The first ever girls’ leadership summit 2023

Senior Staff Reporter, Rangpur :

The Girls’ Leadership Summit commenced in Kurigram with 50 girls and young women from different upazillas of the district. Led by the Child Not Bride (CNB) project of Plan International Bangladesh, the event took place at Swapnakuri in the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Kurigram on 19 July 2023
The main objective of the summit was to recognize and encourage the initiatives of girls and young women and to enhance their leadership skills and development. Girls and young women from the remote areas of Kurigram district especially Char area participated in this summit, some of them also stopped their own child marriage and shared those stories which was inspiring for others.
“Girls should have specific goals and move forward accordingly and we should come together to support them”, said the speakers during the Girls Leadership Summit in Kurigram. The speakers also provide encouraging and guiding speeches to motivate the girls to continue their studies for their betterment.
Funded by NRK Telethon, Plan International Bangladesh has been implementing the CNB project across the Kurigram district with the support of the partner organization RDRS Bangladesh and Mahidev Jubo Samaj Kalyan Samiti (MJSKS).
Deputy Commissioner of Kurigram district Mohammad Saidul Arif was present as the chief guest on 19 July 2023 at the inauguration of the two-day long summit. After listening to the challenging stories from the girls, the Deputy Commissioner said, “The working modality of the Child Not Bride project (CNB) for empowering girls is truly commendable and despite all odds, we will support them to continue their education through maintaining collaboration and coordination to build a Smart Bangladesh”.
Superintendent of Police of Kurigram district, Al Asad Md. Mahfuzul Islam was present as the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the second day on 20 July 2023. Kabita Bose, Country Director of Plan International Bangladesh joined the event virtually as a special guest. Deputy Director of Kurigram District, (Local Government) Minhajul Islam, Head of Central and Northern Region Programs of Plan International Bangladesh AshiK Billah, President of Kurigram Press Club Razu Mostafiz, Senior Coordinator of Social Empowerment of RDRS Bangladesh K.M. Rashedul Arefeen, Director of Mahideb Jubo Samaj Kallyan Somity (MJSKS) Shyamal Chandra Sarkar were present as special guests.