A man called Abed

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.