Shabbir Ahmed

On assignment as project coordinator in Bangladesh

Project visit by Bernd Göken (right, Managing Director of Cap Anamur) - here talking to a local NGO in the camp (center, Shabbir Ahmed, Cap Anamur Project Coordinator).
Project visit by Bernd Göken (right, Managing Director of Cap Anamur) - here talking to a local NGO in the camp (center, Shabbir Ahmed, Cap Anamur Project Coordinator).

Name

Shabbir Ahmed

Age

62 years old

Profession

Project coordinator

Country of operation

Bangladesh

Duration of mission

Since 2008

My everyday life in the project

I have an office in the capital Dakka. There I am in regular telephone exchanges with the various project sites, because Cap Anamur has cooperation agreements with three governmental and five non-governmental health facilities throughout the country. I inquire about the pharmaceutical and consumable needs of the facilities and have new medications and supplies sent to them as needed. To do this, I ask various suppliers for prices and order the materials.
Before COVID, I regularly visited the project sites to be there as a local contact.
I am in regular contact with the head office in Cologne. Once a year, the documents for NGO registration must be completed and submitted.

What I value most about my work:

Through my work, I have the opportunity to improve the situation of the poor in this country. Suggestions for changes or new ideas can be submitted and discussed directly with colleagues in Cologne.
It is very nice to see that the innovations and recommendations discussed during a project visit are promptly implemented by the employees on site.

I work for Cap Anamur because:

I have worked for several organizations before, but I really like it at Cap Anamur because I know all the staff from the Cologne office and am often in direct contact with them.
You get quick responses to inquiries.
When colleagues from Cologne come to Bangladesh for a project visit, they stay in the guest room of our offices. We travel together to visit the different sites, we spend the whole time together.

I know from my years of experience that this is unusual. European visitors are often accommodated in hotels and do not experience many aspects of the daily life of the local population.
The visitors from Cologne know what they are talking about when they fly home, again.

My fondest memories in the project:

One of my most formative memories is meeting Rupert Neudeck, the founder of Cap Anamur, during one of his project visits to Bangladesh. I accompanied Rupert for 4 days. I was, and am still, deeply impressed by his personality.

Team members in portrait