applaud the leadership from DOLE, Government of the Philippines in rolling out the Graduation approach through their DOLE Integrated Livelihoods Program (DILP) to 4 target regions in the Philippines to effectively deliver holistic interventions and other support initiatives that promote convergence and complementation of services and resources towards more impactful poverty reduction and effective social protection programs and policies. Stay tuned for more updates from this initiative! Philippine Department of Labor and Employment

We are excited to announce a partnership between our operations in the Philippines and Innovations for Poverty Action for collaborative research and capacity building focused on scaling the Graduation approach in the Philippines. We aim to partner on research activities to support evidence generation on scaling the Graduation approach with governments, designing and testing program adaptations, and resource and information sharing to support scaling efforts. We look forward to this collaboration and partnership in growing our evidence base and learning as we scale the Graduation approach!

In Indonesia’s continued pursuit to tackle extreme poverty, government leaders in #WestJava province have launched a 12-month program to support households to strengthen housing and livelihood options for marginalized populations. Bey Triadi Machmudin,?Acting Governor of West Java Province, shared that he hopes?the homeless and jobless?participants gain skills to be put on a path out of extreme poverty through the #urbanpoverty alleviation programme. Livelihood training for participants would include marketing training, entrepreneurship training, animal husbandry training, etc., to meet their business interests. “What’s built must be maintained and optimized, yielding better livelihoods, employment, income, and education for future generations,” said?Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Maruarar Sirait, the Minister of Public Housing and Residential Areas said the programme demonstrates collaborative efforts toward affordable quality housing while also providing training to foster economic independence. “This [effort] aligns with the President’s vision: providing affordable, quality housing for marginalized communities,” said?Tito Karnavian,?Minister of Home Affairs. We look forward to sharing more updates from this programme in West Java Province, #Indonesia. Abdurrahman Syebubakar, Puji Dwi Antono

Great to host Maxwell Gollin and Angela Bwengi from BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative at our Village Enterprise Nairobi office! Alongside my colleague John Ochieng, we had a fantastic discussion on our shared mission to end extreme poverty and support governments worldwide in scaling Graduation. It was inspiring to exchange updates on our work and explore ways to deepen our collaboration. BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative and Village Enterprise have built a strong partnership over the years, and we look forward to continued efforts to drive sustainable change for communities across Africa. Always exciting to connect with like-minded partners working to make a lasting impact! #PovertyGraduation #PartnershipsForImpact #EndExtremePoverty #Village Enterprise #BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative

When girls and young women are equipped with skills and tools they need, they become architects of change – that is what the evidence shows! Read their stories of change here ?? https://lnkd.in/g-HW9fRY