Nineteen young changemakers from Bangladesh received the Diana Award 2021.

Created in honour of Princess Diana in 1999, by the British Government who wanted continue Princess Diana’s legacy by establishing a formal way to recognise young people who were going above and beyond the expected in their local communities. The Diana Award is a prestigious honour bestowed by the charity of the same name. Princess Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, endorsed the project. Princess Diana believed that “Young People have the Power to Change the World”. To be eligible for the Diana Award, candidates must be between 9 and 25 years old and must carry out humanitarian activities for a minimum of 12 months. Nominees must have professional knowledge of the youth. This year, nineteen young changemakers from Bangladesh received the award, following a virtual ceremony on June 28, 2021.

1:MD. MAHBUBUL ABRAR

JAAGO Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 24

Mahbubul is a leader, changemaker and youth enthusiast who works as a ‘Youth Development Expert’ for Volunteer for Bangladesh. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has kickstarted relief campaigns in over 13 districts, which have directly impacted around 50,000 people. Through his initiative ‘Apnar Mask Kothai’, Mahbubul mobilised 7,000 volunteers in 45 districts of Bangladesh to distribute face masks and raise awareness of COVID-19 safety measures. His self-motivation, leadership and willingness to train, mobilise and implement projects amongst his youth networks throughout the pandemic have empowered young people to dedicate themselves to their work during this challenging time.

2: MD. SHAWKET ARAFAT

Volunteer for Bangladesh, Chattogram, Bangladesh, Age 23

Shawket’s drive and commitment to ‘Volunteer for Bangladesh’ saw him rise from a volunteer at age 17 to president of his district in just two years. A community worker, he oversaw the documentation of 3,000 Rohingya refugees and helped to reunite those with their previous homes and install schools. Through his people-centred approach, Shawket has volunteered to help those most in need, including raising funds for people displaced by a landslide in Rangamati and managing Iftar food for 100 children during Ramadan. At the centre of humanitarian action in underprivileged districts, Shawket’s determination and leadership skills have led him to become the youngest division president.

3: MD. MOSTOFA ZAMAN

Volunteer for Bangladesh, Mymensing, Bangladesh, Age 24

For the last six years, Mostofa has been a dedicated founding member and volunteer for ‘Volunteer for Bangladesh, Mymensingh District’. As a doctor, Mostofa initiated programmes related to breast cancer and cervical cancer, spreading awareness to underprivileged girls in education. Launching another programme, ‘Sanitation, Health Education & Follow Up’, he taught canteen boys proper sanitation and empowered them through the supply of their own materials. His devotion to providing medical support within his community has impacted almost 10,000 people. Leading a team of 25 volunteers, Mostofa’s leadership and knowledge motivate others to contribute to social action.

4: MUHAMMAD AFJAL SULTAN SAFI

Doorbin Foundation, Chattogram, Bangladesh, Age 21

Afjal set up the ‘Doorbin Foundation’ to enable the tribal community of Tripura to access employment and education in Bangladesh. He has helped the community to start their own small businesses, providing sewing machines and an experienced seamstress to 10 women. With an aim to help all Tripura children start schooling by 2025, Afjal’s campaigns have helped 34 children to start school. Afjal went on to organise a training session on the reasons, causes and effects of domestic violence, something the community had never heard about before. After learning of the harmful effects of early marriage, the community vowed to not marry off girls before the age of 18.

5: ANIKA SUBAH AHMAD UPOMA

Evolution360, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 25

In 2016, Anika founded the youth-led community organisation ‘Evolution360’, with a vision to create a gender-equal world, eradicate gender-based violence and implement the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal Five. Initially, with a team of 15 volunteers, she started replicating the ‘HeForShe’ campaign in different parts of Bangladesh, beginning in a small village at Manikganj. The session included teaching teenage boys consent and teaching young girls self-defence. Later, this campaign was spread to other districts and is currently being conducted by a team of 300 volunteers. She is also working to eradicate child abuse through “Good Touch Bad Touch” awareness campaign.

