Nasreen, former Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) member, died on 24 April 2006 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She was one of the women activists that ARROW co-founders Rita Raj and Rashidah Abdullah most admired when setting up ARROW. Nasreen’s analysis, insights, courage, and fresh perspectives dazzled them at the International Health Meeting in Manila in 1990 and she was invited to become a founding PAC member, remaining so until 2001.
Nasreen was a tireless, passionate activist and helped shape the Bangladeshi women’s movement and civil society. After studying in the US, she joined the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, then Helen Keller International, and finally Action Aid as Country Director. For almost 20 years, Nasreen also worked with the women’s NGO Naripokkho, for whom she had coordinated both the Women’s Health and the Safe Motherhood Teams and founded a national campaign against acid violence. Nasreen was also a regular advisor on gender issues to the Government of Bangladesh, playing a critical role on the government delegation during ICPD in Cairo and at the ICPD+5 Meeting in Bangkok. We remember her very fondly both for all the wonderful activist work she did, as well as for her beaming smile, incredible warmth and beauty.