Partnership with Brac

Last month, I got an invitation to a meetup organized by BRAC. It was for their Skill Development Program. I had heard about this initiative before, and as someone who deeply cares about sustainable development and improving livelihoods, I was genuinely excited to be there.

So what does BRAC actually do in this program? They find young people, students, unprivileged youth who are eager but do not know where to start. BRAC brings them in, runs a two day bootcamp, and teaches them the basics of retail sales. How to talk to customers, how to stand on a shop floor with confidence, how to actually do the job.

After the bootcamp, these young people are placed in real retail stores for a month long internship. Not just one type of store either. We are talking clothing shops, electronics stores, restaurants, supershops. Real work, real experience. And once they complete it, their profiles go up on a portal. When businesses like mine need a salesman, BRAC shares the list. Simple. Powerful.

Now here is where my story begins.

One of those internship placements landed in my own shop. That is exactly how I got the invitation to attend the meetup. And I went. And I am so glad I did.

You see, I run multiple branches. Anyone who has done this knows the headache of finding a good salesman. Not just someone who shows up, but someone who actually knows what they are doing. It is harder than it sounds. So when I saw what BRAC was building, I immediately understood the value of it for the industry.

But something else hit me that day. Something more personal.

As a business owner, I have always known that I contribute to society in some way. I create jobs. I keep money flowing. I build something. But if I am being honest with myself, all of that still traces back to my own gain at the end of the day. There was always something in it for me.

For a long time, a quiet question lived in the back of my mind. Was I ever doing something truly selfless? Something where the biggest winner was not me?

Working with this BRAC program gave me my answer.

Here were young people getting a real shot. Not charity. Not sympathy. A skill, a placement, and a path forward. And I was part of making that happen. My shop was their training ground. My floor was where someone found their footing.

That day, standing in that meetup room, I finally felt it.

Not pride in my business. Not satisfaction about profits. Just a quiet, warm feeling that said, yes. This one was for them.