Eight changemakers from Bangladesh honoured at 2022 Diana Awards

Established in memory of Princess Diana in 1999, the Diana Award is a prestigious accolade given out by the charity of the same name. It is supported by Princess Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. To be eligible for the Diana Award, nominees must be aged between 9 and 25, and have to be carrying out humanitarian activities for a minimum of 12 months. This year, eight young changemakers from Bangladesh received the award, following a virtual ceremony on July 1, 2022.

Nafira Ahmad, founder, Amplitude

Founded in 2019, Amplitude is a non-profit organisation, supporting underprivileged communities in Bangladesh. Through this organisation, Nafira has led eight charity events aiding marginalised. One of her first initiatives was an art exhibition and open mic night where artists from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds displayed their artworks. The revenue generated from the tickets and paintings sold was used to buy art supplies for children of an orphanage home.

Murad Ansary, founder, Psycure

Psycure is a one-stop digital solution platform for mental health and emotional well-being.  It intends to provide mental health support through professionals, regular workshops and extensive offline and online awareness programs. Through their counselling services, they are striving to break the stigma associated with mental health by making help affordable and accessible across the nation. Till now, they have provided counselling to around 2700 clients and trained over 11,000 young advocates.

Faezuddin Belal, Executive Director, Barisal Youth Society

Faezuddin has been actively involved with the Barisal Youth Society through which he worked for the overall development of the society by addressing issues concerning inequality. He helped found the 'Girls' Summit', a network of girls in marginalised and climate change-torn areas developing their soft skills and leadership qualities. He also created the 'Avoy app', which helps girls know their rights and connect to the nearest police station in case of an emergency.

Anusha Chowdhury, co-founder, Let's Talk Mental Health

Let's Talk Mental Health is a social organisation aiming to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental issues by raising awareness through art. The platform provides a safe space for people to talk about their issues. Enclosing the Sustainable Development Goals, it helps individuals overcome their struggles by spreading positivity and directing them towards professional help. More than 37,000 people around the world have benefited from the organisation and the 'Bringing Smiles' campaign ensured the mental wellbeing of 12,000 young people across Bangladesh.

Md. Amimul Ehsan Khan, Senior Regional Officer, Awareness 360

Amimul has been volunteering for Awareness 360 for the past four years. Awareness 360 is a global platform that empowers the youth to build community service projects in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. He has organised over 30 women's empowerment workshops, menstrual equity projects, and WASH awareness campaigns, overcoming initial distrust from both men and women in his community to directly benefit more than 2,500 people.

Shamim Ahmed Mridha, founder, Eco-Network

Through his 'Climate School' project, Shamim organised various workshops and training programs to provide climate education to more than 50,000 youths and children. He has registered almost 10,000 climate ambassadors to his team, and they are using the media to spread their messages on climate change and the environment. Apart from advocacy, he helps people build resilience to climate disasters. He recently organised a fundraising event that benefited 350 high-risk households.

Manisha Meem Nipun Hijra, Pathchola Foundation

The youth trainer and human rights activist has been working as the representative of the transgender community in the remote areas of Bangladesh, including the hill tracts. In 2019, she started working for 'Pathchola Foundation' as a founding member. She provides a variety of programmes and emergency aid that have significantly impacted more than 3,000 transgenders. The organisation has also rescued ten transgender individuals from sex work and helped them build sustainable livelihood. 

Dipro Prattoy, founder, DP Tutorials

DP Tutorials is an educational consultancy providing need-based financial aid to underprivileged students. Dipro has helped more than 1000 lower-income students from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal in pursuing their higher studies around the world with good scholarships and financial aid. His students have been accepted to over 450 colleges around the world with scholarships that exceed millions of dollars.

The author is a student of IBA, DU and a freelance journalist who likes reading, scribbling, and blogging. Email: mislammonamee@gmail.com