WHAT WE STAND FOR
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to support and promote the eradication of extreme poverty through a combination of integrated and independent programs that empower the poor.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to create a world where the extreme poor are provided with basic needs and the ability to permanently escape from poverty and become self-sufficient.
OUR VALUES
We are innovative change makers.
We care and have the deepest respect for the world’s poorest.
We achieve measurable results.
We are enthusiastic about our work.
the pep team in bangLadesh
PSDI was established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2004 to exclusively support the poverty eradication work of an NGO (non-governmental organization) team already working in Bangladesh since 1986, the Poverty Eradication Program (PEP). Our founders were passionate about helping families living in extreme poverty in the developing world and trusted PEP and their holistic model to continue to do just that.
The PEP team is lead by experienced professionals and includes 45 trained social workers who live and work in the villages where they serve, developing a trusting relationship with the families the live and work with. Most of the PEP team have been with the organization for over ten years, providing the continuous learning and program improvements that come over time. Aside from the holistic model of poverty eradication they developed and use today, a key to their success is the relationships they have developed with leaders in the nonprofit sector and community leaders in the villages where they serve.
Shahjahan ali
Chairman of the PEP Board
Mr. Ali is a lawyer first getting involved with PEP in 1988 when elected Chairman of the union where his family lived. In this leadership position within his community, he became familiar with PEP’s work during a workshop on poverty eradication. Due to his interest in and support of PEP’s work, they invited him to serve on the Board, representing his community in Bogura. He has been “inspired and motivated by the commitment of the PEP team” and is proud to be involved with the organization. Mr. Ali was elected Chairman of PEP’s Board in 2023.
mujibur rahman
Executive Director
Mr. Rahman has been Executive Director of PEP since 2013. He has many years of experience working in the non-profit sector in Bangladesh and has successfully led PEP through many transitions. He and his wife have an adult daughter and one grandchild.
mizan khan
Deputy Director
Mr. Khan is the Deputy Director of PEP, working with the organization since 2012. In addition to assisting Mr. Rahman, he is responsible for reporting outcomes to donors and overseeing many important aspects of the organization. He has received his MBA, graduating in the top of his class and lives with his wife and daughter in Dhaka.
psdi BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Robert J. Scanlon
Board Chair
Bob Scanlon has supported the work in Bangladesh for over 20 years due to his close friendship with Bill Christensen, his former teacher at McBride High School in St. Louis, MO, and founder of the organization in Bangladesh that works to relieve the desperately poor to a life of self-sufficiency.
“In 2016, I visited Bill and his team in Dhaka and traveled to two of the four districts where PEP works. This chance to see in person both the PEP leaders and staff and the families they are lifting out of poverty was a great experience and resulted in personal connections that make my contributions so much more meaningful. But, ultimately I give because of my Catholic faith and my desire to love God through loving my neighbors even if they are half way around the world. As Jesus said, ‘Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me’."
Dr. Riaheen Farzana
Assistant Professor of Business Management, Converse College
Riaheen Farzana is from Bangladesh and after completing her PhD at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with her thesis focused on microfinancing and women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh she began teaching business and management at Converse College in S. Carolina in the fall of 2020. She is married and has two children. Her husband remains in Bangladesh to operate his business there.
“I joined PSDI to share my knowledge and to work for the development of PSDI as I am very enthusiastic to do something for my country, Bangladesh.”
Jeff Basler
National Sales Mgr, Mountain Region - Spectrum
Jeff is a graduate of Chaminade High School in St. Louis and has spent his career as a sales executive offering more than 30 years of diversified advertising sales management expertise within the media industry. He travelled to Bangladesh in 2008 and witnessed the programs lifting up the poor first hand. This experience continues to impact him today as he supports the Basler Child Development Center in rural Bangladesh providing young children from poor families a quality early education.
“In 2008 I saw firsthand the plight of the world’s most extreme form of poverty. The money we raise at PSDI funds solutions based programs to offer a sustainable life of dignity for the world’s most vulnerable. We support a model of poverty eradication touching families that would otherwise never be reached by large NGO’s. At PSDI EVERY contribution makes a big difference for the extreme poor.”
Marvin Borgmeyer
Retired Chemist
Marvin graduated from McBride High School in St. Louis as valedictorian and went on to the MO Univ. of Science & Technology where he earned his Bachelors and Masters in Chemistry, later receiving an MBA at Louisiana Univ. He spent 37 years at ExxonMobil and received countless awards for his work there and in the community.
“I feel so proud to be doing a small part to help these very deserving people. PSDI provides a hand-up not just a hand-out.”
fariha chowdhury
student
Fariha Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi currently enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis for a Masters in Public Health. She received her M.B.B.S. (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) from the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh and moved to the United States to be with her husband, Arham, after they married.
“Supporting the disadvantaged in Bangladesh isn’t just charity; it’s an investment in a brighter future.”
Arham Chowdhury
dATA vISUALIZATION sPECIALIST
Arham Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi working in the United States. He received a bachelors in Applied Mathematics from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO and a masters in Computer Science from William & Mary located in Williamsburg, VA. He is married to Fariha Chowdhury and currently resides in Newark, DE.
"Being born and raised in Bangladesh and educated in the US, I am honored by PSDI to be in a unique position to help the people of my country. My primary role is to establish deep cultural understanding and to support the communication efforts between the PSDI board and our corresponding colleagues in Bangladesh working to alleviate poverty."
Br. Delmar Jorn
Marianist Brother
Originally from Illinois, Br. Jorn was inspired to join the Marianist’s at Bradley Univ. in Peoria and further inspired to pursue a Masters in Library Science at Catholic Univ. in Washington DC. In the 1980’s after working in Marianist sponsored high schools, he was asked to travel to S. Asia to help expand the Marianist’s reach. He ended up spending 38 years in Nepal and India where his humble approach to life and ministry earned him admiration and respect from his friends and Marianist Brothers. He is a self-professed sports fan with the St. Louis Cardinals being his favorite team to follow.
“I am on the board because I believe what donors give is well used for the poor of Bangladesh.” ”
CORI KEENE
CONSULTANT
Cori Keene is a consultant in sustainable development and management services, splitting her time between the U.S. and Germany. She has multiple degrees focused on the sociology and agroecology and is currently studying climate change and development.
“I have enjoyed sharing my expertise with PSDI as we work together to serve the poor in Bangladesh".”
Andrew Wuellner
Treasurer
Andrew Wuellner has served the organization since its inception because of its focus on providing family elevating grants.
“The strengths of the model used to lift the ultra-poor primarily by empowering woman and educating children, rather than just providing assistance, is what drives my continued support.”
psdi STAFF
Nancy Jernigan
Executive Director & Secretary of the Board
n.jernigan@psdintl.org
314.993.5599
Nancy Jernigan followed Virginia Klein as Executive Director of PSDI in 2016. She previously served as Executive Director of the United Way of Southeast Missouri for 20 years where she became passionate about poverty eradication.
“I believe poverty to be the root cause of many other social issues in our world. People everywhere should have the opportunity to be the best they can be - with some needing a hand up from time to time. Our work in Bangladesh is effective and efficient and is making a difference in the lives of thousands of families who would otherwise remain extremely poor. Serving others aligns with my faith and continues to bless my life.”
psdi FINANCIAL INFORMATION
We are committed to transparency and accountability at all levels of our work. Financial information not available on our website is available upon request.
