The Australian Agency for International Development has signed on to a new five-year partnership with the U.K. Department for International Development and Brac, a nongovernmental organization in Bangladesh that is said to be largest in the world.
Under the agreement signed Wednesday (June 13), AusAid will be contributing 180 million Australian dollars ($179 million) to the partnership. DfID has already committed 226 million pounds ($351 million) to the alliance.
The partners intend to use the money to help Bangladesh:
Provide primary education to 680,000 children.
Support 340,000 families in extreme poverty.
Provide 15 million couples contraceptive services.
Ensure 3 million women are assisted by skilled attendants during child delivery.
The agreement shows donors’ confidence in Brac, according to the Guardian. Andrew Mitchell, U.K. secretary of state for international development, said the NGO has proven it can deliver results and “value for money,” something the United Kingdom and several donors have been eyeing in this time of austerity.
Mitchell also said Brac has “robust financial management systems,” which helps it account for donor funds. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Bob Carr, meanwhile, said the NGO’s work is “literally changing lives.”
Both countries have funded Brac programs in the past.
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About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
