THE AMERICAN CENTER CONGRATULATES WINNERS OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE EXCHANGE ALUMNI GRANTS COMPETITIONS

Dhaka, Nov. 7  (U.S. embassy Press Release) —  In 2013, for the third year in a row, Bangladeshi State Alumni submitted winning entries in the global Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) competition. Two projects from Bangladesh were selected from among 681 proposals from 119 countries, making Bangladesh one of only four countries to win multiple grants this year.

In addition to the AEIF awards, the American Center is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 American Center Alumni Small Grants Competition:

Near East and South Asia (NESA) Undergraduate Exchange Program alumnus Abu Shahed Emon received an award for his project “Film for Freedom,” which will provide intensive filmmaking workshop for 20 aspiring young filmmakers who will also research and develop their ideas about freedom and new media in Bangladesh.

English Access Micro-scholarship Program (EAMP) alumnus Muhammad Ferdaus’s project will provide emergency first responder training to thirty young people with a focus on women and alumni.

Hubert H. Humphrey (HHH) fellowship alumna Angur Nahar Monty will run a motivational and educational program for twenty women journalists on press freedom and democracy, media ethics, the right to information, new media, and how to deal with professional challenges.

Each year, The U.S. Embassy sends hundreds of Bangladeshis from across a wide range of fields and at different stages of their careers on U.S. Department of State- sponsored exchanges to the United States. The State Alumni Network in Bangladesh includes more than 2,000 individuals, spanning every discipline, every profession, and every region of Bangladesh.

To name just a few, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took part in the International Visitor Leadership (IVLP) program in 1952. Humayun Ahmed joined the International Writing Program in 1990. Muhammad Yunus was a Fulbright student in 1965. In short, Bangladesh’s State Alumni have left an indelible mark on their country and on the world.

IVLP alumnus Nazmul Alam and Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) alumna Natasha Kabir were awarded for their projects “Conservation Through Eco-Tourism” and “IT Education for the Differently Abled” respectively. Nazmul Alam’s project aims to conserve the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, by providing livelihood opportunities to the underserved through youth mobilization, handicrafts, and eco-tourism training. Natasha Kabir’s project will reach out to differently abled students to help improve their IT skills.

Over the past four decades, Bangladesh’s State Alumni have been remarkably successful in creating projects and organizations that positively impact Bangladesh.. For more information about the American Center exchange programs and the alumni network, please join the U.S. Embassy Dhaka Facebook page and visit the embassy website at http://dhaka.usembassy.gov/educational_cultural_exchanges.html