‘A hero like him should be remembered forever’

Founder of Association for Social Advancement (ASA), Shafiqual Haque Choudhury dedicated his life to improving the lives of underprivileged people. Through his organisation, he has played a great role in alleviating poverty in Bangladesh, speakers at a memorial event said yesterday .

They also touched on ASA's role as a leading microfinance institution at an event in the city yesterday, paying tribute to Choudhury's lifelong work. He was an adviser to the former caretaker government, and passed away last February 12 at the age of 78.

Established in 1978, ASA has expanded in microfinance model of poverty reduction to 13 nations in Asia and Africa.

At the event, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that Choudhury is an exceptional personality in the field of microfinance.

Shafiqual Haque Choudhury had earned his master's degree in Sociology from Dhaka University in 1969 and worked as a trainer for the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD).

He founded ASA in late 1970s at a remote village Tapra, under the then Manikganj sub-division with a mission of welfare of the poor, marginalised and disadvantaged. His vision was to establish a poverty-free society.

Atiur Rahman, former governor of Bangladesh Bank, said that Choudhury had particularly empowered women entrepreneurs.

"He played a great role in progressing the country's overall socioeconomic condition. Such a hero should be remembered forever," said Atiur Rahman.

Salehuddin Ahmed, another former governer of the central bank, said, "Millions were able to improve their living standards by taking collateral-free loans from ASA."

M Abdul Aziz, a former cabinet secretary; Dirk Brouwer, CEO of ASA International; Praful Patel, former vice president at World Bank, and Aris Alip, managing director of Card Bank in Philippines addressed programme among others.

Shafiqual Haque Choudhury was a member of the Policy Advisory Group at Consultative Group to Assist the Poor. He taught at Boulder Institute of Microfinance, and was a visiting fellow at St Francis Xavier University's Coady International Institute.