The Hermann Gmeiner Award is awarded for special achievements in the humanitarian and cultural field and for outstanding performances in profession, sports and studies. It is awarded biennially to people who have grown up in an SOS facility or to young people still living there. The money comes from a donation made for this purpose, the interest of which is used for this award. This year's award will amount to 15,000 Euro.
The award winner, Dr. Enamul Haque, comes from a poor farmer's family in Bangladesh and was admitted to the SOS Children's Village Rajshahi in 1975. He graduated from high school with distinction and got a university place at the University of Rajshahi. He became the first SOS youth in Bangladesh to be granted a place to study medicine at the State University. In Bangladesh several thousands of candidates apply for these studies every year, but only 400 of them are allocated a university place. In 1996 Enamul Haque finished his medicine studies successfully and in 1999 he got a "Master in Public Health" degree at the Queensland University in Australia.
After returning from Australia he started working at the DAMIEN-FOUNDATION in Bangladesh, a non-state organisation for lepers and tubercular patients. He is responsible for ten small centres in the province Rajshahi and treats numerous tubercular patients and lepers every day. The award honours Enamul Haque's special and personal commitment in his work.
Contact:
SOS Children's Village Hermann Gmeiner Academy Hermann-Gmeiner-Strasse 51
A-6021 Innsbruck Tel.: +43 / (0)512 / 3316-0
Fax: +43 / (0)512 / 3316-686
E-mail: HGAK@sos-kd.org