There are so many versions of the man called Abed
that we all may describe him and find out that they are different description
of the same person. So when I decided to
write a blog I thought I would talk about him as well as other topics. Some of
them will be on development issues, some on personal encounters, a few on myself
and of course as far as possible all linked to BRAC , one way or other.
I met Abed bhai first in 1986 when I was working for
Unicef and BRAC was one of the partners.
He was already a famous person, known for having set up an alternative track to
development. I admired him like many
others but many also disliked him. These were the pro-government types who
thought development activities should be conducted only by the government even
if the government wasn’t doing anything. I suppose I belonged to the Opposite camp which
argued that when governments don’t act, somebody does and both can party
together. I would call us the pro-partnership
group.
In 1988 Cole P.Dodge joined Unicef and the organization
became closer to BRAC than ever before. Cole believed in this partnership model
and soon there were several joint activities.
My fondest memory was pushing the case for special treatment of the girl
child in health and education which the then Secretary of the concerned
Ministry (MOWCA) was refusing to endorse. Unicef began a barrage of pr activities and lobbying including
holding the first ever Festival of the Girl Child. BRAC was the lead partner.
We danced, sang, performed theatre, published a
special situation analysis of the Girl Child and author Selina Hossain was
commissioned to write a book that continues to be updated and published
regularly even after 25 years. It was a success and the resistance to the GC
programmme was washed away by the positive social vibes flowing out from the
festival.
Years later as we chatted in Abed bhai’s office in
the evening, I asked him why he had
chosen women as the vehicle of change in his life’s work. He said ,“When I
started visiting villages after starting BRAC I saw young girls, five six year
olds looking after their siblings while the boys played in the field. I
realized that later these girls would grow up to become custodian of the household
in their husband’s home. The men would never get work regularly so she would
have to manage her sangsar through extra work, borrowing whatever. So I
wondered that if women were managing poverty why they should not be managers of
development. And so it happened .”
It was simple observation on how things work and
what works most efficiently. It has led
to such a world changing organization like BRAC. It began by looking at a girl
child.
