I wanted to give you a quick summary and share photos from our recent trip to the Grameen Caledonia College of Nursing (GCCN) in Dhaka Feb 24th – March 5th. Dean Deborah Hunt and Ani Jacob returned to GCCN, and this year Charles Cal was a welcome addition to the team.
The Adelphi team did a lot of prep work in consultation with Principal Niru Shamsun Nahar in order to deliver a tailor-made faculty development program at GCCN’s college premises. The five-day interactive workshop had 22 GCCN faculty members participating in a range of activities with many reading assignments with the aim of augmenting the skills of GCCN’s faculty. Many thanks to all those at Adelphi who contributed to the success of the workshop.
We were warmly welcomed by everyone at GCCN, led by Principal Niru and her team, as well as Shamsul Haque Ahmed, the MD of Grameen Health Care Services. They made sure that all aspects of our visit went smoothly and looked after us as honoured guests. We were truly grateful for all logistics that made the trip go so smoothly: the delicious meals, the expert driver and the attention to our needs. A special shout out to Md. Rashad for accompanying us to see some of the sights and the beautiful countryside on his weekend.
Separately, as you are all aware, Prof Yunus and several of his colleagues have been facing meritless charges by the Bangladeshi government in two courts. Luckily, they were granted bail on March 3rd by both courts, which is a small victory.
Prof Yunus was able to travel on March 13th and I thought you’d be interested to hear about a couple of the highlights from his trip. At the Baku World Summit, he received an award from UNESCO and met with WHO’s Dr Tedros where he spoke about GCCN and the partnership with Adelphi – in fact Dr Tedros will be sending a team from the WHO to visit GCCN in the coming months. In Paris, Prof Yunus was honoured by the Mayor of Paris where he received a standing ovation for his efforts to address the housing shortage by creating a social business for the accommodation for 37,000 athletes into a permanent housing for low income families. Here is a video that gives the scope of the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WakLRDo-F1w
There has been an outpouring of support worldwide of Prof Yunus. In the US, on March 13th, US Senator Durbin met with Bangladeshi Ambassador Imran and raised Yunus’ case and was very firm in urging the end of harassment of Prof. Yunus: https://twitter.com/senatordurbin/status/1768026512014377417?s=46&t=Yas6tkVeHgYjYV_ZHmUQcQ. And below, Peter Haas, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh in a FaceBook post on March 5th expressed his support for Prof Yunus. We all wish him well on his next court appearances on April 2nd and the 16th where we dearly hope that bail will be extended and that justice will prevail with the charges being eventually dropped.
Below, please see photos which you may find of interest from a happy visit.
With best wishes and gratitude for a successful continued partnership, Susan
Feb 24th: Welcome dinner at the Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing to kick off the visit with Dean Deborah Hunt, Ani Jacob and Charles Cal, faculty members of Adelphi University and me. To my left are Yunus’s daughter Deena, and Nurjahan Begum, Prof Yunus’s long-time associate who runs Grameen Shikkha, a scholarship.
March 3rd: Final day of the faculty development training on the steps of GCCN. GCCN faculty
Were dressed in purple in honour of celebrating International Women’s Day early.
March 3rd: Certificate ceremony – Pictured is Rima Rani being presented with her certificates.
Feb 29th: Lunch at the Hub at the Yunus Centre with many of the Grameen company managing
directors and several civil society leaders.
March 5th Facebook post by U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas:
Honored to host Dr Yunus and Ms Begum, two individuals whose work has empowered millions to lift themselves out of poverty. The United States continues to closely monitor developments in the cases against Dr Yunus and his colleagues, and we have expressed concern that these cases may represent a misuse of Bangladesh’s labor laws.
March 15th at the Global Baku Forum: Prof Yunus with WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Here are more photos from our wonderful visit from February 24th to March 5th:
Feb 24th: GCCN Senior Staff joined with by partner Hiroshima University’s Michiko Moriyama,
the Adelphi team and Nurjahan Begum and Shazeeb Khairul Islam, founder of YYVentures.
Feb 24th: Opening meeting of Adelphi’s visit with Prof Yunus joined by his daughter Deena.
Feb 24th: Welcome dinner for Adelphi’s visit.
Feb 25th: First day of Adelphi’s Faculty Development Program for GCCN Faculty.
March 3rd: Charles and several GCCN faculty members participating in the workshop.
March 3rd: Classroom photos during the workshop.
March 3rd: On the steps of GCCN.
March 3th: Vice Principal Dr Sandra Rumi Madhu; Susan; Deborah; Ani; Charles; Ed Cabrera,First Development Secretary at the Canadian High Commission; and Satu Mondal. The Cdn High Commission supports nursing programs in Bangladesh.
March 4th: GCCN first year nursing students
March 4th: Farewell Day Celebrations for Year 4 students: Principal Niru Nahar (centre) beside
Shamsul Haque Ahmed, Managing Director Grameen Health Care Services.
March 4th: in the GCCN assembly for the Farewell Ceremony.
March 4th: Presentation of books from Adelphi to GCCN: Saleha Khatum, Ani Jacob, Deborah Hunt,
Principal Dr Niru Nahar, and Vice Principal Dr Sandra Rumi Madhu, and Charles Cal.
March 4th: Presentation of beautifully embroidered bedcovers to each us.
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