Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.
At least 400 million people worldwide live in ultra-poverty: a state of severe financial and social vulnerability that robs many of hope and dignity. At BRAC, an international development organization focused on fighting poverty, Shameran Abed and his team have developed a sustainable, multi-faceted program that has already helped millions lift themselves out of poverty and create lives full of possibility. Learn more about their audacious plan to partner with governments to bring this life-changing program to an additional 21 million people in the next six years. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED’s initiative to inspire and fund global change.)
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.
TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at
Bert Elishaw
September 24, 2020 at 4:13 am
Ok TED do we now need to do our own research to find more on Shameran Abed, How about a simple link in this post to link your viewers to this topic?
Abinash Tamrakar
September 24, 2020 at 4:20 am
God bless you and may your fathers soul rest in heavenly peace.
ShRed Vines
September 24, 2020 at 4:24 am
The key must be in sustaining, training and helping people help themselves. That is the only true answer. A charity approach is good for day 1, maybe day 90 but beyond short term, charity can hold people back from progress even when it’s well intended. Creating government dependence is unsustainable and it leads to the long term destruction of generations.
Aylbdr Madison
September 24, 2020 at 4:33 am
But charities help people get back on their feet. People who otherwise would have little to no chance of that. SAlso, charities help people who are incapacitated, like the elderly, handicapped and children. No one is saying you have to grow a heart all of a sudden and become charitable yourself, although that great big empty hole your life (where most people actually do have a heart) would be far4 more healthy and well balanced if you did.
ShRed Vines
September 24, 2020 at 4:43 am
@Aylbdr Madison Yes, I agree charities and some types of welfare are good – short term. And for those with disabilities – real disabilities, not faking it or purposely gaining weight to be disabled due to obesity, they should be helped. I give to many charities and have for most of my life, but only to those that really help people. Most charities are fronts and basically money laundering to make wealthy people more wealthy in a tax free manner (such as Clinton foundation) But there are some excellent charities out there, Primary Children’s Hospital is one where 100% of donations go to children and families of children in need of medical care or specialized medicine and treatment. My church gives 100% of donations to those in need and has many programs to help people get onto their feet – to get jobs, even when disabled in many cases. To do what they can and when what they can do isn’t enough, we assure they never go hungry. But the key is to help people help themselves, that is the long term strategy that works and creates the most joy in the lives of those you help.
nctten101
September 24, 2020 at 5:26 am
A brilliant TED talk.
krishnan srinivasan
September 24, 2020 at 6:09 am
Nice thought 🙂 Sorry for your loss . But what you are doing is incredible 🙂
haji Bhailok
September 24, 2020 at 6:53 am
Good work congratulations
How can I get more information on how to set up in others places
Kusum Manmothe
September 24, 2020 at 6:54 am
❤️
Aruna chalam
September 24, 2020 at 7:05 am
I think the way to end poverty is to have check on population expansion
Caz this name called “Growing population ” is a major hidden factor of all odds that we face in more recent decade ..
Kabir Khan
September 24, 2020 at 7:11 am
Fazle Abed has left a legacy💖 which persistently being multiplied 💚💚💚💚💚
krishna pavan
September 24, 2020 at 7:12 am
Great work there is no words to describe it. Once upon a time I am also poor kid and same like your father my uncle has brought me up to good standards.
hoi lam gi
September 24, 2020 at 8:18 am
0:12
Aykut
September 24, 2020 at 8:32 am
Someone should also teach them not to have kids in the amounts they do, when they should & with whom
Gruss aus Hameln
September 24, 2020 at 9:07 am
Hey buddy, at first educate yourself. Bangladesh has TFR=2.06 in 2017.
amirbahalegharn365
September 24, 2020 at 8:33 am
it -the world without ultra-poverty- wouldn’t be possible as long as there are ultra rich people…as long as education isn’t training children to plan&optimize their better future&visions instead of these mostly useless information they are tested regularly and scored on.
dew tew
September 24, 2020 at 8:49 am
I wonder what country did ending extreme poverty for the pass 30 years?
Benjamin de la Fontaine
September 24, 2020 at 9:18 am
“A greater future cannot occur if people are struggling under the yoke of poverty and oppression. Though poverty has always been with you and though oppression has always been in the world, these create an unnatural condition—a condition where the natural abilities, creativity and inspiration of people are suppressed and diminished…”
– from ‘The New Message for the Impoverished and Oppressed People of the World’ – *NewMessage-org*
Samuel Christian
September 24, 2020 at 10:21 am
The problem with poverty is that it’s taught to you – Robert Kiyosaki. If you want to stop poverty then start by including financial education in school, how to raise money and manage expenses.
