Institute of Child and Human Development

Opening Doors for the Next Generation……

Advancing early childhood development and special needs care through research, training, and policy advocacy.

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Who We Are

Provide and support Early Childhood Development (ECD} and selective Special Needs (SN) and Human Development (HD)services, especially in a demonstration, professional courses, action research and experimental mode.

Develop and carry out professional courses on Early Childhood Development.

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Our Achievement

Research & Evaluation

International, Regional and National

ECD Professional Training

To Govt. Higher Officials in 34 Districts

Policy Document & Resources Development

ARNEC, MOWCA, UNICEF, WFP, PHULKI, GIZ, MOHFW

Partnership & Collaboration

ARNEC, MOWCA, UNICEF, WFP, UNESCO, GIZ, BSA etc.

Network Member of

ARNEC, SAFECDP, BEN

Our Focus Areas

At ICHD, we are committed to creating lasting impact through targeted programs and services that address every aspect of child and human development.

Early Childhood Development Programs

We design and implement programs that foster children’s growth, creativity, socialization, and early learning, especially for those with developmental delays and special needs.

Research & Policy Advocacy

Our research fuels evidence-based advocacy, shaping national and international policy to create inclusive, child-friendly environments and services.

Professional Courses

We offer courses for teachers, caregivers, development professionals, and parents, helping them to understand their children & be responsive accordingly.

Parenting Support & Special Needs Services

From counseling to hands-on workshops, we empower families with the knowledge and tools needed to nurture their children's well-being and potential.

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Founding Members

Dr. Manzoor Ahmed

Founder & Education Pioneer

A visionary leader in Bangladesh’s education sector, Dr. Ahmed has dedicated his career to promoting child rights, quality education, and social equity both nationally and globally.

Dr. Manzoor Ahmed

Founder & Education Pioneer

Dr. Manzoor Ahmed is a Professor Emeritus at BRAC University in Dhaka, Chairperson of Bangladesh ECD Network (BEN), Adviser to the Council of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) and Chair of Board of Management of Institute of Child and Human Development (ICHD). He was the founding director of BRAC University Institute of Educational Development. Dr. Ahmed has served for over two decades in senior positions in UNICEF including Senior Education Adviser, and country director in China, Ethiopia and Japan. Earlier he also served as senior researcher at the International Council for Educational Development in Connecticut, USA. He was involved in pioneering work with Philip Coombs on developing concepts and practices in non-formal education. He was a member of the interagency planning team for the World Conference on Education for All in 1990 in Jomtien, Thailand and the launch of the global EFA movement. Dr. Ahmed went to the American University of Beirut for his undergraduate degree, and later attended Dhaka University, University of Northern Colorado and Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. Ahmed’s professional, research and writing involvement continues in educational policy and planning aiming for quality with equity in the national learning systems comprising formal schools, early childhood development, non-formal education and lifelong learning.

Late Dr. Syed Fazley Hossain

Founder & Scientific Researcher

A distinguished academic and researcher, the late Dr. Syed Fazley Hossain dedicated his life to scientific excellence and advancing education and social development in USA and Bangladesh.

Late Dr. Syed Fazley Hossain

Founder & Scientific Researcher

Mr. Syed Fazley Hossain holds a Doctorate in Inorganic Chemistry from Glasgow University, UK. He began his academic career as an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Jahangirnagar University, where he served from 1974 to 1979. From 1978 to 1980, he worked as a Research Associate at Kansas State University, USA. Over the next 25 years, he held various academic and industrial research positions across the United States, contributing to advanced scientific research and development in the field of chemistry. Since retiring, Mr. Hossain has been actively engaged in social and philanthropic initiatives in Bangladesh, leveraging his academic background and international experience to support education and community development.

Mr. Taku Furukawa

Founder & Entrepreneur

A passionate entrepreneur dedicated to improving child and human development through innovative business solutions, combining decades of experience in finance, technology, and sustainable development.

Mr. Taku Furukawa

Founder & Entrepreneur

Mr. Taku Furukawa is an entrepreneur working with strong passion to improve the environment for child and human development. With more than two decades of career in business sector, he has wide experience and a good understanding of finance, business management and entrepreneurship. His mission is to promote innovative ideas and technologies to make significant change for better life in developing world, especially for children. In 2004, after serving 15 years in commercial banking business, Mr. Furukawa founded Kite Image Technologies, Ltd. (President: 2004~), a Japanese corporation developing handwriting character recognition technologies. In 2006, Kite has established Kite Educational Design Inc. In 2010, he established Kite Bangladesh Limited (Chairperson and CEO: 2010~), a joint venture company between Kite and D. Net, with the mission of creating holistic and comprehensive environment for child and human development in Bangladesh. Mr. Furukawa has been also involved in various other organizations to support developing countries. He is visiting faculty at Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo since 2009, where he teaches sustainable business in developing countries. Born in 1966 in Tokyo, Japan, he has Bachelor of Law from University of Kyoto.

