Bintou is from the Gambia, West Africa. She has been in Bangladesh for about 18 months, with her husband (a UNV) and her baby daughter. She is a Nurse/Midwife and enjoys reading, watching TV and socializing. This is her first time to live outside of the Gambia, and she is enjoying the opportunity to meet and to know people from different cultural backgrounds.

Hitomi is from Japan. Her husband works with UNDP, and their previous postings were in Vietnam and China. They have two children at the French Intl. School. She assisted the Publications Chairperson during the previous board and also put together the newly constituted Hospitality Kit.

Meriaty has a Chinese/Indonesian/Dutch background and has previously studied, lived and worked in Indonesia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, and Vienna. She came to Bangladesh in August 2000. Her background is in building engineering and construction, and she has been working with international organizations for the past 15 years. Her hobbies include reading, hiking, social tennis, swimming and visiting new countries. She reports that her "confusing" background has made her feel at home in international work.

Naoko is from Japan, and started her assignment with UNDP in April 2001 and Bangladesh is her first duty station. She was earlier involved in some projects in Bangladesh as an officer in Tokyo at Japan Bank for Int’l Cooperation, living and working in the country has been a very different experience, with lots of challenges. But she has started to enjoy her life and these challenges. She is looking forward to expanding her horizons through her involvement in UNWA.

Nancy Fee is Canadian/American, and has been working in reproductive health and HIV issues in developing countries for over twenty years. She has been in Dhaka for a year, and before that was based in Manila for WHO and UNAIDS. Earlier she has lived in London, Botswana, Kenya and Uganda, and worked across Asia, Africa and the Arab World. She has a lively sense of humour, reads night and day, and has a husband who is a good cook!

Anowara has wide experience in UN women’s organizations. Most recently she was Acting President of the United Nations University Women’s Association in Tokyo. Her earlier experiences were as Vice-President of the UN Women’s Guild at UN HQ in New York, and in UN women’s groups in Beijing and Addis Ababa. She has especially enjoyed being involved in welfare work around the globe.

Elizabeth is from the Philippines. She served as Secretary and Membership Chairperson on the previous board. Her husband works with UNHCR and they have one daughter.