6: MURSHIDUL ALAM BHUIYAN

Team Bertho, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 1

In 2016, Murshidul with some of his school friends created “Team Bertho”, a platform delegated to the course of education through spreading human wisdom. “Team Bertho” aims to document the understanding of life through people’s learning and pass them on as innovative, creative & effective solutions for everyone to live their best life. Under Murshidul’s leadership, “Team Bertho” fostered an inclusive community where the life stories and memoranda from citizens from all around the world has been documented and presented. Murshidul’s hope for ‘Team Bertho’ is to uplift and inspire all those who come across these epistles of human wisdom.

7: KHADIZA TUL QUBRA BINTE AHSAN

WeMen View, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 24

As someone who grew up with first-hand experience of the harassment and abuse faced by many girls in Bangladesh, Khadiza has made it her life’s mission to establish equality and counter gender-based violence. In 2018, she founded ‘WeMen View’, successfully recruiting over 70 young volunteers and reaching more than 1,000 young people to combat gender-based violence through workshops and campaigns to empower future human rights defenders. Khadiza has raised over $8,000 and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued with her charitable efforts, providing over 1,000 people with food and daily essentials. Her most recent achievement saw her launch a collaborative project aimed at rehoming families following the widespread damage caused by Cyclone Amphan in 2020.

8: SADID BIN HASAN

CrossRoads Initiative, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 22

In 2019, Sadid left his full-time internship in San Francisco to help 7,000 out-of-school students go to university. Over the last three years, Sadid has helped mentor 100,000 students both in-person, online webinars and videos through his mentorship platform, ‘CrossRoads Initiative’. The platform connects mentors with young people in need of support. Sadid hopes to help 1,000,000 students access university education by 2025. To date, his students have acquired more than $1,000,000 in scholarship funding under his guidance. Putting in 80-hour weeks, Sadid’s maxim in life is to help one more person each day he is alive.

9: MARIA MUMU

Moshal Mental Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 20

After the tragic loss of her friend to suicide, as well as her own personal battle with depression and anxiety, Maria became a dedicated mental health advocate. She set up ‘Moshal Mental Health’, with the aim to raise awareness of the mental health issues affecting young people. Maria’s social impact began during her journey to ‘Miss Universe Bangladesh’, where she used her platform to speak about her cause and inspire thousands through her ‘mental health matters’ message. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maria noticed the increased need for mental health support and stepped in to launch the very first hotline providing free mental health first-aid to hundreds of people as well as collaborating on an ebook sharing survivors’ personal stories.

10: RIJVE AREFIN

Awareness 360, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age

Growing up, Rijve was subjected to corporal punishment, abuse and bullying. When he started university, Rijve researched the United Nations Global Agenda and realised he was not to blame for his rough childhood. He resolved to help other young people unlock their potential by giving them access to growth opportunities. As the co-founder of the nonprofit ‘Awareness 360’, Rijve is giving young people the skills to work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Under his mentorship, young people have started initiatives on education, gender equality, sanitation and more, benefitting over 150,000 people globally. Rijve has volunteered over 10,000 hours of his time over the last eight years.

11: YUSUF MUNNA

Reflective Teens, Chattogram, Bangladesh, Age 21

Yusuf has been passionate about writing since an early age, but was rejected and even ignored by editors and publications because of his youth. He is currently working to empower young people through his ‘Reflective Teens’ initiative, where he lets them indulge their creative side and fully express themselves. In the past seven years, ‘Reflective Teens’ has directly reached more than 50 institutions in Bangladesh and has impacted the lives of almost 61,000 teenagers throughout the country. In 2020 alone, it has replicated four different programmes no less than 12 times and engaged 11,000 young people.

12: SIDRATUL MOONTAHA

Technovation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 24

Sidratul works to inspire the next generation of girls in STEM in Bangladesh. Opening the ‘Bangladesh Chapter of Technovation Girls’, Sidratul mentors girls to not only thrive in an underrepresented field but to drive powerful change too. Under her guidance, girls and young women are producing mobile app start-ups that address wide-ranging issues such as poverty, climate change, gender inequality, women’s safety, early marriage, dowry systems and unemployment. Two of Sidratul’s mentees have created a loan-lending app to ensure quality education for women and stop early marriage, whilst others are creating apps for the transgender people in the community.

