Impact

Read Shajan Miah's reflections on participating in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani Diaspora Leaders programme in 2015.

Shajan Miah, Founder, Teach Skills International

Shajan Miah lost his beloved sister, Khela Begum, when she was only 12 years old. The terrible tragedy has shaped his life’s mission – to inspire a new generation of young people of Bangladesh as a tribute to his sister.

In November 2015, Shajan attended the Pakistani and Bangladeshi Diaspora Leaders Programme. The programme, supported by the British Council, is focused on helping the many Bangladeshi and Pakistani diaspora leaders to build their capacity to contribute to development in their home countries.

The programme provided Shajan with the opportunity to create an inspiring vision and set clear, compelling goals to achieving his mission. He became inspired to take risks and step out of his comfort zone.

Shajan decided to take a six-month career break after the programme ended. He spent that time in Bangladesh to set up the non-profit organization Teach Skills International, an educational agency that provides talks, workshops and full-day activities for schools, colleges and university students. It aims to teach students the skills they need for the jobs of the future. Over the past few years, Teach Skills International has engaged 140 schools in Bangladesh and developed a partnership with other non-profit organizations and the Bangladeshi government.

“I understood that to be a great leader it was vital that I was on the ground using my leadership skills, resources and commitment to drive and deliver the best results for all stakeholders. It was brilliant to explore my own current challenges during the programme. I really appreciated the support from the other diaspora leaders and finding out about their ideas too helped provide me with some new insights.”