Bangladeshi Tanzil Ferdous wins Emerging Young Leaders Award

The exchange program provides skills training to set awardees on paths for increased collaboration on global issues affecting youth, particularly those involved in building peace, combating extremism, and empowering youth. As the president of Volunteer for Bangladesh, the largest platform for youth volunteerism in the country, Tanzil has organized numerous successful events for community development, engaging hundreds of youth in volunteerism. “She believes that if youth are engaged and motivated to do community service, they will be deterred from extremist activities,” the State Department said. Currently, she is working with the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, to help them not become victims of extreme violence. Her work has helped support a safe space for 500 refugee children with the JAAGO Foundation in the Rohingya camps. “Tanzil’s mission is to empower adolescent girls and women, to bring them to leadership positions through capacity building and strengthening them to become the leaders of tomorrow,” the State Department said.