Habiba Akter is the Executive Director of Ashar Alo Society (AAS), a community based NGO working for rights, support, care, empowerment and greater involvement of people living with or effected by HIV and AIDS in Bangladesh.
The ultimate goal of AAS is to support HIV/AIDS infected and affected people for ensuring their well being, improving quality of life, health care and creating a society that is free from stigma and discrimination.
Ashar Alo society was founded in 2000.
Ashar Alo has grown from a staff of four in Dhaka and a membership of ten to a staff of 19 serving almost half of the country’s 658 identified PLHA and more than 750 family members in six cities in Bangladesh.
Habiba Akter recently visited USA under US State Department’s program on NGO management.
In an interview with Voice of America, Habiba spoke about Ashar Alo and it’s mission, the AIDS situation in Bangladesh and her experience in US.
