Brac’s graduation model assists ultra-poor to overcome poverty

The ultra-poor families living in the humanitarian context after the Rohingya influx in Cox's Bazar gained economic growth through multifaceted support from the Ultra-Poor Graduation Programme, a Brac research says.

The participating families continue to achieve socio-economic progress at a rate of 96%, it added. 

Narayan C Das, associate professor and senior research fellow at the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University, presented the findings of research on the UPG programme at an event in a Cox's Bazar hotel on Tuesday, said a press release. 

A total of 2,000 members from ultra-poor families participated in this pilot initiative. Brac and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) implemented the one-year market linkage pilot.

During this time period, they have made significant growth in earnings, savings, wealth, and food security, according to the findings. 

Imran Matin, executive director of BIGD, observed that there is a lack of solid data and evidence-based work in humanitarian contexts worldwide. Brac's research sets a significant example in this regard.

Palash K Das, director of the Ultra-Poor Graduation programme at Brac, said the project had a two-fold objective: to increase the bargaining opportunities for the ultra-poor with market actors and to widen the scope for marketing the commodities they have produced.

He further said since the participants of the pilot project had very limited assets, they could not benefit much by operating individually in the market. Instead, they benefited more by moving into the market as a group, both for purchasing raw materials and selling their products. 

The project, in addition to organising various training programmes to improve market management capacity, also linked the participants with raw material sellers and product buyers. 

Md Nasim Ahmed, additional deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar, stated that the government has undertaken a number of poverty eradication and social protection programmes for people living in poverty across the country.

Subrata Kumar Chakrabarty, livelihood and economic inclusion officer at UNHCR, recommended that future poverty eradication programmes should include market linkage aspects in their activities.

Quoting the beneficiaries of the project, Farzana Zahid, senior development advisor (Rohingya response) at the High Commission of Canada, said, "After their economic conditions have improved, they receive invitations from neighbours to attend social gatherings." 
Robert Stoelman, interim head of the Sub Office at UNDP, observed that the UPG programme has helped improve the lives and livelihoods of ultra-poor families, which in turn improves their social status.