New Delhi: Bangladesh vaccine scientist Dr. Firdausi Qadri and Pakistan microfinancier (economist) Mohammad Amjad Saqib has been included in the list of five people to be awarded this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award. The names of the winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered Asia's Nobel Prize, were announced on Tuesday. Among the awardees is Dr. Firdousi Qadri of Bangladesh and Saqib of Pakistan, as well as Philippine fisheries and community environmentalist Roberto Ballon, American citizen Steven Munsi, who works for humanitarian work and help refugees, and Indonesian watch dock for investigative journalism.

Dr. Qadri, 70, has a doctorate from the prestigious University of Liverpool in the UK. He joined the International Centre for Research on Cholera in Dhaka in 1988. Dr Qadri is credited with developing an affordable anti-cholera vaccine and typhoid vaccine for adults, children, and infants. He has done a lot of work in slum areas of developed countries. Saqib, a 64-year-old Pakistani activist, has developed the first interest-free microfinance program of its kind, 'Akhuwat,' which uses places of worship to provide zero-interest loans, recording an unprecedented loan repayment.

Saqib is known for his intelligence and compassion, which enabled him to develop the largest microfinance institution in Pakistan. He believes that humanitarian aid and solidarity are the only ways to eradicate poverty. The winners will be formally awarded the Magsaysay Award during the November 28 event at the Ramon Magsaysay Centre in Manila.

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