
- by Dien S Yuen
Friday was the start of a two-day conference in Boston on "Ideas and Innovations for the Development of Bangladesh: The Next Decade".
The conference brought together several hundred participants from the
US, Bangladesh and other countries. Organizers of the conference see
the event as a major platform for a serious and meaningful
discussion of issues, challenges and opportunities Bangladesh faces at
this critical juncture in its history, as it charts new directions
towards its future, and nurtures ambitious hopes about its
possibilities.
The agenda
features many panels on governance, energy and environment, human
infrastructure, investments and resource mobilizations and media and
culture. Unfortunately, it did not have a session on diaspora
philanthropy and the generosity that Bangladeshi-Americans are known
for. Therefore, I decided to do a two-part post to share several
examples of how Bangladeshi - Americans are giving back.
The 2000 Census lists 57,412 people
identifying themselves as having Bangladeshi origin (although I have
found other reports mentioning 500,000). Almost 50% of Bangladeshis
over the age of 25 have at least a Bachelor's degree. Many are
foreign-born and many Bangladeshis live in New York, Los Angeles,
Chicago and Detroit. In general, my observations about this community
is that Bangladeshis are professionals with earning power, they travel
back to Bangladesh (some even have moved back), and they have organized
themselves in their own social groups. These are the core
characteristics of a powerful diaspora group and philanthropists and
leaders are easy to find once you start researching these groups. One
such leader is Iqbal Z. Quadir, the conference keynote, who is a legend in his own community as well as in the social innovation field.
Professor Iqbal Z. Quadir is
the Founder & Director of Legatum Center for Development &
Entrepreneurship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (the Center was
founded by MIT in 2007 through a $50 million gift from Legatum, a
global investment firm). Prof. Quadir founded GrameenPhone Ltd, which
has now become Bangladesh's largest telephone company. His background
in rural Bangladesh combined with his venture capital experience in NY
led Prof. Quadir to recognize that the "ensuing digital revolution
could facilitate the introduction of telephony to 100 million people
living in Bangladesh."
Prof. Quadir and his family established the Anwarul Quadir Foundation,
named in honor of his father, in 2004, to promote the economic
development and social justice in Bangladesh by encouraging innovations
that empower its citizens. The Anwarul Quadir Prize is an annual
global competition that attracts submissions from over a dozen
countries and ranges in focus from healthcare to micro-finance. In 25
pages or less, the author must propose an innovative and practical idea
that would improve the lives of low and middle-income people in
Bangladesh. The winner receives a $25,000 prize.
Last year, the winner submitted an essay titled "Innovative Approach to Providing Safe Water in Bangladesh".
The author had identified a fern that can be easily grown in
Bangladesh and proposed a method for removing arsenic from water using
the fern. The fern can be easily cultivated in Bangladesh. This idea
could help as many as 88 million people in Bangladesh affected by
arsenic poisoning.
This type of
contest is a creative way to encourage individuals to be innovative in
finding solutions for those in developing countries. The rules are so
flexible that anyone from around the world can submit their ideas. It
empowers the creator while helping others. Got an idea to solve a
problem? Write it down. Submit it. Win a prize and perhaps get to
see the idea implemented so it helps millions!
Banglaeshi American diaspora philanthropy, part 2
See also:
The Good Entrepreneur in Partnership with CNBC: Interview with Iqbal Quadir
An idea whose time had com: The Economist's special report on entrepreneurship highlights Iqbal Quadir
Innovating Bangladesh: ushering in the next sea of change in Bangladesh
On Saturday afternoon, a media plenary
session analyzed the use of media as development in Bangladesh. For
those that could not join the conference, Unheard Voices, Drishtipat's blog, hosted a live blogging event.
Photo courtesy of Mystic Lens