Murshid Alam, a Rohingya refugee and 2025 Aspire Leaders Program alumnus, has dedicated his life to expanding opportunities for his community in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, home to the world’s largest refugee settlement.
Growing up, Alam had limited access to formal education — a reality shared by most of the nearly one million Rohingya living in the camps. He recognized that in order to forge a successful path forward, he needed to seek out opportunities to learn and build a future beyond the constraints of his circumstances.
One such opportunity came in the form of the Aspire Leaders Program, where Alam developed a clear vision for how he could channel his experiences into meaningful change for his community. He founded the Rohingya Youth Union (RYU), and through it, he and over 1,000 community members work to empower Rohingya youth through education, leadership development, and advocacy. He has since expanded his impact as a UN Youth Advocate, NGFP Fellow, and Research & Policy Analyst focused on Rohingya rights.
Alam’s work is driven by a simple yet profound mission: to amplify Rohingya voices, promote inclusive policies, and build platforms for youth-led change in humanitarian and educational contexts.
Growing Up a Refugee
In 2017, violence broke out in Alam’s home of Rakhine State, Myanmar. He, along with around 770,000 other Rohingya, fled to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in order to escape persecution. Alam sustained a bullet injury in the process that left him with a lasting physical disability.
“That experience did not break me,” he said. “It forged in me an unshakable commitment to justice, peace, and the empowerment of my people.”
He completed the journey to Bangladesh and, once there, began rebuilding his life in the camps. Over time, though, it became clear to Alam that his community was missing a few key necessities: safety, education, opportunity, and a voice in decisions about its future.
“My journey as a Rohingya refugee has deeply shaped my commitment to justice, education, and peacebuilding,” he said. “Having witnessed violence, displacement, and systemic denial of rights from a young age, I am motivated to ensure that future generations do not inherit the same cycle of suffering.”
Rather than letting his circumstances set his limits, Alam worked hard to pursue opportunities that would strengthen his knowledge, credibility, and leadership capacity in order to achieve his vision. He earned a diploma in social work at the Yangon School of Social Work and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at the University of the People, equipping himself with the strategic and managerial skills needed to lead sustainable change.
A Turning Point at Aspire
Alam describes his time in the Aspire Leaders Program as transformative. Personal leadership development paired with real-world problem solving exercises aided him in developing new skills, a global perspective, and the tools needed to create impact on his own.
“Through the program, I discovered new confidence in my abilities and developed a clearer vision of how I can contribute to my community,” he said.
For a young refugee who had grown up with few opportunities, that confidence was transformative. The Aspire Leaders Program reshaped Alam’s understanding of leadership and helped him turn his deep commitment to serving his community into a clear vision and actionable plan.
“Leadership is not about having a position of authority. It is about taking initiative and building solutions that matter,” he said.
Alam’s experience as a refugee gave him his purpose. Aspire gave him the confidence and tools to act on it.
Building a Youth Movement
Alam founded the Rohingya Youth Union, a youth-led grassroots organization dedicated to empowering Rohingya youth to become educated, skilled, and confident leaders. After graduating from the Aspire Leaders Program, he returned to RYU with a renewed sense of direction, and applied the lessons he learned to kickstart the organization’s work.
He mobilized over 1,000 individuals across the refugee camps, and through leadership development, peacebuilding, and advocacy programs, their work with RYU has enabled them to impact the lives of over 5,000 Rohingya youth.
“I believe youth are not only beneficiaries of change, but active agents in shaping peace, justice, and development,” Alam said.
The belief sits at the core of RYU. Having been one of those young refugees himself, Alam sees them as leaders in the making, not people waiting for help. In January 2025, RYU adopted a formal constitution, bylaws, safeguarding policy, and accountability framework, building a structure meant to last.
Amplifying Rohingya Voices
Alam also directs Roots of Arakan, a research and dialogue initiative that documents oral histories from Rohingya, Rakhine State, and other communities. Its work promotes reconciliation between historically divided groups and produces policy research on durable solutions for displaced people.
Having lost his own home, Alam’s vision is about more than return. He hopes for a peaceful Arakan (Rakhine State), Myanmar, where Rohingya people return with citizenship and dignity, and where all communities live side by side in equality.
“Lasting peace in Arakan cannot be achieved without reconciliation, mutual understanding, and shared responsibility for the future,” he said.
It is the outlook of a bridge-builder. Rather than framing peace as one side’s victory, Alam sees it as something Rohingya, Rakhine State, and others must build together.
The Power of Education
Alam wants both his experiences and work within his community to inspire other Rohingya youth facing the same struggles to believe in their own potential.
“My journey, from a refugee camp to founding a youth-led organization and advocating at the United Nations, is a testament to the transformative power of education and leadership development,” he said. “The Aspire Leaders Program played a crucial role in this journey.”
It’s a reminder that leadership can begin anywhere when talent meets opportunity. Aspire helped open that door for Alam, and he is now holding it open for others.
Visit the links below to learn more about Murshid Alam and his work:
- About Murshid Alam: https://about.me/murshid.alam
- Rohingya Youth Union: https://globalcompactrefugees.org/good-practices/empowering-rohingya-youth-through-education-and-leadership
- Roots of Arakan: https://rootsofarakan.netlify.app/
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/rohingyayouthunion-ryu?usp=sharing
- Murshid Alam’s Publications: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
