Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder chair of the world’s largest non-government development organisation — BRAC passed away on Friday night at the age of 83.
He founded in 1972 what was then Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), later changed into Brac to support war-torn Bangladesh’s rebuilding efforts after the Liberation War. It eventually grew into the world’s largest indigenous NGO and a global brand in the development community.
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed was able to attract huge donations from international community for his determination and vision for alleviation of poverty and developing skills for jobs. When he set up BRAC Bank he received taka 25 crores. The bank’s objective is to help the small and medium investors who can play a big role in the growth of the economy. He also established BRAC University for promoting higher education free from party politics. He was knighted by the queen of England and earned the prestige of being Sir Abed.
The many prestigious awards won by Abed include Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1980. He also won Spanish Order of Civil Merit and Leo Tolstoy International Gold Medal. He was among the Fortune magazine list of the world’s 50 greatest leaders in 2014 and 2017.
Born in 1936, he studied accountancy in London. The 1970 cyclone and 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh dramatically changed the direction of his life after he started working as a senior corporate executive at Pakistan Shell. He left his job and moved to London, where he helped initiate
Action Bangladesh and HELP Bangladesh in support of the war of independence from Pakistan. He returned to Bangladesh early in 1972 and started work to support the rebuilding efforts of the new nation.
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed proved what a person with humble beginning can achieve to help his country in this time of great opportunities for financial and other efforts from rich and developed countries, if trusted. He proved by his success that it is worth having confidence in him. His contribution to various sectors of public life including child education, will be remembered with gratitude here in Bangladesh and in the larger world outside also.
There was no arrogance in his demeanour though he founded and led the largest NGO in the world, and so many successful institutions dedicated to the service of the people. He earned name and reputation not because he was holding any high political position but because of the qualities, character and ability to be successful in the projects he began.
He generated employment for lakhs of people, reduced poverty of millions, created world class educational institutions and made BRAC a true multinational and global organisation. And yet he was humble.
It will be an extremely rare event to find anyone like him again in Bangladesh. We hope and pray his deeds live on and that his work can inspire many more to aspire to be like him. If we could get a few people in leadership positions having Abed’s character and dedication to do good to his people, Bangladesh will be a country to be proud of nationally and internationally.
The people of Bangladesh are heavily indebted to Sir Fazle Abed for his creative activities for the welfare of his people. His loss is the loss of a great achiever in his own right.
Sir Abed scrupulously remained detached from the political crisis and it is to be seen if NGO kind of good activities can bring about sustainable changes for the greater good of the greater number. In spite of NGO efforts to fight poverty, crores of people leave to escape miseries in search of jobs abroad under inhuman conditions because they are unskilled.