13: ANAS HOSSAIN MAKKI

Safewheel, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 25

With the vision of reaching every doorstep of Bangladesh with affordable healthcare, Anas founded ‘Safewheel’. Anas designed mini three-wheel ambulances that can access remote villages and are manufactured at a fraction of the cost of conventional ones. Safewheel has now served over 1,000 patients. Recently, Anas is also exploring telehealth sectors to serve people remotely. Anas’s commitment to ‘Safewheel’ is emphasised through his decision to move from the city to a rural village, where he can build stronger connections with the community ‘Safewheel’ exists to serve. Now, people from all over the country can get easy access to certified doctors anytime with their mobile phones.

14: GULNAHAR MAHBUB MONIKA

Deshi Ballers, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 24

Alongside her career, Monika has dedicated herself to increasing opportunities for women in basketball, providing a platform for women to be empowered through sports. Helping women and girls to build sisterhood, reduce stress and empower young people to be leaders, Monika organises events and tournaments providing access to sports for women and girls of all ages. Through these initiatives, five female athletes have received funding to join additional women’s empowerment opportunities. Monika hopes to create a women-only national league in the future, and is currently pioneering Bangladesh’s first female-only basketball team. An accomplished national-level basketballer herself, Monika is an inspiring role model for the young girls she works with.

15: AFRUZA TANZI

Protibha, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 23

After speaking with women in rural areas in Bangladesh as part of a school project, Afruza became aware of the challenges many women face in gaining employment and financial independence. Afruza set out to tackle gender stereotypes and the stigma of working women by empowering women in marginalised communities to gain financial independence through skills training and workshops. To date, she has provided financial literacy classes to over 700 young girls and women, arts and crafts training for 100 women and commercialised over 1,000 artisan products, enabling hundreds of young girls and women to earn a living.

16: LAMEA TANJIN TANHA

TransEnd, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 20

Tanha is the founder of ‘TransEnd’, a youth-led nonprofit organisation empowering the transgender community in Bangladesh through education, training, entrepreneurship and employment. With the help of over 70 young volunteers across the country, the organisation aims to teach life skills such as basic computer and English language skills to members of the transgender community so that they can take up mainstream jobs. To date, ‘TransEnd’ has reached 345,000 people across Bangladesh, trained 135 transgender people with employment skills and facilitated the formal employment of 43 transgender people. Tanha has helped to create a platform for the transgender community, whilst enabling other young people in Bangladesh to find their agency as changemakers.

17: SARKER TANVIR AHMED

Youth Parliament, Joypurhat, Rajshahi Bangladesh, Age 22

Tanvir Ahmed is a Bangladeshi youth leader and well-known youth parliamentarian in his community. He is passionate about engaging young people in opportunities and experiences to grow and develop themselves while creating positive change. As part of his youth parliamentary leadership, he inspires others to be active in their communities and beyond. Under Tanvir Ahmed’s leadership, 350 young people are currently working in 25 countries on a variety of social projects. Since 2009, he has driven countless initiatives including tree-planting programs, clean-up days, youth leadership training, women’s safety and anti-propaganda workshops, and the distribution of warm clothing during the cold winter months.

18: AZAJUL ISLAM NELOY

One Of You, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age 20

Neloy is passionate about ensuring universal access to education and poverty eradication. When floods prevented rural students from accessing school, Neloy helped to bring school to them. He established floating boat schools, benefitting over 120,000 people till now. Additionally, to ensure the transgender community has access to education, he founded the first-time-ever Madrasa for genderqueer individuals in Asia, educating over 5000 transgender people till today. Again, Neloy initiated several clothes distribution programmes and healthcare campaigns for underprivileged people, serving over 80,000 people in Bangladesh. His works have impacted over 1.6 million people from 31 countries worldwide.

19: SAGAR MAZUMDER

Nerdiz, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Sagar is the COO of the initiative ‘Nerdiz’, which aims to provide education through virtual reality (VR) technology, Sagar has helped create more than 120 lessons in history, geography and science, reaching 27 districts and 40,000 children in Bangladesh. Data has shown that VR technology can be an effective learning tool, with Sagar and his team’s research showing that 80% of information taught via this method is retained. Through optimism and determination, Sagar is helping to bridge the gap in the existing education system. His hope is that ‘one day children from all backgrounds can have access to quality education and the opportunity of experiential learning.