No person or issue is ever too small

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed once said to me, "small is beautiful." He was a systems thinker before that term had even entered our consciousness. Yet, what had set him apart was in designing holistic solutions. He understood that one principle, one choice, one life, could tip an entire system. To achieve that depth of beneficiary knowledge, he expanded Brac into a multitude of areas of Bangladesh, making it one of the most, if not the most, influential NGO network—this was over 15 years ago.

And he always focused on empowering the individual, empowering the poor or women to have self-sustaining systems that would enhance their economic and overall well-being. In his pursuit of high empathy, with his gentle spirit, he was the architect of a colossal example of a powerful national social sector empowerment system.

We often credit the west with advanced non-profit systems. Yet when the west was thinking social services, Sir Fazle was already thinking of empowerment engines, with a focus on the individual and all the supports he/she may need to succeed. It was always about building individual and community capacity.

I landed in Bangladesh in early 2006, seeking to speak to as many acid violence survivors as possible, as a Fulbright Scholar focused on gender and narratives. I began at the Dhaka-based local rehabilitation NGO, however, I soon discovered that it is Brac's network that is to credit for these women even being detected and coming forth to seek help. Brac's widespread presence in every community was a communication line and learning machine with a heart.

It was only due to the trust that Brac was able to build among individuals and communities that these women came forth and were able to get help in Dhaka—only extreme trust could break the barriers of shame and potential retribution.

At the centre of the scale was the underpinnings of frugal innovation. All it took was a small concrete home-like building, a few beds, a clean bathroom and a small kitchen to produce some of the most committed and passionate social workers and professionals, as well as the most delicious Bangladeshi food that left one licking their fingers. It wasn't like a corporate outpost. I remember it was like going to visit one's South Asian family in the village. There was so much love and so many stories to be told. Sir Fazle blended intimacy, customisation and efficiency.

Today, as I work at Salesforce, it is clear to me that technology has a significant and instrumental role in accelerating the transfer of knowledge, including our ability to understand some of the most vulnerable populations in hard-to-reach places and during crises. And what amazes me is that Sir Fazle was able to mobilise people and achieve scale without the benefit of such widespread technology.

I think about how beautiful it would be to have but a small chat with Sir Fazle over coffee, to discuss how this technology can be combined with his vision and insight on creating one of the most amazing human networks.

As we think about large social sector problems, as we think about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we often ask how can we touch more lives? Funders post questions about scalability. However, I would like to take this moment to remind us that there is something also to be said about nuance, depth, and innovation in which the possibility to scale is not necessarily imminently evident. Sir Fazle cared about each life and one can touch one life in a very big way through targeted intervention.

So, it is not always about scaling the solution to a specific problem. It is often about truly finding what works in a unique situation and scaling the means to share that and to learn from it and identify others who need help. No person or issue is ever too small.

Sir Fazle created the type of nimble social good system that was constantly in touch with different communities and populations, that was constantly listening, and most of all, that bonded the fabric of different parts of Bangladeshi society, weaving a cultural web of good.

Samira Khan works on social impact and tech at Salesforce.org, and is a former Fulbright Scholar to Bangladesh where she worked with women acid survivors.