Obituary

With deep sorrow we would like to inform all concerned that Mr. Matthew Malakar, the former National General Secretary of the National Council of YMCAs of Bangladesh has passed away  on 6th February, 2011 at a local hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was suffering from leukemia. He has survived by his wife Mrs. Grace Malakar.

Matthew Malakar was the first full time National General Secretary of the National Council of YMCAs of Bangladesh. He joined the National Council during the formation period in 1975 and retired from the position in 1988 and subsequently he served the World Alliance of YMCA from 1988 for a couple of years as its Fraternal Secretary in Khartoum, Sudan. Later, again he served the National Council of YMCAs in a consultative status from 1992 to 1994 as the acting National General Secretary.

He was born on 10^th of October, 1933 at Joparpar, a remote village in Barisal. In his childhood, he completed his schooling at Jobarpar, he had his college education in Barisal town and graduated from Dhaka University in the late Fifties.

He started his career, as the co-operative field officer of the Economic and Social Welfare Committee of the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh on September 1957.   In 1970 he was promoted as the Director of the Economic and Social Welfare Committee replacing Mr. E.A. Tamari of the Church World Service of America. In 1973 joined the International Voluntary Services Inc. as the Associate Director with Dr. Winburn T. Thomas and provided technical assistance on the job to the expert volunteers who came from different parts of the World. Had been instrumental in organizing the Bangladesh Family Planning Coordinating Council and served it as the Executive Secretary for one year.

While he was serving the National Council of Churches of Pakistan, it was during his overseas training during 1961-62 that he visited New York and happened to stay in the  Sloans House for three days, where he came to know about the YMCA. Returning home he began to talk about forming YMCA in Dhaka and in association with several young men in Dhaka, he called the first meeting of the YMCA during mid 1965. He was the first convenor of the ad hoc Committee of Dhaka YMCA. In the subsequent years, he devoted himself in giving a proper shape of Dhaka YMCA along with Late Sushanta Adhikary and a host of others.

Soon after our liberation war, several local YMCAs were formed and subsequently the National Council was formed, he played a key role in forming the National Council and he first served the National Council as its Honorary National General Secretary from 1975  and later during April, 1977 he joined as a Full Time National General Secretary.

It was for his initiative the National Council of YMCAs of Bangladesh was affiliated with the World Alliance of YMCAs as a National YMCA Movement. The membership was awarded at the 8^th World Council Meetings of the World Alliance of YMCAs held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1976. He represented the National Council of YMCAs of Bangladesh at the meeting.

He played a pivotal role to form the local YMCAs in Bangladesh and 8 Local YMCAs were formed in various parts of the country during his tenure. He worked relentlessly for the empowerment of the Local YMCAs and stressed on good governance of the YMCAs. Under his guidance and patronization, almost all the local YMCAs could acquire land and property. He had played an important role to nurture these YMCAs, so that they could stand on their own feet and we are proud to say that he had been successful in this respect. 

He also stressed the matter of training of the lay and professionals in the YMCA and had established the YMCA Training Center at Savar in 1985 upon a land comprising about 2 acres.

He had extensively traveled throughout the world, visiting YMCAs and strengthening partnership relations.  It was for his initiative the Bangladesh YMCAs had been blessed with a host of overseas fraternal YMCAs, who supported the Bangladesh YMCAs as it grew up to its present state.

After his retirement he opted to return to his home village. He devoted in volunteering himself to the local church activities, during the remaining days of his life.

He was a man of vision, his ecumenical outlook had made the YMCA in Bangladesh an open space for people of all denominations. For his untiring endeavor, the YMCA had been transformed to a place where people of various denominations, who not only unite but also can pray together. Thus the YMCA has become a bridge between churches and communities.

He had been a mentor for innumerous people home and abroad who serve the YMCA both as volunteers and professionals, involved in materializing his vision into reality.  He was a man of integrity, honesty & sincerity, extremely dedicated to the cause of the YMCA. In fact, he had dedicated his life to the cause of the YMCA. The YMCAs of Bangladesh shall always remember him for his invaluable contribution to the YMCA and the society at large.

He had been laid to rest in the cemetery in his paternal village at Joparpar, Barisal on 7^th of February 2011..

May his soul rest in peace.