BRAC Chairperson speaks to Bangladeshi Diaspora Community in New York

On Saturday September 25, Founder and Chairperson of BRAC, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, spoke to members of the Bangladeshi diaspora community at the Dhaka Club in Queens, New York. Organized by Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed who is an Associate Professor at the Drexel University College of Medicine, the event was a tremendous display of support for BRAC by Bangladeshi expatriates. Sir Fazle took the opportunity to discuss with the community exciting new projects run by BRAC in Bangladesh. In partnership with UK based NGO Sightsavers, BRAC aims to help the 600,000 adults and 40,000 children who suffer from this type of blindness. The Bangladeshi community showed their support through generous contributions to Vision Bangladesh. Lady Sarwat Abed took the opportunity to speak to the Bangladeshi diaspora community about the Medha Bikash program which provides education to the brightest and poorest of children who would otherwise not have the opportunity.

The Bangladeshi community asked Sir Fazle how BRAC is addressing many of the issues near and dear to their hearts ranging from child mortality to the building of trauma centers. Sir Fazle highlighted the Kangaroo Mother Care Program as one example of a BRAC program aimed at reducing child mortality. In response to one audience member's concern about the lack of a trauma center in Dhaka, Sir Fazle stressed the need for educating the population about road safety, emphasizing that BRAC's attitude towards this particular issue is proactive and preventative rather than reactive. Many members of the audience expressed interest in working in partnership with BRAC. Sir Fazle affirmed BRAC's commitment to providing both strategic and moral support for these projects.

In her address, Susan Davis, President and CEO of BRAC USA, spoke of her formative experiences in Bangladesh and explained how Bangladesh has been the "Silicon Valley of innovation" for economic development and social enterprise. She closed the discussion by urging all members of the Bangladeshi diaspora community to share BRAC's work and to continue their involvement with BRAC.