News

A new chapter has begun for our organisation as our new Country Director, Abu Bakkar Mia, stepped up into the role in July 2025. It was a significant milestone for Symbiosis, and Noel Harvey (Board Chair) and I (Lisa, CEO) were privileged to be there. On his listening tour to all project offices, Bakkar encouraged […]

 Dr Md. Abdur Rahman After 11 years of dedicated and tireless service as the Country Director of SymbiosisBangladesh, Dr Md. Abdur Rahman has announced his retirement this week effective 30 June2025. As a friend of Symbiosis Bangladesh since its inception in 1995, Dr Rahman took on this role asCountry Director at a pivotal time for

While in Bangladesh, John Davis (Chief Program Officer) and I had the chance to meet with three of ten enthusiastic groups which have started in Keraniganj, a new working area for Symbiosis. Our team members described how difficult it was to start somewhere new. People were suspicious of the surveys and they didn’t quite understand

Picture not being able to recognise the faces of your family and friends because your vision is so blurry.  All you can really see is shapes in the daylight and dark. Imagine if this could be fixed but because you are poor and living in rural Bangladesh, you can’t get access to the support you

Pictured: The women of Tenaki – a local Community Development Organisation refusing to accept the illegal practice of marrying of young girls within their community. Child marriage has historically been high in Bangladesh which has the 8th highest prevalence of child marriage in world! UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019 identified 51.4% of women (at

Pictured: The conference evening program included our talented staff in dance, song and even a judo demonstration that got everyone on their feet! At our recent staff conference, Symbiosis staff and their families gathered for a significant time of connection and celebration, exhortation and training (as well as a few games). It was our first

Pictured: Leadership team of the Baisherchar Agricultural Cooperative Society Ltd on their graduation day! On my recent trip to Bangladesh, I had the privilege of attending four graduation ceremonies for Community Based Organisations that have grown from our work. Each ceremony was a distinctive as the group themselves but with a common theme of transformation

Pictured: CEO Lisa West-Newman (centre) with the official commemorative certificate handover to Padma Mohila Unnayan Samiti Leadership. Symbiosis Bangaldesh Country Director Dr Abdur Rahman (foreground), alongside senior Symbiosis Bangladesh staff and local dignitaries. On the 30 September 2023, Symbiosis International celebrated the ‘graduation’ of the Padma Mohila Unnayan Samiti (Padma Women’s Development Association). ‘Padma’, as

Pictured: Top left – Adam Robinson, Top right – Krystal Wallis, Bottom – Savaen Cameron. The very first sentence of our 2022 Annual Report written by our directors says: “ ​​Symbiosis continues to be in a significant time of transition, a time when those who have been with the organisation for many years come to