Mr. Joel Ahmed, the founder of Bangladesh Blind Mission (BBM), was born on 24 August 1955 in Chottrishgram village under Louhajong Thana of Bikrampur (present-day Munshiganj district). During his childhood, the area suffered from an acute shortage of safe drinking water. Due to the lack of clean water, local people often drank pond water, which caused frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and dysentery.
At the age of five, Joel Ahmed was infected with smallpox. Due to the lack of proper medical treatment, he lost his eyesight permanently. This tragic incident marked the beginning of his lifelong journey of struggle and perseverance.
Mr. Joel Ahmed, the founder of Bangladesh Blind Mission (BBM), was born on 24 August 1955 in Chottrishgram village under Louhajong Thana of Bikrampur (present-day Munshiganj district). During his childhood, the area suffered from an acute shortage of safe drinking water. Due to the lack of clean water, local people often drank pond water, which caused frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and dysentery.
At the age of five, Joel Ahmed was infected with smallpox. Due to the lack of proper medical treatment, he lost his eyesight permanently. This tragic incident marked the beginning of his lifelong journey of struggle and perseverance.
At the age of six, he moved to Dhaka and was admitted to a school for the blind, where his formal education began. He passed the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination in 1973 and then enrolled at Dhaka College for higher secondary education, successfully completing it in 1974. In 1975, he was admitted to the Department of Political Science at the University of Dhaka.
During his university years, he faced numerous challenges. There were no Braille books, and very limited facilities were available for visually impaired students. Despite all these obstacles, he successfully completed his higher education through determination and hard work.
After finishing his studies, he began his professional life and soon realized that visually impaired persons in Bangladesh had very limited access to education and employment opportunities. With a vision to bring change, he, along with a group of young colleagues, founded the Bangladesh Blind Mission (BBM) in 1992.
One of the first initiatives of BBM was the Education Project, through which Braille books, cassette recorders, and other educational materials were distributed among blind students. From 1994 to 2010, the organization UCN (The Netherlands) partnered with BBM in implementing the project titled “Braille Transcription and Livelihood for the Blind Students.” This 16-year collaboration greatly strengthened and expanded BBM’s programs.
Thus, through the vision, resilience, and dedication of Joel Ahmed, the journey of Bangladesh Blind Mission began — an organization that continues to work tirelessly for the empowerment and development of visually impaired people in Bangladesh.