They would say, “This woman wants to make everything in her own country”

Scientist Firdausi Qadri, head of the immunology department at icddr,b, recently spoke at an event at the Prothom Alo office in Dhaka on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Here are excerpts:

I was a teacher at Dhaka University. Then I joined the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in the 1980s because I was always interested in research. There was not much scope for research in the universities then, though now it's a bit better than before. I'm left-handed and left-handed people are said to be a little different. I wouldn't say I'm brilliant but I am very enthusiastic about my work.

When I left the Dhaka University, my husband stayed back there, teaching. He obviously wasn't too eager about me leaving Dhaka University, but he also knew very well this woman could not be stopped.

After starting to work at icddr,b, I felt I got back a platform like when I would work abroad. Many men and women in Bangladesh get the opportunity to prove them because of this platform. I do not consider this as an international institution, but as a national institution where several foreigners work and that gives us certain privileges. We get to learn and do many things.

I have worked my entire life in the lab. A little before 2005, I started thinking that I work so hard in the lab but wasn't seeing any results. There were so many cholera patients on the streets, so many distressed persons, but I could not do anything for them. My way of thinking started to change. I continued thinking on how to do something for Bangladesh. That earned me a a bit of a bad reputation abroad. They would say, “This woman just talks about her own country. She want to make everything in Bangladesh.”

Gradually the ShanChol cholera vaccine was produced. It is very affordable. We can give it to people at $1 (Tk 85) and this vaccine would immunise people. I did not develop the vaccine. I have researched it. I have researched a lot about cholera patients. I have worked on how their immune system works and what changes occur to their bacteria. Other people worked on vaccine formulation.

Then I thought, why not bring the vaccine to Bangladesh? We started running big trials in Dhaka city and we found we could use it. It was an oral vaccine. It does not need to be preserved in any refrigerator. The vaccine can be used for 14 days without a refrigerator.

I also did another thing. I saw that the vaccine was not being manufactured in Bangladesh. Why not? I approached many people and then several companies stepped forward. They manufactured this vaccine in Bangladesh. Now many vaccines are being manufactured in Bangladesh. I did not develop it. They manufactured it. But they were inspired and now the vaccines are also being sold in Bangladesh too. Since we do not have the pre-qualifications of World Health Organization, the vaccine is not being exported yet. But it will be soon.

Whenever I worked on cholera vaccine, I have always maintained a clause stating the vaccine technology must be transferred to Bangladesh. I said it so shamelessly once my icddr,b director said, “Don’t push it too far.” But the technology came to Bangladesh because of of this repeated pushing. Likewise, I have also worked on the typhoid vaccine.

I am a very ordinary person. I always said the biggest inspiration of my life is Bangladesh. Had I not been in Bangladesh perhaps I would not have done any of this. If I worked at a foreign lab, I might have just remained a post-doc. My work might not have had any value. Since I am in Bangladesh, I have been inspired to work. There are lots of problems in Bangladesh. If we all work on every single problem, we can achieve something or the other.

No international award, be it the Ramon Magsaysay Award or the L'Oréal-UNESCO award, can give the amount of joy I feel after winning even a small award in Bangladesh. I want to tell all the men and women who are present here today, if we can cooperate and inspire each other, so many things will be possible.

I like to walk a lot. I walk at least 10,000 steps every day, or else I cannot sleep. While walking, if I see anyone, I tell them to study. I like New Market very much. I spent a lot of my childhood in New Market. Even now I try to go to New Market whenever I get a chance. I went to the New Market recently and saw a girl in a shop, writing slips. She told me she hadn't passed her SSC and was in Class 9. She is married and has a baby. I asked who takes care of the baby. She replied her mother-in-law does. Her husband is a private tutor. I asked why she didn't study anymore? She remained silent. Of course, she has lot of problems. I told her you could attend the Open University and pass her Secondary School Certificate (SSC). Whether I can actually help or not, I always try.

I read Prothom Alo every day. I get all sorts of news from your newspaper. There was a boy who does not have any hands and uses his mouth to write. But he continues with this studies. He now studies in Class 9. I learned about him from Prothom Alo. And I stand by his side.

I am from a middle class family. There are lots of girls at our house. My mother was also an only daughter. My maternal grandparents brought me up. My grandmother did not have any formal education but I would not say she was an uneducated person. She inspired my mother so I dedicate all of my awards to my grandmother. Had this woman not supported us from behind the scenes, we would not have done anything today. I cannot say ow many times I think of her every day. She had such courage! She wanted the girls to become self-reliant. Whenever a marriage proposal came, she got angry. She said, “Why would we marry the girls off? They must become self-reliant first. They must do something.”

You young people have many things to do. When we go out, we vent our frustration. The roads are congested with traffic. There is pollution. We dare not open newspaper for fear of bad news. But there is still so much we can do. We can rise above everything. Thank you.