Biography
Fazle Abed, born in
Bangladesh, was drawn into philanthropic activities, after a cyclone hit
Bangladesh in 1970, and he took measures to provide relief to the victims of
the disaster. After the Bangladesh-Pakistan partition, he returned from England
to find his homeland drowned in poverty. This inspired the humanitarian to work
for the cause of uplifting the country’s economy, and he formed ‘BRAC’, an
organization devoted to his cause. This organization reached out to the
extremely poor population of Bangladesh, providing them with educational
opportunities, a chance to earn their living and healthier living conditions.
As the organization grew, this social activist reached out to more people in
other countries, eventually benefiting almost 130 million people across the
world. The NGO also provides human rights support to people, advising them on
legal matters, and educating them on the importance of development. The highest
honour conferred upon him for his extraordinary efforts to alleviate poverty is
the knighthood of the ‘Order of St. Michael and St. George’ by the British
royalty. He has received several prestigious felicitations like the ‘Ramon
Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership’, ‘Henry R. Kravis Prize in
Leadership’ and the ‘Olof Palme Prize’, amongst others. This solicitous social
worker has also been named by ‘Fortune’ magazine as one of ‘The World's 50
Greatest Leaders’, in 2014.
Childhood &
Early Life
· Fazle Hasan Abed was
born to Siddiq Hasan and Syeda Sufya Khatun on April 27, 1936, in Baniachong
Upazilla , which is now Located at Habiganj Zilla, Bangladesh.
· He pursued his
secondary education from 'Pabna Zilla School', Bangladesh, and graduated
twelfth grade from 'Dhaka College'. The young boy took up a course in Naval
Architecture from the 'University of Glasgow' in Scotland.
· Since constructing
ships was not a feasible career option in his hometown, he continued his
studies at the 'Chartered Institute of Management Accountants' in London,
graduating in 1962.
Career
· On his return to
Bangladesh, he started working for 'Shell Oil Company' and soon was promoted to
the post of 'Head of Finance Division'.
· During the partition
of East Bengal and Pakistan, he fled to England, and established 'Action
Bangladesh', an effort to seek support in his country's fight for independence.
After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, Abed returned home, to find the
country economically drained. Moreover Bangladeshi refugees were returning from
India, and they had to be rehabilitated.
· For this reason, the
passionate social worker used all his savings to establish an NGO called
‘BRAC’, in the year 1972. Initially ‘BRAC’ stood for ‘Bangladesh Rehabilitation
Assistance Committee’, which later became ‘Bangladesh Rural Advancement
Committee’.
· In 1981, this
passionate philanthropist became a visiting scholar for ‘Harvard Institute of
International Development’. The next year, he was appointed as a member of the ‘Board
of Trustees’ for the ‘Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies’. He was also
made the chairman of the ‘Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh’.
· This famous
benefactor became a member of the ‘World Bank NGO Committee’ at Geneva,
Switzerland, in 1986. The following year he was appointed a member of the
‘International Commission on Health Research for Development’, Harvard
University, in USA.
· In 1990, he was
given the designation of ‘Chairman’ at an educational NGO called ‘Campaign for
Popular Education’.
· Two years later,
Fazle became the Chairman of the ‘NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply &
Sanitation’. He was also appointed to the ‘Independent South Asian Commission
on Poverty Alleviation’, as a board member.
· In 1993, an
organization dealing with human rights, ‘Ain O Salish Kendra’, made this social
worker their chairperson. The next year at Dhaka, he became a part of the
‘Board of Trustees’ of the ‘Centre for Policy Dialogue’.
· From 1998 to 2005,
this compassionate humanitarian served as a member of renowned committees like
the ‘Policy Advisory Group’ of ‘The World Bank’ in Washington, and the ‘Board
of Governors’ of the ‘Institute of Development Studies’, affiliated to ‘Sussex
University’.
· He also acted as the
Chairman of the governing body of ‘BRAC’ and the Commissioner for the ‘UN
Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor’.
· In 2010, this famous
Samaritan was a part of ‘UN Secretary General's Group of Eminent Persons for
Least Developed Countries’. Two years later, he became a member of the ‘UN
Secretary General's Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement’.
· Since 2013, Abed has
been serving as the Chairman of the ‘Board of Directors’ at ‘BRAC Bank Limited’.
Major Works
· Fazle Abed is known
for founding the NGO called BRAC in 1972, which aims at providing support to
the poor, especially women living below the poverty line. The organization
reaches out to more than 69 thousand villages in Bangladesh, and has recently
started its developmental work in Afghanistan, and the underdeveloped countries
of Africa.
· BRAC provides
support in the areas of education, healthcare, microfinance, agriculture, and
human rights. The NGO founded by this social worker, was awarded the
‘Swadhinata Puroshkar’, which is the most prestigious honour in Bangladesh.
Awards and
Achievements
· Abed was honoured
with the ‘Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership’ in 1980.
· In 1992, he received
UNICEF's ‘Maurice Pate Award’, which is given to commemorate the efforts of an
organization or individual’s contribution towards the development of children.
· He was awarded the
‘Olof Palme Prize’ in 2001, for his invaluable contributions towards the human
race.
· In 2002, this
benefactor received the ‘Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Award’, for
addressing major social issues.
· He was honoured in
2004 with the ‘Mahbub ul Haq Award for Outstanding Contribution in Human
Development’, by the United Nations Development Programme.
· This famous
philanthropist was felicitated by the ‘Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’,
with the ‘Gates Award for Global Health’, in 2004.
· In 2007, Fazle received
the prestigious ‘Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership’, awarded by the
‘Claremont McKenna College’, California, for sharing the best practices in
social development.
· During the same
time, he was presented with the ‘Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award’ for
his mammoth contribution towards the development of his country.
· This altruist
received the ‘David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award’ in 2008, for
empowering the poor with education.
· In 2008, his
organization, ‘BRAC’ was given the ‘Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize’, for
its philanthropic efforts.
· In 2010, the British
government awarded him with the rank of ‘Knight Commander of the Most
Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George’, for his efforts to reduce
poverty all over the world.
· Fazle Abed has also
received other felicitations like ‘Entrepreneur for the World Award’, ‘Leo
Tolstoy International Gold Medal’ ‘Spanish Order of Civil Merit’ and the ‘Trust
Women Hero Award’.
· This benevolent
social leader has received honorary doctorate degrees from many distinguished
institutions in the US and UK, like the ‘Princeton University’, ‘Yale University’,
‘University of Manchester’, and ‘University of Oxford’.
Personal Life & Legacy
· This Bangladeshi
social worker is married to Sarwat Abed—the couple have a son, Shameran and a
daughter, Tamara.
Net Worth
· In 2013, Fazle Hasan
Abed was estimated to have a net worth of 2.7 billion US dollars.
Falderal
· This Bangladeshi
Samaritan is the second person in his family to receive a knighthood from the
British crown, the first being his great-uncle, Justice Nawab Sir Syed Shamsul
Huda.
USA _ DES MOINES, IOWA - Coverage of the World Food Prize, honoring outstanding individuals who strive to improve the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world.