Apasen International has been chosen as the nominated Charity of the Year by the Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA) for 2015.

This was announced at the annual BCA Awards 2015, which was held at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel on the 22nd November 2015. The awards ceremony was attended by a 1000 guests and included members of parliament, celebrities and business leaders.

A raffle was organised by the BCA and the proceeds will be passed onto Apasen International to support children with disabilities in Bangladesh.

Representatives of Apasen International gave a brief introduction to the work of the charity and we hope to work more closely with the BCA and its members in the coming year to raise the awareness of disabilities in Bangladesh and also raise much needed funds to support vulnerable children.

The BCA is the umbrella organisation of approximately 12,000 British-Bangladeshi restaurants across the UK. It was established in 1960 to represent the Catering Industry run by the ethnic Bangladeshis. At present, the industry employs more than 90,000 people, mostly Bangladeshi origin, with an estimated yearly turnover of £4 billion. BCA organises various activities to promote Bangladeshi cuisine in Great Britain as well as in Europe.

www.bca1960.com

Apasen International in partnership with BRAC organised a Seminar in Dhaka, Bangladesh on the 25th November 2015 to celebrate and recognise the International Disability Day 2015.

The theme for the seminar was Inclusion Matters: Access and empowerment for people of all abilities. The seminar focussed on this theme and how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) will play a role in this issue. The seminar provided the opportunity to raise awareness of NeuroDevelopment Disability (NDD) and access to education, health and other resources for children with disabilities.

The Seminar was inaugurated by the chief guest, The Secretary for the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Nasima Begum and chaired by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed (Founder and Chairperson of BRAC).

Mahmud Hasan MBE, Chief Executive of Apasen International gave an update on the activities of Apasen International and was joined by Stewart Harris, Headteacher of Phoenix Primary and Secondary School in Tower Hamlets, London, a specialised school providing support to children with learning disabilities.