Dear readers,
Every year, I visit Bangladesh usually once, sometimes twice a year. These trips are made in December when I can take time off from my position at General Motors to visit the people and place where my heart lies. I spend my time visiting with camp residents to find out their needs, meeting potential and current partners, monitoring and evaluating projects as well as training the youth and the staff.
This year, I was joined by my daughter, Arishaa Khan, a long time volunteer for OBAT and my brother Dr. Rezwan Khan who serves on the board of OBAT as well. Usually, I don’t get the chance to actually sit down at the end of the day to document the events of the day. This time though, I had the assistance of Sunny (OBAT’s Executive Intern)and OBAT’s Executive Director, Immad Ahmed who were accompanying me and who assisted me with producing a daily diary that I can share with friends back home who were curious to know about my trip.
So, here goes…
Day 1:
Arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh in the morning. Br. Aftab Iqbal (brother-in- law of Dr. Iqbal Zafar Hamid, APPNA president-elect) had already arrived in Dhaka from Bay Area, California- we are very thankful to him for his time and interest to make a difference in the camps.
First stop of our visit was OBAT BLS School in Mirpur, a new high school adopted by OBAT in 2015. It is serving more than 400 students.
We also visited the deep tube well project of FOH (Friends of Humanity) recently completed for the camp of Wapda building, Mirpur #11.
Br. Ishtiaque Ahmed of AWARD invited us to visit Shaheen School in Mirpur, serving more than five hundred students. Recently, AWARD, Ahmed Foundation and OBAT have been jointly providing scholarships to one hundred and forty students and looking forward to expanding the collaboration. After that, we visited Saleha Khatun School in Mirpur which is being run by AWARD.
The evening was spent with ex-OBAT English School students who have passed PSC board examination and are being admitted in grade six at one of the renowned English Schools named Queen’s School and College with Fulbright scholarship from OBAT Helpers. Also met with scholarship students and OBAT Think Tank volunteers to discuss their progression with Mr. Aftab Iqbal at Dhaka Office. Afterwards, DREAM team (DREAM is a non-governmental, non-profitable, charitable, and humanitarian and socio- welfare organization which has been organized by some energetic youth in the camps who are committed to develop the underprivileged, establish quality of education, creating awareness and building employment opportunity, empowering the destitute and most deserving families in different camp/slum areas in Bangladesh) gave their presentation on their organization and projects.
Tomorrow, we are heading to Khulna to visit our projects and talk to the communities.
First stop of our visit was OBAT BLS School in Mirpur, a new high school adopted by OBAT in 2015. It is serving more than 400 students.
We also visited the deep tube well project of FOH (Friends of Humanity) recently completed for the camp of Wapda building, Mirpur #11.
Br. Ishtiaque Ahmed of AWARD invited us to visit Shaheen School in Mirpur, serving more than five hundred students. Recently, AWARD, Ahmed Foundation and OBAT have been jointly providing scholarships to one hundred and forty students and looking forward to expanding the collaboration. After that, we visited Saleha Khatun School in Mirpur which is being run by AWARD.
The evening was spent with ex-OBAT English School students who have passed PSC board examination and are being admitted in grade six at one of the renowned English Schools named Queen’s School and College with Fulbright scholarship from OBAT Helpers. Also met with scholarship students and OBAT Think Tank volunteers to discuss their progression with Mr. Aftab Iqbal at Dhaka Office. Afterwards, DREAM team (DREAM is a non-governmental, non-profitable, charitable, and humanitarian and socio- welfare organization which has been organized by some energetic youth in the camps who are committed to develop the underprivileged, establish quality of education, creating awareness and building employment opportunity, empowering the destitute and most deserving families in different camp/slum areas in Bangladesh) gave their presentation on their organization and projects.
Tomorrow, we are heading to Khulna to visit our projects and talk to the communities.
Talking to AWARD personnel
With Dhaka School students
Immad Ahmed briefs Mr. Aftab Iqbal
With Dhaka School’s student