“This story will go on and inspire many people.”
The room was a sea of deadpan expressions begging an answer to the question, “Why are we here?” We were at the BRAC Learning Center, the night before our training started, with 32 members of BRAC, coming from all corners of Uganda (one woman travelled 9 hours by bus), Bangladesh and the USA. After the training was completed, Ann, one of the Ugandan participants, explained to me what they were thinking that night, “Everyone was confused. We didn’t understand why we would have a training on storytelling. It was so different more »
How to Create a Culture of Storytelling
Too many people believe that poverty is caused by a lack of money. But BRAC knows better. As the world’s largest development organization, changing the lives of 125 million people around the world, they know that poverty is sustained by a lack of opportunity, not money. We first saw their work in action 2 years ago in the villages of Bangladesh, where we heard unbelievable stories of women rising up and demanding change. They were preventing child marriages. Confronting corruption. Refusing to accept domestic violence. Insisting on political representation- heck, even more »
Tips for Storytelling
Yesterday, we talked about the questions you should ask before you begin storytelling. Today we are going to dive into how to use some of the strategies we suggested as well as some other tips to keep in mind. 1. Go Light On the Stats- Statistics demonstrating large-scale problems are virtually meaningless to the human mind. We cannot comprehend such numbers, so we cannot connect to them. If you want to use a statistic, find a unique way to help your audience visualize it. 2. Tell the Stories of Individuals- more »
Poor People’s Freedom Club
Today is the launch of the final video in the Courage in the Heart storytelling series which shows how BRAC is creating cataclysmic change in Bangladesh by empowering women to be aware of their rights and organize to address social issues. Our final story is Selena’s. Her father wanted her to get married when she was 13 but her mother enlisted the support of the BRAC Citizen Action Group. A group of twelve women approached her husband and informed him that if he tried to go through with the marriage, more »
Jahanara’s Story
Today is the launch of Jahanara’s story on Courage in the Heart, the online storytelling platform that we developed for BRAC. Jahanara is an incredible woman with an unstoppable drive to make a positive difference in her community. After wanting to do something more than be a housewife she received training to be a BRAC school teacher (BRAC schools have graduated over 4 million people in Bangladesh, 70% of whom are girls). During this time she became involved in BRAC Citizen Action Groups which are spaces for women to mobilize more »
Anzuma’s Story
In this photo: Nasima, Anzuma’s daughter. Today Anzuma’s story premieres on Courage in the Heart. Anzuma is an incredibly strong mother who has lead her family through a lot in the past few years. Her daughter Nasima got married at 12 and quickly became pregnant. After having her second child, she started acting noticeably different. After a tumultuous waiting period because they did not have money for medical care, they finally learned that Nasima had a brain tumor. Nasima’s husband immediately abandoned her and her two children and Anzuma is more »
Courage in the Heart Launches!
This past summer, I traveled to Bangladesh for nine weeks with Patricia Schneidewind and Ethan Goldwater to document BRAC, the world’s largest development organization’s social justice initiatives. Today, on the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day we are launching Courage in the Heart, an online storytelling platform featuring the stories of 12 women who are radically changing the consensus about the value of women by organizing to demand their rights. Visit the site here: www.brac.net/courageintheheart Mussamat struck us with her beauty from the moment we saw her. She greeted us more »
Courage in the Heart Storytelling Platform Goes Live on International Women’s Day
Courage in the Heart Launches March 8th Tweet
