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Australia Awards is proud of the efforts of all alumni in contributing to economic growth and sustainable development. The specific impacts achieved in these areas by a selection of alumni in Bangladesh have been documented in an Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility Case Study conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research.

The Case Study, released in 2020, found that these alumni are contributing to Bangladesh’s development through societal-level impact in areas such as fiscal and international trade policy and through organisational impact by leading capacity building activities. The alumni—who all graduated or completed a Fellowship between 2011 and 2016—demonstrated technical and thematic expertise in their respective roles in the finance and economics sector and contributed in various ways to economic growth, sustainable development and fiscal reform.

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To mark International Human Rights Day, #AustraliaAwards in #Bangladesh celebrates the achievements of alumna and indigenous rights activist Rani (Queen) Yan Yan in addressing the needs of marginalised groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. To minimise the risks and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in her community, Rani Yan Yan acted swiftly and introduced a simple and low-cost water supply system to encourage handwashing in remote indigenous communities. She also addressed the issue of food security by collaborating with BRAC to mobilise emergency relief support for at least 5,000 families living in remote villages in Bangladesh.

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On 9 December, Bangladesh observes Begum Rokeya Day. The significance of this day is to commemorate the anniversary of the birth and death of Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (best known as Begum Rokeya), who was a leading 19^th century Bengali feminist writer, social reformer and pioneer of women’s education. She is also considered a trailblazer of women’s liberation in South Asia for her enormous efforts to establish gender equality and ensure female education.

On Begum Rokeya Day this year, Australia Awards – Bangladesh is celebrating the Bangladesh chapter of the Women in Leadership Network (WiLN). The WiLN formed in 2015 as a product of the first Regional Alumni Workshop organised by Australia Awards – South and West Asia. The WiLN provides an opportunity for Australia Awards alumnae across the region to connect and support one another with advice and practical suggestions for overcoming any challenges and barriers they face. Various country chapters of the WiLN subsequently formed in 2016. Since its launch in March 2016, WiLN Bangladesh has been a forum for Australia Awards alumnae to assist each other and to engage in collective actions to bring about gender equality in Bangladesh.

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A big congratulations to #AustraliaAwards alumna Limia Dewan - the winner of QUT #impactstories 2020 for her significant contribution in empowering students with disability in #Bangladesh.

Limia is a Senior Program Manager, Inclusiveness and Capacity Development Unit of BRAC Education Programme in Bangladesh. She attended Australia Awards Short Course on “Inclusive Education” at the Queensland University of Technology in 2016. Also, she became a member of Australia Awards Community of Practice on Inclusive Education that established during the Regional Alumni Workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2016.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not just health workers who are helping their fellow citizens. Engineer and Australia Awards alumnus Mohammad Shahe Arefeen is playing a vital role in ensuring safe roads in remote areas in Bangladesh so that emergency supplies and services can reach the people who need them. Outside of his employment, he is also volunteering to assist low-income earners and marginalised groups affected by the pandemic.

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