Prateek Yadav
September 24, 2020 at 12:25 pm
No words are enough to praise… 💐👏👏👏🤝
emerald garvins
September 24, 2020 at 1:50 pm
THIS!!!! I LOVE IT. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR TEAM ON YOUR PROJECTS.
Siddarth
September 24, 2020 at 1:55 pm
Inspirational work 👌
TeddyTalks
September 24, 2020 at 2:26 pm
I bet you won’t subscribe too me 🙁
Shiva Kumar
September 24, 2020 at 3:08 pm
People cambined natural disaster
Saad Hossain
September 24, 2020 at 4:07 pm
just a middle finger for colonists agent abed chowdhury, the founder of brac………….
Ukor Jonathan
September 24, 2020 at 5:46 pm
Optimism thrives over despair. “
nuitNo.6
September 24, 2020 at 6:29 pm
Let me guess. Communism. Communism. Communism. Communism.
Dmitri Zaslavski
September 26, 2020 at 11:33 am
Actually no, it was strangely usefull speech.
nuitNo.6
September 26, 2020 at 3:58 pm
@Dmitri Zaslavski Ok, thanks.
Zeeshan Tufail
September 24, 2020 at 8:04 pm
I usually never comments but i must say Fanstastic idea with practical approach and success.
Excellent work
John Adams
September 25, 2020 at 1:43 am
The way he talks isn’t enjoyable to listen at all, distracts from the message
Dmitri Zaslavski
September 26, 2020 at 11:15 am
MB because he is not trained to sweet talk, as most of current people on TED are. Or you expected some other message and when you didn’t hear it. you found entire speech unenjoyable.
HareKrishna HareRama
September 25, 2020 at 4:14 am
May the force be with you!
Onanto Roy
September 25, 2020 at 10:33 am
Amazing!
User name
September 25, 2020 at 3:25 pm
Fun fact: Russia is the biggest country in the world and still has a smaller population then Bangladesh which is smaller then Texas
Dmitri Zaslavski
September 26, 2020 at 12:31 pm
Fun fact if all counties in the world had at most 10 times of human population density as in Russia, with current developement of the world there would be no poor.
Rahman Moshiur
September 25, 2020 at 4:24 pm
Best wishes for BRAC helping to reduce poverty globally.
Mauro RAELIANO
September 25, 2020 at 7:47 pm
ELOHIM EMBASSY ET DAY FOR THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST SUPER STAR ‼️ 👑↔️UFO… ET SCIENCE AND LOVE ❣️↔️🆕🆕🆕🆕🆕🆕🌏🆓🆓🆓🆓🆓🚺🚹❣️
Ashish Kinkar
September 26, 2020 at 4:11 am
I think people get influences from great nations initiatives, it will be anything, like space mission, then people show their interest in space, but they will be in the dark face of reality if a problem like you mentioned in not come on the front, let me give a very good example, Butan initiate the climate change issue in Paris in the year 2004, but nobody was influenced because it is just a small county and might they thought this as a stuff thing, but today if you look, the Bhutan is in limelight because of his early initiative towards the real problem, from this incident, I believe that your idea toward the poverty elimination will never go waste, till that, just struggle for right and struggle for right.
Many Wishes from India!
Muntaha Faiaaz
September 26, 2020 at 9:33 am
Mr. Abed, I’d recommend you to read The Divide by Jason Hickel.
BOSHEN WANG
September 26, 2020 at 10:45 am
Respect
Dmitri Zaslavski
September 26, 2020 at 11:25 am
One of the small number speaches I found enjoyable on TED for a while.
First it tell you a way to influence a world towards improvent and does’t critisize others or blame for something.
Second, the way they do it is actually right in extra poor countries. By giving support for people for a time, they give them time to reconsider their lives and acquire new skills. By raising the status of women, they can reduce birth rate and somewhat control overpopulation problem.
Third, their business model is good. And it shows how wealthy people can maintain their wealth while doing things for greater good.
Guillan Ramos
September 26, 2020 at 12:34 pm
End capitalism
Aditi Gupta
September 26, 2020 at 1:03 pm
Everyone should listen it ❤️❤️❤️
kamaruddin Huesen Kamal
September 26, 2020 at 3:50 pm
You need to help Manila,Phillipines..
kamaruddin Huesen Kamal
September 26, 2020 at 3:51 pm
And how can I assist from Malaysia,sir. ?.
