M Iftekhar Rahman
Director
An MBA who has worked across local and international NGOs and in universities, Iftekhar helps steer strategy and operations.
OfP
Who we are
Oasis for Posterity (OfP) is a not-for-profit social welfare organization registered under the Ministry of Social Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh (reg no. Nil/Jal/422 dated 18 Nov 2015), and registered with the NGO Affairs Bureau (reg no. 3129 dated 04 Jan 2018) — which lets us operate nationwide and receive foreign donations.
Our history
OfP began in 2009 as a personally funded charity started by its founder, Rotarian M Rabiul Islam. Since then, it has grown into a registered organization guided by a governing body, with support from a circle of local and international development advisers, its working priorities spanning education, training, health, poverty, relief, environment, income generation and sustainability.
What we believe
Lasting prosperity comes from making sure opportunity reaches everyone — present generations and the ones still to come.
Real change happens when communities use their own abilities and resources, in their own way, to build their own solutions.
Everyone carries ability worth investing in. Given the chance to use it, that potential changes lives well beyond one person.
Trust is earned. Everything we do is built on being open about how and why we do it.
Vision & mission
Through inclusive socioeconomic development, present and future generations of rural Bangladeshi women, men and youth have the chance to share genuinely in prosperity.
Mission
Who we serve
Our work is based in Jaldhaka, one of six sub-districts of Nilphamari, itself one of five districts in Rangpur division, an area long affected by seasonal famine known locally as monga. Jaldhaka is home to more than 300,000 people across roughly 300 square kilometers, and poverty there runs deep: in one survey of 850 families in a single village, 60% were getting by on less than $2.50 a day.
OfP's central focus is reducing poverty through better education, skills trainings, health services, sustainable agriculture and income generation that lasts.
Listening first
All of our work happens through community collaboration. Over the past several years, OfP has held a series of community dialogues to hear directly from residents about their concerns and hopes. The conversation almost always returns to economic livelihood, especially for women. Families have told us about climate pressure on traditional farming work, concerns about early marriage for young women, and the need for opportunity including jobs beyond Jaldhaka for young people.
Those conversations led directly to some of our clearest responses so far: free primary schools, support through secondary education, a technical and vocational education and training institute, a healthcare centre. We know there's bigger, structural work still ahead which is part of why access to education, from primary school through to higher levels, remains a central focus.
Our team
A small, mostly local team that lives in the communities it serves.
Founder & Chairperson
Rabiul founded Oasis for Posterity in 2009 to bring education and opportunity to families in and around Jaldhaka. He pairs decades of grassroots development experience with ongoing doctoral research, and continues to guide the organisation's direction today.
Director
An MBA who has worked across local and international NGOs and in universities, Iftekhar helps steer strategy and operations.
Head, Community Health Program
A registered BSc nurse and certified caregiver trainer, Sumona has worked as a nursing instructor and in clinical care, and now leads our community health program.
Assistant Director, Skills Training
A certified trainer and assessor across a dozen vocational programmes, Azad runs our skills-training work.
Assistant Director, Accounts
Nasim brings accounting experience that keeps the organisation's books transparent and every taka accountable.
Head Teacher, Primary Education
With a B.Ed, an MBA and long experience as a primary head teacher, Altab leads our primary education programme.
Liaison Officer, Dhaka
Samsuzzaman has wide experience across NGOs, microcredit and development programmes, and represents OfP in Dhaka.
Our advisers
Friends of the organisation who lend their experience and guidance along the way.
Adviser · Canada
A health-systems and community-development consultant who has supported the organisation's work for many years.
Adviser · Canada
An economist at Simon Fraser University whose research spans three decades of work in Bangladesh, with a focus on education in South Asia.
Adviser · Canada
A nurse educator who spent more than fifteen years in Dhaka helping build nurse training at IUBAT's College of Nursing.
Adviser · Netherlands
A retired UNESCO Sustainability Chair and founder of COMMEET, advising on sustainability and community learning.
Adviser · Portugal
A long-standing adviser to the organisation, supporting its community development work.
Adviser · USA
A retired professor who lends his experience to the organisation's programmes.
Partnerships
We work alongside organizations and individuals in Bangladesh and abroad, and we're always glad to connect with others who share our goals. Right now, that includes active partners from a few countries.
See all our partners →