CEO of Bangla Housing reflects on his struggle in Britain, career in community development and Covid campaign to challenge Covid misinformation. EARLY LIFE Bashir Uddin was born in Bangladesh. He came to the United Kingdom in 1966 as an 11 year old boy. He observed, at the time, he was one of few young boys from Bangladesh among young adults. He stated that: ‘And they are keen to work in the factories, as labourers and, and people started to bring their sons and nephews to the country… People didn't bring their families because they didn't think the point of bringing the family… you have to look after them, you have to have feed them’ Those who came from Bangladesh were economically beneficial to the family who they have left behind. These men would work for six months, a year or a couple of years, and then go back to Bangladesh and stay there for another six months, and then come back to the UK. This would be their routine pattern. He stated that:...
BritBanglaCovid is a platform that shares real-life experiences of British Bangladeshis prior to and during the pandemic. It shares their circumstances from their perspective for public benefit and tries to bring about positive health outcomes for the benefit of this and other minority communities through shared experience. BritBanglaCovid is also a forum through which minority community representatives discuss issues that affect them in times of health crisis.