“I want to be a medical doctor working for the disadvantaged like my
dad. I do have to keep bringing everything back to my Dad, my Dad is
everything I want to be,” was how Asahi Hoque, a fourth-year student at
University of Connecticut majoring in Cellular Biology and Human Rights,
responded to a question about what she plans to do after completing her
studies.
Her father, Dr. Ehsan Hoque, is the founder of Distressed Children
and Infants International (DCI), a non-profit organisation which began
in 2003 at Yale University in Connecticut, USA. Although based thousands
of miles away, DCI's heart resides very much in Bangladesh, where
through four programmes -- the Sun Child Sponsorship. Orphan Support,
Healthcare for the Underprivileged and Blindness Prevention -- it has
benefited thousands of children and their families by providing
education opportunities, skills training, preventive healthcare and pre-
and post-natal care for mothers. In Bangladesh, DCI works in Dhaka,
Patuakhali, Nilphamari, Feni and Habiganj. The scope of DCI is wide; it
takes a holistic approach to children's wellbeing. “DCI's main ideology
is that, through education and skill development, children can break the
cycle of poverty and we can also prevent child marriage and child
labour. We don't only focus on education, because if a child and family
are sick, do not have enough money for food it is not possible for them
to get an education. We really aim to provide comprehensive care;
education, health, community development, because poverty and illness
are multi-faceted issues and we have to address all of them to make
progress,” Asahi says.
Multi-faceted is an apt word to use about DCI's approach to solving
the problems of Bangladesh's disadvantaged children. It is an
organisation that runs completely on donor support, a large portion of
whom are located all across USA. “It is spread mostly by word of mouth,
which is really exciting. Every donor has their child or specific area
of interest and they get updates several times a year.
Asahi grew up in the USA and has a life there, but she keeps coming
back to Bangladesh, because through her work with DCI and her father,
she has developed her deep-set love for Bangladesh, “When I am here, I
don't feel like I am visiting, I feel like I came home.” Asahi has been
volunteering in some shape or form for DCI since its inception in 2003
when she was only nine years old, “My dad wanted to instil the
importance of working for others in me and also wanted me to connect to
his roots in Bangladesh. Because of his guidance, I started
volunteering. I did really small things like stamping and folding
papers, etc.
“Then, meeting the kids when I came to work in the field, one of the
things that amazed me was that the children I was working with, despite
the adversity and hardships that they face every moment, were so
positive and resilient. They had the same dreams as I did. When I asked
them what they wanted to be, they wanted to be a pilot or an engineer or
an artist. And the sad fact is that they had the talent and potential
to do all those things, just lacked the opportunity because by fate they
were born into poverty. I understood how privileged I am, and I
understood I have obligation to do something. As I got older I got more
and more involved with DCI activities and now I am the Programme
Coordinator. In this role my job is to match our programme directions
to the needs of those we are working for and the donor needs,” Asahi
said while detailing the genesis of her involvement with her father's
passion project.
It seems that the seeds of her passion were sown by the similarities
she noticed between herself and the beneficiaries of DCI who, though
worlds apart in geographic and economic terms, were the same as her.
Interestingly, it was this same realisation that lit her father Dr.
Hoque's passion to serve the underprivileged. Dr. Hoque suffered from
congenital cataracts, and by the age of five had undergone several
surgeries to restore his eye sight.
“After that, even though he wasn't blind, he was seriously visually
impaired, so his doctors, his teachers and even his parents thought that
he shouldn't go to school. But he really wanted to learn and get an
education. However at school he faced many hardships; his nickname was
'kana' and other children would take away his glasses as a joke,” Asahi
related about her father's challenges. One would have thought that such
childhood traumas would embitter a young person and he would avoid any
subjects that related to his condition, but it was a testament to his
mental strength, and perhaps an indicator of his future philanthropic
efforts, that he went the other way.
“He was very determined; he got his MBBS and finished his PhD. But he
was always, even when he was having such hard times, saying 'I am so
fortunate'. He was fortunate to not be blind, to have been born into a
family that could afford treatment. Throughout his education he was
doing small projects, like giving mothers seeds so they can grow
vegetable garden for source of vitamins, supporting education of
children of his village. And finally, through this life-long dream of
helping the children in his country, he created DCI.”
Small wonder then that Asahi has been inspired by her father, who
even with failing eyesight remains now as passionate about the welfare
of children in Bangladesh as he was when DCI first started 13 years ago.
True to the philosophy that formed the launching pad for the
organisation, one of DCI's main aims is to create a tradition of
philanthropy and global responsibility in future citizens -- the
children of today. According to their website
www.distressedchildren.org
-- worth a visit if one is interested in this worthy cause -- “DCI also
seeks to connect American youth to less fortunate children of other
countries, educating them about the challenges facing children
worldwide, developing their intellectual capacity, and inspiring them to
take leadership in humanitarian causes; in this way we hope to nurture
responsible and compassionate world citizens and future leaders.”
The prime example of this is Asahi. “Volunteering has been in an
integral part of my life and has been very empowering. Even when I was
nine, I felt like I was accomplishing something. It opened me up to what
I am capable of as a person, both personally and professionally. I know
that if more people in Bangladesh got involved and more youths/young
adults did volunteer work, took responsibility of the people around
them, together we can make a huge difference. DCI, unlike other
organisations is run on volunteer support. A lot of the work we are
doing and the changes we are making are through kids like me. Children
helping children.”
Asahi comes from a tradition of philanthropy -- her grandfather Dr.
Shamsul Haque founded Rights and Sights, which is a partner organisation
of DCI along with Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (DAB), BRAC, TMSS,
Islamia Eye Hospital, MA Ispahani Institute of Ophthalmology, BIRDEM
and ATN Bangla Television. But she has also bucked a trend because,
contrary to popular perception about expatriate Bangladeshis, she has
not forgotten about her roots and strives, with inspiration and guidance
from her father, to improve the state of her countrymen from a far-away
land. Asahi serves as an example for other Bangladeshis around the
world, an example that those of us at home will do well to follow.source:.thedailysta
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