Cover FocusCover Storyaffected me and I wanted to do something to improvethe situation.I approached a few friends and relatives to join me inmy stance. Initially, everyone discouraged me sayingthat the concept of dowry was too deeprooted in ourculture. Also, they thought that being a man Iwouldn’t be able to make much of a difference.However, I was adamant. As the years passed andsocial media came into existence, things startedlooking up. I finally opened a page on Facebookcalling it Anti Dowry Awareness Program which washighly appreciated with innumerous ‘likes’ especiallyfrom men.How did project Jagoroni, one of your mostcelebrated projects, come into being?In 2013, Women Deliver had a global conference inMalaysia for youth leadership. My work regardingsocial awareness was selected as one of the top tenideas amongst thousands of submissions. Later, basedon the voting process, I won the competition. I wasgranted a stipend with which I started project Jagoroni.Jagoroni was a pilot project established in Mymensinghwhere six hundred and fifty young volunteersspanning over an area of thirteen districts had beentrained to revolt violence against women. We calledour volunteers Jagori which meant “uprising.” In casesof child marriages or dowry, they would immediatelyinform the law enforcement agencies and convincethem to take immediate action. Jagoris also had theduty to raise social awareness by giving lectures,distributing posters and stickers to the inhabitants, etc.Apart from your unending personal efforts who elsewould you like to dedicate your success to?It would be the three volunteers who have been helping mesince the inception of my first project. There are morevolunteers today, some of whom have formally joined asteam members. Apart from them, SERAC-Bangladeshcontributed widely by recognising and supporting my efforts.What were the major setbacks?There were many, but the major one was in the case ofcollaborative work. If leadership ideologies don’t match, thena project gets negatively affected. So it is better to work solothan to work with someone with different principles.Any profound message to the younger generation?Perseverance is the key to success. No matter how manytimes you fail, do not give up because there will come a daywhen you will be successful. People will fight you; they willalso mock you in every way possible. Do not be disheartenedeasily. Face life headfirst with courage and ultimately you willcome out victorious.What are your other accomplishments in the fieldof women empowerment?In 2010, after winning the UN habitat growthcompetition, we utilised the grant received to educatefifty women slum dwellers with life skills such assewing, handiwork, etc. Every year, we have a newbatch and with every new grant, we try to provide forthe latest batch of students.I believe that by being a man, if I am able totake a stance for women, then many othermen might follow suit and ultimately a daywould come when men no longer areconsidered to be the major cause ofhindrance to women’s rights
Cover FocusCover Storyirector of Pandora Associates, Deputy Chairperson of Jahan Education Group, Deputy Director ofBangladesh University, Quazi Taif Sadat is a man with many establishments under his belt. However,Dhe is best known for meticulously setting up reputed and effective charitable trust organisations like theSmile Foundation and the People’s Rokeya Foundation.I want to increase ourvolunteer base andwork further towardsimproving the societyHow did it all begin?I was always involved with charityorganisations; donating a portion of myincome regularly. However in 2011, amajor incident turned my life upsidedown. My mother was diagnosed withcancer and things simply went haywire.To harness back the lost happiness anddiscover the true meaning of existence Ithought of dedicating a major part of mylife to charity and hence SmileFoundation was conceived.Smile Foundation has made a bigname within such a short time, whatwould you say is the major drivingforce behind this achievement?The major driving force behind SmileA smile that fitsBy Mehrin Mubdi ChowdhuryPhoto: Ashraf Uddin Apu64
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