Shomy Hasan Chowdhury Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Activist

Shomy Hasan Chowdhury is a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activist from Bangladesh, with a vision to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for everyone. Shomy, an Economics’ student of Universiti Putra Malaysia, is the Co-Founder of a youth organization “Awareness 360,” a State Alumna, a YES Alumna, an International Exchange Alumna, a Global Changemakers Fellow, and a Global Youth Ambassador of former British First Lady Sarah Brown’s “Their world.”

Shomy is also a Youth Advocate of Global Citizen. Last year, she was invited to New York to attend and speak at the Global Citizen Festival in September 2017 where she shared her story with a crowd of over 60,000 people in Central Park educating them on the importance of clean sanitation and on using our individual power to raise awareness and advocate for issues we care about. She was also invited as a Special Guest to the Commission on the Status of Women Side Event in New York in March, 2017.

Most recently, Shomy became the first Bangladeshi to be appointed as the Asia Representative of the Commonwealth Students’ Association that represents students’ voice across the 53 Commonwealth countries. She took her oath in presence of the Commonwealth Secretary General, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland while she attended the Integrated Partners Forum (IPF) at the 20^th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers Meeting (CCEM) held in Nadi, Fiji. She was also invited to the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018 in London.

Shomy also served the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Alumni Bangladesh Association as an Executive Committee Member for the tenure 2012-2014. She was the Alumni Instructor of YES Arrival Orientation 2014 in Washington DC. She has been engaged in community service for over 10 years now. She set a record of doing 460 hours of community service during her exchange year in Michigan, USA. She has been awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold) from President Barack Obama for her outstanding contribution in community service.

Besides, Shomy is also awarded with the Best Vocal Award by Cheboygan Choir and has won the Northern Michigan Has Talent Show 2012.

Shomy believes in the power of youth and looks forward to mobilizing the future leaders in achieving the SDGs thereby shaping this world to a better place.