Forhat Chowdhury

About Forhat Chowdhury

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Country: Bangladesh

Forhat is a humanitarian working on emergency responses across the globe. Her work is directly connected to refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and climate migrants. By profession, she is an architect. She initially worked as a commercial architect at the beginning of her career, but when the Rohingya refugee crisis occurred in 2017 in Bangladesh, she redirected her education and professional expertise toward humanitarian emergencies. She deals with shelter settlements, site planning and climate-responsive activities.

Forhat grew up in a small town in Bangladesh named Moulvibazar. To pursue higher education, she left home at an early age and studied architecture in the capital city, Dhaka (American International University - Bangladesh). By choosing a more socially oriented approach to her profession, Forhat pursued a humanitarian career path and earned a master’s degree in Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies from the University of Dhaka. She has continued in this field because she says she can see the positive changes her work brings to refugees. Nothing is more rewarding than this.

Since then, she has undertaken humanitarian missions in Ukraine, Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and, most recently, Ethiopia. All these missions in diverse countries have enriched her knowledge and experiences, which she credits with making her a better human.

Over the last few years, Forhat has consistently incorporated climate-responsive approaches into her activities. She has designed schools, hospitals, and community spaces with climate-responsive design principles. She has developed proposals that address major concerns related to climate change. Additionally, Forhat has actively worked with female community members to revive the ecofeminist lifestyle of Bangladeshi rural women.

With the Humphrey Fellowship, Forhat looks forward to collaborating with environmental policymakers and climate change and sustainability experts to integrate climate and environmental consciousness into humanitarian activities in a more rational and meaningful way, ultimately building a strong community for these deprived people around the world.

Email Forhat