ITouchTheSky 8GladysWorld8
September 26, 2020 at 4:36 pm
Thank you so much for talking about this topic, especially in this difficult time for the world. God bless the human and the world.
Lívia Lira
September 26, 2020 at 10:59 pm
Perfect!
Ishita Badiyani
September 27, 2020 at 2:56 am
Thought provoking lecture
Rohit Comps
September 27, 2020 at 9:19 am
Wow, simply amazing work. You guys are really working hard!!
Abhay Sharma
September 27, 2020 at 12:29 pm
Uttar Pradesh is India’s Bangladesh, Extreme population density takes many to extreme poverty and it has gotten so ingrained that short-term charity can only do enough, Unless government takes long term incentives to invest in whole system so that people stop falling in this pit of hopelessness.
Juubes
September 27, 2020 at 2:29 pm
Soo… Not a word about controlling population growth?
Bakubakuba
September 27, 2020 at 2:52 pm
500$ per houselhold to transform it and make it and it’s area more prosperous. So 1mil could help 200’000 household. While 1 bil could help 2mil household. Even if count each effect as helping 5 people it gives us 10mil out of 400mil total so 2,5% (and the effect spreads while poverty in those families doesn’t continue – so they not only don’t need help but start to contribute now and in the future, which helps countries and globaly).
There are over 2600 billionairs in the world. So to get all 400 mil people from extreme poverty it would only take that each of the would give (on average) 0,0154bil (15,4mil) and they wouldn’t even notice (From 1bil it’s like giving 15,4$ from 1000$). If they on average would give 0,5bil we could help not only those in ultrapoverty but do much more and they still would be ridiculously rich.
hatepirate
September 27, 2020 at 4:23 pm
*Shows a picture of India and poverty to westerners
They are the same
Charan Singh Sangha
September 27, 2020 at 5:00 pm
Respectful tributes to your great father, who dedicated his life to remove poverty and uplifting poverty-stricken people! It,s very important! Your lecture is very impressive! Thanks!
kingogkingswoodz
September 27, 2020 at 5:21 pm
Give a man a fish and he will soon be calling you a monster when your late to give him his free fish. Teach a man to fish and his problem is solved and so is ours.
Freedom is the first step. Second is the bog three. Don’t commit crime. Don’t have kids put of wedlock. Keep working. Done you won’t be extremely poor and almost entirely sure you won’t be poor what so ever.
Chris Fentum
September 28, 2020 at 1:30 am
Lift themselves up! Stop have kids they can’t afford! Come to Canada, Trudeau will take you. Last year we took 330,00
Ken Martin
September 28, 2020 at 12:49 pm
Poverty occurs when; the population exceeds the land’s ability to support it’s population, and by physical and mental disabilities.
Adha Nur Kholif Pratama
September 28, 2020 at 2:13 pm
hope. imagine better future
Anonymous Dude
September 29, 2020 at 8:17 am
You and your father are our inspiration and example for rest
Moroni Afrifa
September 29, 2020 at 8:26 am
This is incredible! Thank you BRAC👌👌
bilal pathan
September 29, 2020 at 10:24 am
Think big and grow big and never stop being to get improved 💯 doesn’t matter where your from or which race,caste, country you are from, what matters is that where is will there are solutions, all like joe rogan said once “ideas are on the thin air we just have to Regognise it” much respect to the people who believed in this program 😉
Amit
September 29, 2020 at 11:09 am
Ted should start a talk in hindustani language as well so that people from india pakistan can share their ideas as well
Tomer Yud
September 29, 2020 at 2:02 pm
finaly concrete steps and not just vauge ideas that sound nice
Eco Feminist
September 29, 2020 at 2:15 pm
step 1 abortion
superegobeats
September 29, 2020 at 10:49 pm
6:40 that pause he took after mentioning his father had passed away, i felt that.
Kushaj Agarwal
September 30, 2020 at 5:53 pm
Lots of love from India. We together will build a better world for everyone around us.
Avinash Tiwari 160____030
October 1, 2020 at 5:29 am
Great work in the favor of humankind…congrats and best of luck
Naymur Rahman Sujon
October 1, 2020 at 4:18 pm
6:40
sm foo
October 1, 2020 at 7:31 pm
Educate, Think, Work, Teach.