BRAC plans 10 lakh jobs, legal aid for over 1 lakh women in 5 years
BRAC has announced plans to create at least 10 lakh jobs and provide legal assistance to more than one lakh women in Bangladesh over the next five years.
The targets were outlined during the launch of its 2025 annual report at the BRAC Centre in Dhaka today.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Senior officials said the organisation, founded during Bangladesh’s Liberation War, was focusing on employment generation, education support, women’s legal services and climate resilience as part of its next phase of work.
Executive Director Asif Saleh said BRAC aimed to create 10 lakh employment opportunities through skills development and entrepreneurship programmes.
He also said the organisation planned to support learning recovery for 19 lakh students and expand its network of “academies” from eight to 80 institutions.
On women’s empowerment, he said BRAC would expand legal aid services through 268 legal aid clinics, with an estimated 25,000 women expected to receive assistance annually over the next five years. Besides, special emphasis will be placed on 20 vulnerable districts to address climate change, along with strengthening crop insurance for farmers under the microfinance programme, he added.
Senior Director (Advocacy, Communications and Engagement) KAM Morshed said accountability to citizens remained central to BRAC’s work, adding that its annual report was a key part of that process.
MEAL, Risk Management, Safeguarding and Social Compliance Director AFM Shahidur Rahman said one in every seven citizens of Bangladesh receives BRAC's services in some capacity.
He further added that 3.12 lakh families had been lifted out of extreme poverty in the past five years under its “Ultra-Poor Graduation” programme, making around 11 lakh people self-reliant.
He also said that the average monthly income of participating households had increased more than fourfold, while in the health sector, 21 lakh mothers had received safe delivery services during the period.
According to BRAC’s annual report, around 2.6 crore people received some form of support from the organisation in 2025, including 1.9 crore women. It also claimed 17 percent reduction in institutional carbon emissions compared to 2019.
The organisation also said it was increasingly funding its operations through returns from social enterprises, reducing reliance on foreign donations.
Samakal Editor Shahed Mohammad Ali, Prothom Alo Executive Editor Sajjad Sharif, and Dhaka Tribune Editor Reaz Ahmad delivered the concluding remarks at the event.
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