Dr. Ananya Raihan

Founder & Visionary Leader in ICT

He dedicated to expanding access to information, social equity, and rural empowerment through innovation and research in Bangladesh and beyond.

Dr. Ananya Raihan

Founder & Visionary Leader in ICT

Dr. Ananya Raihan is currently the Executive Chairperson of Dnet. Dr. Raihan completed his MS in Economics (specializad on: Economic Cybernetics) in 1990 and was awarded Ph.D. in Economics in 1994 from V.M. Glushkov Insstitute of Cybernetics, National Academy of Science, Ukraine. Dr. Raihan started his professional career at Kharkov State University, Ukraine as an Assistant Professor in 1993. He also served as a Research Fellow, at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a civil society think tank in Bangladesh, and immensely contributed at Bangladesh Insstitute of Bank Management (BIBM) as an Associate Professor and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) as a consultant. He performed professional work for a number of international and regional organisations including UNCTAD, WTO-ITC, SAARCFINANCE, OXFAM, CENTAD, SAPANA, SCCI, UNESCO and ICTSD. Dr Raihan was awarded the Ashoka Fellowship in 2004 in recognised on of his contribution as a social innovator in the area of ICT for the rural community. Dr. Raihan has a diversified research interest which includes access to information and knowledge, international trade, financial sector reform, corporate social responsibility and SME development. He was the founder secretary General of Bangladesh Telecentre Network (BTN), which aims to build up information and knowledge system for the poor and marginalized by 2011 under its ission 2011.

Ms. Mahmuda Akhter

Founder & Early Childhood Development Expert

A renowned Early Childhood Development expert in Bangladesh and beyond, under her leadership Masters Degree on ECD developed in BRACU. She has been involved in national level policy development.

Ms. Mahmuda Akhter

Founder & Early Childhood Development Expert

Ms. Mahmuda Akhter is the Executive Director of the Institute of Child and Human Development (ICHD). She is also the Vice-Chair of Bangladesh ECD Network (BEN) and the Convener of South Asia Forum of Early Childhood Development Professionals (SAFECDP). She is a member of Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) Steering Committee and a Member of the Technical Advisory Group of Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), a global network for early childhood. She is a member of National ECCD Technical Committee under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. She was the founding Head of ECD Resource Centre at BRAC Institute of Educational Development, BRAC University from 2005 to 2011. Ms. Mahmuda worked as the National Consultant-ECCD of UNICEF Bangladesh, worked closely with NNS and IMCI at DGHS and provided technical support to develop the Comprehensive Integrated ECCD Strategy (Under-3) for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2022-2026) and a national action plan. Under the guidance of Ms. Mahmuda Akhter, a significant number of research studies was conducted in the field of Early Childhood Development. She had a lead role in designing and developing the Post Graduate Certificate, Diploma and Master Degree Program in Early Childhood Development at BRAC IED jointly with Columbia University USA and Open Society Institute London. She has been working as a faculty in this program of BRAC IED, BRAC University since 2008.

Advisory Board Members

Dr. Cassie Landers

Professor, Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University, USA

Dr. Cassie Landers

Professor, Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University, USA

Dr. Cassie Landers is Professor, Department of Population and Family Health at Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. She did her doctorate from Harvard University on comparative human development. She also did her masters in maternal and a child health from Harvard University and did her masters in Public health from Columbia University. She has been serving as a Senior education consultant at the Open Society Institute UK, In this capacity, she was the Academic Advisor for the development of Masters Program in ECD at, IED, BRAC University. At present she is guiding the thesis program on ECD in IED, BRAC University. Dr. Landers has developed a Behavioral Paediatrics training course under WHO auspices for pediatric residents and medical students in developing countries. She was a Senior Research Fellow, Ready to Learn, the International Center on Care and Education of Children of Academy for Education Development, Washington DC. She is the coordinator of an international, inter-agency group designed to strengthen programs benefiting young children and their families in the International Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development and a consultant to UNICEF; New York, She was also a Senior Research Scientist in the Division of Health Promotion Research at the American Health Foundation; New York. She is the author of many books, articles published in journals and developer of a number of videos.

