ProshikaNet

What ProshikaNet does

Proshika Manobik Unnayan Kendra (operating as Proshika) is a Bangladesh-registered non-governmental development organization founded in 1976 in the aftermath of the 1971 liberation war. It delivers a participatory human-development model targeting poor rural and urban households, with primary beneficiaries being economically marginalized women and men organized into 110,920 primary groups. Its programmatic portfolio spans credit and small-enterprise development, skill training, universal education and literacy, healthcare and medicare, integrated women's development, environmental afforestation, disaster preparedness, and advocacy for poor households' access to public resources.

Proshika distributes its services through 200 Area Development Centres (ADCs) reaching 24,213 villages and 2,110 urban slums across 59 districts, with active engagement of 926,000 women and 530,000 men. Since inception, the organization reports cumulative impact on over 12 million people in income-generating activities, more than 1.14 million attaining literacy, 168,000 receiving medicare, 717,000 children receiving primary education, and over 10 million saplings planted. The revenue model centers on microfinance and credit programs to poor households (categorized as managed services) combined with grant-funded development programming; no commercial pricing model is disclosed.

The technology layer is minimal: the source data explicitly states no proprietary technology platform exists, and Proshika functions as a traditional NGO reliant on its field network rather than software-enabled delivery. Governance is via a 30-member general body that annually elects a 9-member governing body, with the president serving as chief executive; the founder and chairman is Dr. Qazi Faruque Ahmed. No funding rounds, acquisitions, partnerships, or investor backing are disclosed, consistent with its status as a self-governing non-profit civil-society organization.

Name

ProshikaNet

Legal name

Proshika Manobik Unnayan Kendra

Website

https://proshika.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Proshika is a Bangladeshi non-governmental development organization founded in 1976 that delivers microfinance, education, healthcare, and women's empowerment programs to poor rural and urban households through 200 Area Development Centres across 59 districts, serving roughly 1.46 million active beneficiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

NGO Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Community development programs
• Microfinance credit services
• Women empowerment programs
• Adult literacy education
• Disaster preparedness training

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Microfinance and Credit Programs: Proshika provides credit and small enterprise development support to poor households as a core component of its programs. This includes microfinance for income-generating activities and small business development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Proshika is a non-governmental development organization that conducts participatory sustainable development through grassroots empowerment of the poor. It organizes impoverished rural and urban households into 110,920 primary groups and delivers integrated programs including microfinance/credit for income-generating activities, skill development training, adult literacy and primary education, healthcare/medicare services, integrated women's development, environmental afforestation, and disaster preparedness. Programs are delivered through 200 Area Development Centres (ADCs) reaching 24,213 villages and 2,110 urban slums across 59 districts in Bangladesh.

Product overview

Proshika is a non-governmental development organization, not a technology product company. It offers community development programs and social services rather than technology products or software solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• CODEC (Community Development Centre): CODEC is a Bangladeshi NGO focused on microfinance, health, and education for rural poor communities. It is a direct peer to Proshika in mission, methodology, and grassroots delivery model, though smaller in scale.
• ASA (Association for Social Advancement): ASA is one of the largest microfinance NGOs in Bangladesh, operating a financially self-sustaining branch-based model. It competes directly with Proshika for the same poor rural and urban households and represents a more commercially disciplined alternative to Proshika's grant-and-credit hybrid model.
• TMSS (Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha): TMSS is a major Bangladeshi NGO providing microcredit, education, and health services to rural poor women, with a strong grassroots network. It is comparable to Proshika in mission, geographic focus, and target beneficiaries, though smaller in scale.
• Grameen Bank: Grameen Bank pioneered microcredit in Bangladesh and remains a foundational institution for poverty alleviation, serving millions of rural poor households. It directly overlaps with Proshika's microfinance and small enterprise development programs and shares the same Bangladeshi beneficiary base.

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: BRAC is the largest NGO in Bangladesh and the world, operating microfinance, education, health, and livelihoods programs across Bangladesh with a global footprint. It is the most direct comparator to Proshika's community-led development model, but at substantially greater scale and with diversified, technology-enabled operations.
• CARE Bangladesh: CARE Bangladesh is part of the global CARE federation, working on women's empowerment, health, education, and disaster response across Bangladesh. It shares Proshika's community mobilization and poverty alleviation focus and draws on similar donor and partnership ecosystems.
• ActionAid Bangladesh: ActionAid Bangladesh is the local affiliate of the global ActionAid federation, focusing on women's rights, livelihood, and climate resilience among Bangladesh's poor. It operates a similar community-led, rights-based development model in overlapping geographies.

Emerging players

• WaterAid Bangladesh: WaterAid Bangladesh is the local affiliate of the global WaterAid federation, addressing WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) for poor communities. While focused on a narrower sector, it operates through similar community-led models and donor frameworks in overlapping rural Bangladesh geographies.
• The Hunger Project Bangladesh: The Hunger Project Bangladesh works on ending hunger and poverty through community-led development, women's leadership, and local governance in Bangladesh. It shares Proshika's empowerment-based, grassroots approach to poverty alleviation.

Regional players

• Caritas Bangladesh: Caritas Bangladesh is the social development arm of the Catholic Church in Bangladesh, operating community development, microfinance, and disaster response programs. It is comparable in NGO model and target population, with greater international donor linkages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proshikanet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ProshikaNet