Where We Work

Bangladesh

< Training session at the BRAC field office
Bangladesh LAUNCHED 2006
  • VisionSpring works in partnership with BRAC, the world’s largest NGO
  • BRAC’s network blankets nearly 80% of Bangladeshi villages
  • 36% of the population lives below the poverty line
VisionSpring operates in Bangladesh through a valuable partnership with BRAC, the world’s largest non-governmental organization. VisionSpring works with BRAC’s extensive all-female network of Shastho Shebikas or community health workers in Bangladesh to sell eyeglasses utilizing our Business in a Bag. These workers are trained to recognize and treat the most common illnesses in the region as well as sell health products and reach nearly 80% of Bangladeshi villages.

BRAC's deep local infrastructure helps VisionSpring reach the rural poor, while VisionSpring's Business in a Bag provides critical additional income to BRAC's community health workers.

History of the Program

In 2006, Dr. Jordan Kassalow and Dr. Mushtaque Chowdhury, Deputy Executive Director of BRAC, were honored by Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management and the Center for Economic Self-Reliance with the Social Innovator of the Year Award for their partnership efforts. In January 2009, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to formally launch the process of scaling VisionSpring’s work throughout BRAC's network.

In the coming years, tens of thousands of Shastho Shebikas will be trained to distribute affordable reading glasses bringing broader access to vision care within the country and providing an important opportunity for VisionSpring to scale.