Dr. Faith Lamb-Parker

Senior Research Scientist, Bank Street College of Education, USA

Dr. Faith Lamb-Parker

Senior Research Scientist, Bank Street College of Education, USA

Dr. Faith Lamb-Parker is a Senior Research Scientist at Bank Street College of Education, where she directs the National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness — one of six centers supporting Early Head Start, Head Start, and broader early childhood education communities through training and resource development. Dr. Lamb-Parker has extensive international experience, working in South Africa, Bangladesh, and Liberia using a community-based, co-construction approach to design and implement early childhood and family programs. From 1995 to 2010, she served as Assistant Clinical Professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, where she led research and evaluation initiatives, taught courses in infant and child development, and directed the international practicum program. Since 2007, Dr. Lamb-Parker has been a Senior Education Consultant to the Open Society Foundations' Early Childhood Division in the UK. In this role, she contributed significantly to BRAC/IED’s Early Childhood Development Master’s Program, advised on parent and family engagement, and helped co-develop the GROE tool — an international classroom quality assessment and teacher development resource now in use in Bangladesh. Her recent publications focus on global early childhood education and family well-being. Dr. Lamb-Parker earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the New School for Social Research and an M.S. in Early Childhood Development from City College of New York.

Dr. Indrani Talagala

Former Head, Early Childhood & Primary Education, Open University of Sri Lanka

Dr. Indrani Talagala

Former Head, Early Childhood & Primary Education, Open University of Sri Lanka

Dr. Indrani Talagala is a leading expert in Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in Sri Lanka. She serves as a Consultant for the National Policy on ECCD 2017, working under the Children’s Secretariat of the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs. She is also a visiting academic at the Faculty of Education, Open University of Sri Lanka, and a member of the Ministry’s National Committee on ECCD. Dr. Talagala formerly served as Head of the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education at the Open University of Sri Lanka, where she has been contributing since 1989. Earlier in her career, she worked as a teacher and course guide developer at the Curriculum Development Centre of the University of Sri Lanka. Her contributions to ECCD include developing home-based learning materials for primary school children (Grades 1–5) in conflict-affected regions, commissioned by the Ministry of Education. She has also presented numerous research papers at both national and international conferences. In collaboration with Dr. S. Fernandopulle, she conducted the mid-decade assessment of the Education for All (EFA) Goal 1, published by the Ministry of Education in 2008. Dr. Talagala has also supported the IED, BRAC University as visiting faculty for its ECD program, mentoring students and advising on thesis development. She holds both an MPhil and a PhD in Early Childhood Care and Development from the University of Colombo.

Dr. Nafeesur Rahman

Disability & Development Consultant | Public Health and Policy Advocate

Dr. Nafeesur Rahman

Disability & Development Consultant | Public Health and Policy Advocate

Dr. Nafeesur Rahman is a seasoned expert in disability rights and inclusive development, currently working as a freelance Disability & Development Consultant since 2017. He served as the Director of the National Forum of Organizations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD) from 2002 to 2016, leading national-level advocacy and inclusion efforts in Bangladesh. Earlier in his career, Dr. Rahman held various roles at ActionAid Bangladesh, and also worked as a Medical Officer at The Specialized Hospital (Pvt.) Ltd. and Dhanmondi Nursing Home Ltd. As a consultant, he has worked with prestigious organizations including Center for Disability in Development (CDD), GIZ, Oxfam, the National Institute of Ophthalmology, and even the Government of Myanmar. His areas of expertise include policy advocacy, training and facilitation, IEC material development, networking, and conducting program reviews and evaluations. Dr. Rahman is a recipient of the Eisenhower Fellowship under its Multi-Nations Program — a prestigious international honor dating back to 1953. As one of only two fellows in the program's history from the disability field, he traveled across the U.S. meeting disability rights leaders and expanding the global network of NFOWD. He holds an M.B.B.S. degree from Mymensingh Medical College, Bangladesh, awarded in 1990.

Ms. Janet Jamieson

Former Chair, Community Services, Red River College, Canada

Ms. Janet Jamieson

Former Chair, Community Services, Red River College, Canada

Ms. Janet Jamieson is the former Chair of Community Services at Red River College in Winnipeg, Canada, where she managed programs in Early Childhood Education, Child and Youth Care, Disability and Community Support, along with various community-based projects. She has worked collaboratively with numerous community organizations in Manitoba to deliver contextualized education programs and has been an active presenter at professional conferences. She also serves on several local and national committees. Janet has a particular interest in knowledge translation through the development of educational resources. She has co-produced several video series, including Our Children, Our Ways: Early Childhood Education in First Nations and Inuit Communities, Family Resource Programs, Listening to Babies, and Tuning into Toddlers. She is also the lead author of the widely used online multimedia resource, The Science of Early Child Development (SECD). Internationally, she has collaborated with IED-BRAC University, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development, and the World Bank to develop an international version of SECD, which is now being used globally as both a course and a resource. Ms. Jamieson holds an undergraduate degree from Queen’s University and a Master of Arts in Child Study and Education from the University of Toronto.

How Children Learn — Online & Offline Course

A signature program designed to equip parents, educators, and policymakers with practical knowledge on child brain development and learning behavior.

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Partners & Collaborators

We are proud to work alongside esteemed local and international organizations that share our commitment to child development and human potential.