Positioning BRAC’s “Empowerment and Livelihoods for Adolescents” Program in Uganda’s Development Landscape

BRAC is a nonprofit development organization working to alleviate poverty by empowering the poor. Having started as a relief and rehabilitation organization in Bangladesh, BRAC (Bangladesh Rehabilitation Advancement Committee) has expanded its programs and activities to include microfinance, agriculture, gender equality, community development, human rights, health and adolescent development. BRAC has recently begun their work in a number of countries in Africa. In this project, a SIPA team was working with BRAC USA, an affilicate of BRAC, to assess their largest program in Uganda, ELA (Empowerement and Livelihoods for Adolescents). This program was designed to provide life-skills training, financial literacy and microloans to young girls in Uganda to help increase their social and economic opportunities. Through two field visits and interviews with key stakeholders, the team provided specific recommendations to help strenghthen the program and position BRAC and ELA as the leading organization in girls' empowerement.