Concern Country Director dies in tragic accident
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Concern Worldwide Country Director Shahnewaz Alam Khan has died tragically in a car accident in Sierra Leone in West Africa.
The crash happened in the capital, Freetown, on the evening of 17 September. 45-year-old Shahnewaz, who was originally from Bangladesh, had been working for Concern for a decade and was admired and respected by colleagues throughout the organisation.
Paying tribute to Shahnewaz, Concern’s Overseas Director Paul O’Brien said: “Shahnewaz devoted his life to working to improve the lives of poor people, particularly in the area of health. He was deeply committed to Concern.”
Shahnewaz, who held masters degrees in public health and in STDs and HIV, both from the University of London, joined Concern’s operation in his home country in 1998 as the head of the agency’s Health and Nutrition Programme.
“Shahnewaz made a huge contribution to our health, nutrition and HIV programmes,” said Paul O’Brien. “He worked with people with HIV in Bangladesh at a time when it was very difficult to do so. He constantly advocated for better services and treatment for them and tried to tackle the stigma and discrimination they endured.”
Mr Khan went on to become Assistant Country Director in Bangladesh in 2002 before moving to Concern Malawi, also as Assistant Country Director in 2005. He had been Country Director in Sierra Leone since August 2007. In May this year, he visited Dublin and was a special guest on RTÉ Television’s “The Late, Late Show” when the programme marked Concern’s 40th anniversary.
Shahnewaz Khan was a popular member of Concern’s 4,000-strong international team. Today, colleagues spoke of his warmth, his charm and his sense of fun.
“Shahnewaz had this zest for life,” said Regional Director Bríd Kennedy, who worked closely with him over the past year. “He was always willing to help, no matter what the issue was. He always saw the positive side of things, and always believed that solutions could be found. He had a great ability to motivate and enthuse others and get them focusing on the issues affecting people. I think he probably touched the heart of everyone he met.”
“He was quite brilliant,” said Paul O’Brien. “His dedication, professionalism, and ready smile will be missed by all of us who knew him. Our thoughts are with his wife Nazma and his 9-year-old daughter Zareen who are with him in Sierra Leone as well as his family in Bangladesh and the UK, and our teams in Sierra Leone, Malawi and Bangladesh.”
Concern driver Adekalie Bangura, who was injured in the accident, is expected to make a full recovery.
