The Kaiser and Wendy Zaman Fellowship is announced by BRAC

BRAC is proud to present the Kaiser and Wendy Zaman Fellowship, an endowment that will launch a new educational initiative within its Medhabikash program. This innovative intervention of the BRAC Education Program (BEP) provides financial and capacity-building assistance to talented but underprivileged students.

The program will serve as a pillar of BRAC’s Medhabikash initiative, which aims to provide possibilities for teenage girls between the ages of 10 and 19 who have left secondary school. The endowment will initially support the creation of learning centers that will empower these girls by providing them with basic education in reading, numeracy, and life skills. In order to promote independence and resilience in their communities, the program’s ultimate purpose is to prepare participants to return to formal schooling or start their own businesses.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony took place on 21 January (Tuesday) at BRAC Centre, Dhaka. Executive Director of BRAC Asif Saleh, Managing Director of BRAC Enterprises Tamara Hasan Abed, Executive Director of BRAC International Shameran Abed and Nazia Du Bois, Yasmin Hussain and Syed Rezaul Karim, representing the family of Kaiser and Wendy Zaman, were present at the event. Also present at the event from BRAC were Moutushi Kabir, Senior Director of People, Culture and Communications; Safi Rahman Khan, Director of Education, Skills Development, and Migration; and Najmul Hoque, Associate Director of Finance and Accounts.

Nazia Du Bois, niece of Kaiser Zaman, collaborated closely with BRAC to ensure the fellowship aligns with her uncle’s aspirations. She stated that the initiative honours her uncle’s legacy and his belief in the transformative power of education. He envisioned the fellowship as a means of providing freedom and opportunities to disadvantaged young people, even after his passing. She expressed hope that it will inspires others to create similar programmes and shared her deep gratitude at seeing her uncle’s dream realised.

Kaiser Zaman was a true humanitarian and a key organiser of Bangladesh’s war of liberation. He was a close friend of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, the founder of BRAC, and was instrumental in the early years of the organization. Kaiser Zaman, a lifetime supporter of BRAC’s purpose and a member of its governing board, devoted his professional life to working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist displaced populations around the world. He and his wife, Wendy Zaman, saw this fellowship as a way to give access to education and chances to empower young people who are suffering structural challenges, especially girls. Kaiser Zaman died on June 19, 2023.