Bangladesh volunteer Arefin Rahman Himel gets Queen’s Commonwealth Points of Light award

Queen Elizabeth II has recognised a Bangladeshi volunteer, Arefin Rahman Himel, as the 37th Commonwealth Point of Light, in honour of his “exceptional service” in raising awareness of the hereditary blood disorder Thalassemia across Bangladesh, the British High Commission says.

In the lead-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London on April 19 and 20, the Queen - as Head of the Commonwealth - is thanking inspirational volunteers across the 53 Commonwealth nations for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond.

By sharing these stories of service, the Heads of Government meeting will celebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time.

Himel is the founder of ‘Let’s Fight Against Thalassemia’, a project that sensitises the public about the hereditary blood disorder which affects the production of red blood cells.

Since 2010, Arefin has held 165 events across ten districts in Bangladesh, educating more than 10,000 young people on thalassemia carrier detection and blood donation programmes, the British High Commission said in a statement.

Thanks to this work, there are now 4,600 free thalassemia carrier detection screening tests in 35 universities and colleges across Bangladesh.

Arefin, with the support of his team of 250 volunteers and 50 doctors, has also created an app called ‘ABC of Thalassemia’ to further educate the people about the potentially fatal disease.

Each Commonwealth Point of Light will receive a personalised certificate signed by the queen as the head of the Commonwealth.

The award for Himel will be presented on Mar 23 at a Commonwealth Big Lunch reception.

“It is a great privilege and honour to receive the Commonwealth Point of Light Award, offered to me by Her Majesty the Queen as the Head of the Commonwealth,” Himel said in a reaction.

“I was very surprised to receive such a prestigious award. The award shines a light not just on my own volunteer work but the wider work of young volunteers across Bangladesh,” he was quoted as saying.

Thalassemia is a hereditary disorder which results in excessive destruction of red blood cells leading to anaemia. The symptoms include paleness, weakness, frequent infections, loss of appetite and stalled growth, which appear within two to five years of age.

According to estimates, Bangladesh has 11 million thalassemic carriers, which means one in every 16 Bangladeshi is a carrier of this disease.

Silent carriers contribute to the number of patients, as thalassemia gene carriers or 'minors', who on marrying each other, have 25 percent chance to give birth to a thalassemia major baby, which is avoidable.

The Points of Light awards recognise outstanding volunteers every day of the week – people whose service is making a difference in their communities and whose story can inspire others to creative innovative solutions to social challenges in their own communities and beyond.

It began in America under President George Bush and today over 6,000 US Points of Light have been recognised. The scheme has the support of all living US presidents.

Since 2014, the UK prime minister has been recognising a daily Point of Light from the UK, with almost 900 now recognised.

Commonwealth Points of Light is a continuation of this programme – with a special series of awards recognising inspirational volunteers throughout the Commonwealth in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

One volunteer will be recognised from each of the Commonwealth countries in the 53 week days preceding the Heads of Government meeting.

The British Council has congratulated Himel on his recognition.

“On behalf of the British Council, I would like to congratulate Arefin [Himel] on receiving this award,” Director of British Council Barbara Wickham was quoted as saying in the statement.

“As an Active Citizen volunteer, he has shown remarkable commitment towards raising awareness on Thalassaemia – a genetic blood disorder, connecting particularly with young people across Bangladesh to ensure that current and future generations are aware of the risks”.

She said his initiative “Youth Club of Bangladesh” is both a “powerful and inspiring” example of youth working at the heart of their community to address social issues.

“We believe that Arefin’s work is testament to the benefits of embedding social action in the journey of young people, and that through the continued work of British Council’s Active Citizen’s programme, we will have the opportunity to work with more young people like Arefin, who strive to make long-lasting, positive contributions to society.”

British Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh Kanbar Hossein-Bor said he was “delighted that Arefin’s work and tremendous dedication and perseverance in raising awareness about Thalassaemia in Bangladesh has been recognised.”

“I have had the pleasure to meet him and he is an impressive young man. He has embodied the community leadership that is so vibrant in the voluntary sector and which makes Bangladesh world leaders in the field of development and grassroots activism,” he said.

“I have no doubt that he will be an inspiration to other young leaders in changing their communities and help realise the exciting potential of all the peoples of Bangladesh.”

The British Council director and the British deputy high commissioner handed over the award certificate to Himel recently.

The Commonwealth is a grouping of 53 nations who had British colonies. Together it is aimed at promoting prosperity, democracy and peace. 'Towards a Common Future' is the theme of the April summit.