Brac founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed’s first death anniversary Sunday

Brac is set to commemorate the first death anniversary of its founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed on Sunday (20 December).

Sir Abed died on this day at a Dhaka hospital last year.

To observe the day, Brac and Brac University will jointly organise online discussion sessions, paying respect to the vision and values that Sir Fazle cherished in his life, said a media statement issued by Brac on Saturday.

Brac's members remember the eternal source of inspiration that they have received from their founder.

Remembering his demise, they also have pledged to stand beside the poor and marginalised communities and work hand-in-hand to build an equal society for all, the press statement read.

Sir Fazle established Brac in 1972 as a small relief and rehabilitation effort carried out in a remote area of Sylhet division.

The organisation later transformed itself to one of the largest and most effective NGOs of the world through successful socio-economic programmes in many sectors carried out in the last 47 years.

Brac now stands as a unique ecosystem interweaving microfinance, social enterprises, university, bank and multidimensional investments targeting the development of the poor and marginalised people.

It now provides multifaceted services to over 100 million people in 12 countries of Asia and Africa, assisting them in bringing lasting changes in their lives, the media statement said.

Sir Fazle was born in 1936 in Bangladesh. He studied accounting in London, qualifying as a cost management accountant in 1962. While he was working as a senior corporate executive at Pakistan Shell Oil, two humanitarian crises in Bangladesh (then-East Pakistan) – a devastating cyclone in 1970 and the Liberation War in 1971 – dramatically changed the direction of his life.

He then left his job and moved to London, where he helped initiate Action Bangladesh and the HELP Bangladesh in response to Bangladesh's Liberation War.

Early in 1972, after the war ended, he returned to the newly-independent Bangladesh, finding the economy in ruins. The return of 10 million refugees who had sought shelter in India during the war called for urgent relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Sir Fazle then established Brac to address the needs of refugees in a remote area of north-eastern Bangladesh, guided by a desire to help people living in poverty and develop their own capacity to better manage their lives.

The primary goal of Brac is to empower people living in poverty and inequality. In 2020, for the fifth year in a row, Brac was ranked first among the world's top 500 NGOs by Geneva-based NGO Advisor, based on its impact, innovation and sustainability.

Sir Fazle was honoured with numerous national and international awards for his achievements in leading Brac, including the: Yidan Prize for Education Development (2019), LEGO Prize (2018), World Food Prize (2015), Spanish Order of Civil Merit (2014), and Inaugural WISE Prize for Education (2011).

He was also awarded the: David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2008), Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award (2007), UNDP Mahbubul Haq Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Development (2004), Olof Palme Prize (2001), and Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1980).

As the first Bangladesh national, Sir Abed was honoured with a knighthood, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG), by the British Crown in 2010.

He also received many other accolades for his outstanding contributions to poverty reduction and social development programmes.