Ian Smillie is a Canadian with a distinguished career in international development. In 2003, he received the Order of Canada. He has written Freedom from Want: The Remarkable Success Story of BRAC, the Global Grassroots Organization That’s Winning the Fight Against Poverty, the best single-volume account available of BRAC, a remarkable organization. Known universally by this acronym, the organization has gone through several name changes. It started out in 1972 as the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee.
Most readers need, I suspect, some background to appreciate why those involved in development work are in awe of BRAC’s accomplishments.
In terms of population, Bangladesh is a major country: it now ranks seventh, having overtaken Russia and Nigeria in the last decade. The only countries more populous are China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil and Pakistan. In terms of influence, it is insignificant. What little the world...
John Richards is a former member of the Saskatchewan legislature and a professor of public policy program at Simon Fraser University, in Vancouver.
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