Crafting a Graduation Pathway for the Ultra Poor: Lessons and Evidence from a BRAC Programme

Publication Date: Mar 2008
Published by: BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED)
Document Type: Paper

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Can a grants-based approach create sustainable pathways out of ultra poverty?

This paper describes BRAC’s “Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction: Targeting Ultra Poor, Targeting Social Constraints (CFPR)” program that was started in 2002 to help ultra poor women improve their livelihoods by achieving positive economic, social and aspirational changes, enabling them to gain access to mainstream development services.

The paper argues that the ultra poor are not able to break free from poverty using available resources and mechanisms and that BRAC’s program was a success because it included the following factors:

• Coordination between research and program;
• Compassionate work force that took pride in its work;
• Private charity and patronage from local elite;
• Innovation in management;
• An asset-based approach that built self-reliance.