Basic Unit for Resources and Opportunities of Bangladesh (BURO)

For over three decades, BURO Bangladesh has implemented a holistic development approach that addresses the interconnected challenges faced by the country’s poorest and most underserved communities. While Bangladesh holds immense potential, deep inequalities, climate vulnerability, and barriers to essential services continue to affect millions. Families struggle with inadequate healthcare, unsafe water and sanitation, food insecurity, insecure housing, limited employment, and minimal financial protection. BURO works at the intersection of these challenges, delivering integrated, practical solutions grounded in compassion, innovation, and community realities. What makes BURO’s model transformative is its focus on long-term, sustainable change rooted in community participation, women’s empowerment, and economic independence. Rather than offering one-time assistance, BURO invests in people’s capabilities so they can move out of poverty permanently.

Founded in 1990 as a small initiative with a bold vision of a fairer and more equitable Bangladesh, BURO has grown into one of the country’s largest and most respected development organizations. Known for transparency, accountability, and community trust, BURO now operates more than 1,500 branches across all districts, reaching over 3 million people. These branches function as lifelines—providing financial services, healthcare, agricultural training, disaster support, and pathways to social inclusion. Whether through a village savings group, a health worker’s home visit, a digital literacy app, or a loan enabling a woman to start a business, BURO’s presence is woven into everyday resilience.

Financial inclusion lies at the heart of BURO’s mission. Access to affordable and reliable financial services is a key driver of long-term poverty reduction, yet traditional banking remains inaccessible to many low-income households. BURO bridges this gap through flexible, inclusive microfinance services tailored to real-life needs. Its offerings include savings schemes, microloans, agricultural and business loans, and emergency support. The general savings product encourages families to build financial safety nets, while microcredit has enabled millions of women to expand income, educate their children, and achieve independence. Beyond capital, these services build confidence, agency, and resilience. BURO’s commitment to ethical finance is exemplified by its Customer Security Fund. In the event of a borrower’s or guarantor’s death, BURO waives outstanding loans, provides funeral support, and returns savings to nominees. This compassionate mechanism prevents families from falling into debt traps, preserves dignity during crises, and sets a benchmark for responsible microfinance. Agriculture is another cornerstone of BURO’s work. Smallholder farmers face climate change, low productivity, and limited market access. BURO supports them through agricultural loans, technical training, crop diversification, and livestock and fisheries programs. With support from Bangladesh Bank and JICA, BURO reaches over one million farmers annually, promoting climate-smart practices that increase yields, improve food security, and strengthen resilience against floods and droughts. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs address critical public health challenges, particularly affecting women and children. BURO provides affordable WASH loans, infrastructure support, and health education to help families install latrines, tubewells, and water filters. Large-scale projects have trained thousands of staff and improved access to safe WASH facilities for nearly one million people. By combining finance with behavior-change education, BURO ensures long-term sustainability. Healthcare access remains limited for many low-income families. Through the BURO Healthcare Foundation and community-based programs, BURO brings essential services directly to households. Trained community health educators provide guidance on hygiene, nutrition, maternal and child health, immunization, and early disease detection. The Basic Health Education Program has reached over 1.6 million people across 20 districts. Initiatives such as WE CARE strengthen maternal, newborn, and adolescent health through women-led community health systems, improving outcomes while empowering local women. Digital inclusion is a growing pillar of BURO’s strategy. As technology becomes essential for economic participation, BURO invests in digital literacy for women, youth, and rural families. Training covers mobile use, digital payments, online banking, and access to health and education services. BURO’s Shastho Shikkha Barta app delivers health education via smartphones, while digital financial services enable safer transactions and remittance notifications. These efforts help families participate in the digital economy and access modern services.

Remittance management is another critical area of impact. BURO facilitates secure, fast, and affordable remittance distribution through its nationwide network. To date, it has delivered over BDT 61 billion through more than 1.6 million transactions. Complementary financial literacy training helps migrant families budget, save, and invest productively. The SHAFAL program further strengthens household resilience and supports women managing finances while family members work abroad. Women’s empowerment is embedded across all BURO programs. Women comprise the majority of clients, field staff, and community leaders. Models such as Community Health Entrepreneurs create income opportunities while positioning women as trusted agents of change. BURO Craft further supports rural women by transforming natural fibers into marketable handicrafts, combining environmental sustainability with income generation. Disaster preparedness is vital in a country prone to floods and cyclones. BURO’s disaster management programs include awareness, emergency relief, rehabilitation, and livelihood recovery support. Its extensive branch network enables rapid response and long-term rebuilding, reducing the lasting impacts of climate-related crises. Strong governance underpins BURO’s work. With a 21-member General Board, a 7-member Governing Body, and over 16,000 trained staff, BURO maintains rigorous accountability. Continuous training, digital monitoring tools, and 13 training centers ensure program quality, innovation, and responsiveness. Education support completes BURO’s integrated model. Scholarships for academically gifted but disadvantaged students reduce dropout rates and open pathways to opportunity, helping break intergenerational poverty.

BURO Bangladesh’s integrated approach addresses poverty as a complex, interconnected challenge. Financial services strengthen livelihoods; livelihoods improve health; health boosts productivity; education expands opportunity; and digital access connects families to the future. Together, these interventions create a powerful cycle of resilience, dignity, and sustainable transformation for individuals, families, and communities.